Speaking is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get your message out to large numbers of people and leverage your time. It is my favourite method of marketing. In my businesses, I have found that the more I speak, the more success that follows.
Speaking is a great way to build relationships with people. People do business with people they know, like and trust, so it makes huge sense that you fast track the relationship building process by connecting in a more personal way. Just think about it. Imagine being in a room with 70 people who are keen to hear what you have to say. By providing interesting and useful content and connecting with the audience, at the end of your presentation, provided you do a good job, you will have many people who would like to work with you. At the end of my presentations, I have sold products, coaching and even had people wanting to join my business.
Speaking Rocks!
Overcoming Your Fear of Public Speaking
When I coach entrepreneurs and suggest that they add speaking to their marketing mix, some of them totally freak out! I have heard that speaking is right up their with death as a common phobia. For some people, it can range from feeling nervous and nauseas to paralysing fear. When I speak, I always feel a little nervous but for me, that helps me lift my game each time.
So why are people so scared of public speaking? When I ask this question, the most common responses are they are worried that their mind will go blank, that they will look silly, that they are not perceived as an expert, that no one will take them seriously or they are worried that they will not do a good job. Because of this, people sometimes will choose to avoid public speaking at all costs. The problem with that is they miss out on such a wonderful opportunity to fast track their success.
Some keys to overcoming a fear of public speaking are:
- Knowing your topic – To be an effective speaker, you need to become an expert in your chosen subject area. Read everything you can about your chosen subject area. Every chance I get, I am reading books, listening to podcasts in my car or going to events to increase my knowledge. By knowing everything you can about your topic, you can feel confident that if any questions are asked of you at the end of your talk, you will be able to answer them confidently.
- Be prepared – Plan out your talk. Put together slides that cover the main points. The slides are there not only to help your audience focus on the main points of the talk but it also helps you to stay focused on your message. After speaking for many years, I have no issue getting up and speaking in front of large group for 90 minutes. My main issue is making sure that I stay on track and communicate my message in the timeframe allotted. I love speaking and I could speak all day. This is why being prepared is important.
- Practice, practice and practice some more – Do you think that a performer like Beyonce turns up to her concert and just “wings” it? Or does she practice for months before she goes on tour? Great performers put in many hours of practice to make sure their show is flawless. The same goes for you as a speaker. Don’t leave it to chance. Take every opportunity you can to practice your presentation. Every day, read through it out aloud. Listen to the tone of your voice. Practice in front of a mirror and see how you communicate through your gestures and body language. As they say, practice makes perfect!
- Get support – If you are feeling overwhelmed with the thought of speaking, you can learn the skills of how to become a great presenter. My mentor did speech therapy for two years so he could speak with authority in his voice. He has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the world. He didn’t just fluke it. He got help. So can you. Join a support group for speakers like Toastmasters and learn the skills of how to be a great presenter.
- Learn from the Masters – One of the ways I have learnt to be an effective speaker and presenter is to study the greats. I watch You Tube videos of Jim Rohn, Jack Canfield and Anthony Robbins, just to name a few and take notes of how they use the stage, how they use their voice, how the use slides and how they captivate the audience. If you always take time to learn, you will become great too!
- Just do it! – Like Nike said, you just have to get out and do it. Start by speaking to small groups and build you confidence before expanding to larger groups. It really is true that the more you do it, the easier it becomes. I remember I started speaking to small groups of less than 10. And sometimes they were friends. At least I knew I had a friendly crowd!!!! As I gained in confidence, the size of the groups got bigger until I was speaking in front of thousands. It all started by taking that first step to build my confidence and then as my confidence grew, so did the size of my audience.
How to Craft a Signature Talk
One of the secrets to becoming a great speaker is to master the art of creating a signature talk that speaks to your audience. One of the issues that I hear from my clients that initially stops them from speaking is the misconception that they have to put together a new talk for each speaking engagement. They are worried about the workload that it will bring. That simply isn’t the case.
The secret is you don’t change your talk, you change your audience.
I have about 5 main signatures talks that I give across a range of topics in my area of expertise. The format is standard but I add examples from the industry I am speaking to. For example, one of my talks is “How to Bulletproof Your Business With Multiple Streams of Income”. When I have spoken to the Fitness Industry, the examples I give are fitness industry specific but the main body of the talk is the same as when I speak to Mumpreneurs or Accountants. I just tailor my signature talk to my audience.
Creating Your Signature Talk
- It all starts with a great title – People will decide whether to come and hear you speak purely from the title. Your title should speak to your ideal client and address a major concern that keeps them awake at night with worry. So don’t think of your signature talk title as an after thought. It is the hook that will draw people in.
- Reverse engineer your talk – What do you want to achieve as the outcome of your talk? Is it sales of your product, or is it to collect leads? Craft your talk with the end in mind so you naturally lead people there and don’t feel salesy. I tell my audience at the beginning of my talk that if what I share resonates with them, I will show them how they can take the next step at the end of my talk.
- Create a 5 step system that takes your audience from a place of pain to a place of resolution. People want to feel like they are taken by the hand and led through a process. I don’t recommend more than 5 steps as too many steps can feel overwhelming.
- Go deep dish on one step – Take your audience through the 5 steps of your system as more of an overview but go deep dish on one of the 5 areas. By going deep dish on one of your 5 areas, you are able to give amazing content that your audience can go home and use regardless of whether they buy from you or not but at the same time, you are not giving away to whole store. So when you make your offer from the stage, you haven’t given them to much information that will overwhelm them and feel they don’t need you, but that they still need your guidance to get them to where they want to go.
- Have a great offer – If you don’t plan your offer from the start, when it come time to make your offer, you can feel really salesy.
Where Can I Speak?
There are plenty of opportunities to speak once you know where to look.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Teleseminars/Webinars – If you have a fear of speaking, a great way to get started is on tele-seminars or webinars. From a technology standpoint, webinars and teleseminars are easy to set up and there are many providers that are low cost. Think of a topic that your audience would really be interested in and promote your teleseminar to your list. If you don’t have a list, you can be a guest on someone else’s teleseminar. I really love teleseminars as I can run it from the comfort of my own home but still have a large reach.
Speaking At Other People’s Events – I love speaking at other people’s events. It is a great way to be introduced to a new audience of people. I also don’t have the headaches of running my own events. I suggest that you write down a list of all the conference, expos and business groups that service your niche. Look at their website and see how you can get booked as a speaker. Remember that promoters book speakers up to a year in advance so make sure you contact them with plenty of time.
Speaking at Your Own Events – If you have your own list, why not put on your own event. It can be as simple as having 10 of your friends in your living room and working up from there. As your confidence and list builds then you can aim to put on much larger events.
Getting booked for speaking engagements
It starts with you being prepared. You need to organized and take action. Here are some action steps to help you get booked.
1) Define your audience – What is the demographic of your ideal client? Once you have identified who your ideal client is, then you can discover where to come together as groups.
Does your ideal audience belong to certain groups?
Are their events or conferences where your ideal audience gathers?
I look for events and groups where my messages are complimentary and not competing.
2) Speakers Kit – It is essential that you prepare a Speakers kits to give to event organisers. Your Speakers kit is your marketing tool for speaking.
It should include:
- Your professional bio
- A Professional photo of you, and if possible, of you speaking
- Testimonials from past event organisers and people who have attended your talks
- A list of your signatures talks and bullet points of the main areas you cover in your talk
- An “In the Media” section where you can showcase any media you have been featured
- A professionally produced speaker demo video is very important so whenever you can, video tape your presentations.
It does not look professional if an organiser asks for your
Speakers kit and you just to throw something together. The key is to build relationships with organisers so they will ask you back again and again and the more professional you look, the easier it will become.
It all starts with you being ready.
3) Speakers Directories – Your goal as a speaker is to gain exposure. A great way to do that is by registering with a Speaking Bureau. Speakers directories help speakers connect with event organisers.
4) Contacting Event Organisers Directly – if there are events coming up in your industry, go to the website of the event and get in touch with the event organiser. If events are being run every year, the event organiser will always be looking for fresh faces to speak at their event. The important thing to remember is that events book their speakers months in advance. An event that I spoke at year after year would start receiving applications from speakers directly after the event finished for the following year. There was an application to fill in and they would ask for it to be in 9 months before their event was on. They would confirm your participation 6 months before the event was scheduled to be on. So if you want to be featured sooner than later, identify those events now and start applying now.
5) Ask for referrals – Whenever I go and speak, my goal is to come away from that event with another speaking opportunity booked. I always ask the host if they know of any other events coming up that need speakers.
6) Network – Make sure you are getting out there and connecting with key people in your industry. These people will be running events themselves or know people who are putting on events. Remember when networking, don’t approach people by telling them all about yourself. The secret to success is to ask how you can help them achieve their goals. By offering your services, more doors will be opened to you.
The Importance of Setting Goals
As with all other areas of your business, it is important that you set goals to work to when it comes to your speaking. Don’t leave it to chance. Create a roadmap of where you want to go over the next five years.
When setting your speaking goals, ask yourself the following questions:
- How many speaking gigs do I want to achieve this year?
- How many paid and unpaid gigs will I do?
- How much money do I want to earn from my speaking over the next year?
- Will I charge up front for my speaking or will I have products that I can sell from the stage?
- If I am selling from the stage, how much in sales do I want to achieve from each speaking event?
- What events to do I want to speak at that will really lift my profile?
The more you can define your goals, you more likely you will be to achieve the level of success that you are after.
Speaking will open doors for you that you never felt would be possible. Not only will it build your audience, but you will also connect with other amazing thought leaders. It won’t take long for you to be positioned as an expert.
Mireille Ryan
About the author
Mireille Ryan was born and raised in Sydney. After completing her Science Degree at Macquarie University, Mireille spent several years rising through the ranks at a major insurance company.
After spending 3 hours commuting each day, Mireille decided to make a career change, seeking a much better work life balance.
Mireille achieved her Cert III in fitness and never looked back. Mireille initially worked for all the major gyms chains for several years before deciding to open her own fitness business Health Guru Boot Camp, a fitness boot camp for women. During this time, Mireille also launched a website with a business partner, The Busy Mums Fitness Club, a free membership website where women could access Australia’s leading experts on mindset, exercise and nutrition.
The success of these two businesses, led to Mireille being named 2010 Australian Exercise Professional of the Year by Fitness Australia. Her boot camp business was also named as a finalist for 2011 Australian Personal Training Business of the Year and was the winner of 2011 QLD Personal Training Business of the Year.
Due to the success that Mireille enjoyed, many people started seeking her out wanting to know how they could build a successful business, just like her. From this, Mireille created her signature brand, “Mireille – Building a Business You Love” which specialises in coaching and mentoring women entrepreneurs and helping them turn their passions into a successful business.
Mireille has appeared on radio and has featured in over 20 magazines around the world. This has made her a sought after speaker and she travels the country speaking at events.
Mireille is the CEO of Health Guru Industries, a corporation that builds mind, body and business for women, through her 3 business brands – FitMind, Health Guru Boot Camp and Mireille – Building a Business You Love.
Mireille currently lives on the Gold Coast with her husband Shannon and their 3 children.
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