RL73: Public Speaking for Business - 101
Public speaking is incredible for your career and business. Master the art early and practice often
We all know the stats about public speaking - it’s one of the most dreaded phobias in the world.
This week, we’re hosting a 2 day networking conference in NYC for military veterans and it’ll be 2 straight days of public speaking.
Over the last year, I’ve spoken probably ~20 times in public - we host a lot of live events and I’m asked to join others.
I must be one of the weird few who loves speaking in public, so for today’s post, I’m sharing the why, what, and how of public speaking.
I first saw the power of public speaking at Wharton’s MBA program.
I gave a speech about my dad that I’m still quite proud of. I took a lot of learning points from this speech and still use them today. Here’s the speech in question (I’ve never publicly shared this before) -
Why You Should Try Public Speaking
The benefits of public speaking are dramatic - I see the positive effects in my career, life, and startup.
I rarely pause to consider the effects of public speaking on a career, but I saw a friend post about an upcoming speaking engagement and it helped me see it from a layperson’s perspective.
Check out this promotional graphic -
What do you think of Catharine when you first see this promotional material?
I’ve known Catharine for over a year - we helped her transition from a role in government into this role at Skyloom. She’s a rockstar and I truly cannot say enough good things about her, but seeing her in this specific context had a different effect on me.
It was incredibly legitimizing.
Don’t get me wrong, I know Catharine is legit already - I’m one of her biggest fans and advocates. When I think of Catharine, I think of what makes her a great professional first, but after seeing the graphic above, I think of how qualified she is as a lawyer specializing in the Space Industry.
If you’re invited to present at an in-person event, you should absolutely do so! Speaking will help with -
Establishing domain authority
Developing a personal brand
Giving you credibility
Marketing for your career
In short, public speaking is legitimizing, authoritative, and incredible for your career.
Our minds can’t help but assume that people who speak in public know what they’re talking about and have an important message to share. We then benefit from that perception in the minds of people who can help us in our careers.
How to Get Invited to Speak in Public
Event organizers are always on the lookout for great speakers. An event organizer is looking for someone who will -
Entertain
Have a Unique Point of View
Be prepared & do well under the lights
Draw a crowd
There are a few ways to be invited to speak in public -
Befriend an event organizer
Create your own content that drives interest in what you’re doing. A larger audience helps make you an attractive candidate for public speaking engagements.
Reach out and ask the event organizer for a speaking invite (just be sure it’s polite, relevant, and useful to their audience)
Sponsor an event
The best way to be invited to speak is to share your POV elsewhere. Long-time readers will know that I’m obsessed with content marketing - this is just another pillar of content marketing.
How to Speak in Public
I speak in public roughly 10 - 20 times per year and I get nervous each time.
I have a few actionable tips that can help you nail your next presentation that I wanted to share today.
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Without further ado, here are the 9 steps for a public speaking engagement:
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