10 steps to building your personal brand as an professional and inspiring speaker

Posted by: Krishna De | Posted on: July 17th, 2007 | 4 Comments | Posted in: Events, Ireland, Professional speaker, Public speaking

One of the most important skills that we can develop to enhance our business success and our personal success is that of being able to speak and present in from of others.

However, few of us ever get assistance and guidance in presenting and speaking in public.

Being able to connect with an audience, no matter if there are 3 people or 3000 people in a room or at a virtual event such as a webinar or teleconference and being able to deliver a clear and inspiring message is a sure fire way to build your reputation and personal brand.

Whether we speak for a fee or for a free, speaking and presenting can support our goal of positioning ourselves as an expert in our field and can lead to new clients and potential joint ventures.

So here are ten steps for building your personal brand as an inspiring and confident speaker:

1. Understand Your Audience – Make sure that you research who will be listening to you speaking or presenting. What is their previous experience of your subject matter? What are the areas that they are going to be most interested to hear about? Being able to address their key areas of concern and offer a clear and compelling answer to their problem will ensure that you get remembered after the live event.
2. Develop Relevant Content – Very often as experts in our subject matter, it can be easy to be over zealous and wanting to deliver too much content that we leave our audience confused and ourselves under time pressure. If you are speaking for only 30 minutes, then identify the three key messages you want to deliver.
3. Become a Great Storyteller – Take the time to research stories and content that reflect your audience and use the language that they are familiar with. Your efforts in customising content will enhance your standing and reputation in the eyes of your audience. Using stories to bring to life your presentation will help your audience connect to the content.
4. Create an On-line Resource Centre – Ideally you will provide a handout or materials to support your presentation. This is often required by an event organiser or circulated as pre-read well before the event. I recommend that you create a unique page on your website or business blog with references to key materials and additional resources specifically for the presentation. This will certainly be perceived as value adding by event organisers and attendees at your presentation.
5. Keep the Technology Simple – I recently attended an event where a speaker used 116 slides for a speech of 60 minutes – yes they were flicking through one slide every 30 seconds. Your ultimate goal is to be able to speak without the aid of PowerPoint slides. You can be sure that too many slides and speaking directly from them will not present you as a confident and capable speaker and presenter. If you do need slides or plan to include other audio or video materials to support your presentation, make sure that these do add value to the presentation.
6. Practise Before You Speak – Make sure that you feel confident and comfortable with your content. Ideally practice in front of others and record yourself on audio so that you can listen to how you sound and where you need to enhance the delivery of your presentation. Ask for feedback from your colleagues on how compelling and clear your message is.
7. Get There Early – On the day of the presentation, make sure that you arrive in plenty of time to reduce the stress of the event. It’s healthy to be a little nervous before you present as that keeps you on your toes. Arriving early enables you to check the layout of the land, ensure that the room is set up as you want it to be and that the organiser of the event is ready with the information they need to introduce you to the audience.
8. Linger Afterwards – Unless you are presenting to a board meeting and you are asked to come into the meeting just to deliver your content, wherever possible, make sure that you clear your diary to be available to stay at the event after you have spoken. This provides you with an opportunity to further connect with your audience and other speakers and access feedback about your presentation.
9. Follow Up – If you make a promise to send the attendees information after the event, make sure that you do so within 48 hours. Don’t forget to follow up with the event organiser thanking them for the opportunity to collaborate. Be sure to also ask for a testimonial that you can then add to your marketing materials and website.
10. Take Time to Reflect – after the event, do evaluate what you learned. What worked well with the audience? What can you learn from other speakers that you saw present at the same event? How can you enhance your presentation in the future? Keep notes on file or on index cards of your key learnings so that you can refer to them for your next presentation or speech.

YOUR ’BIZ GROWTH’ ACTION STEPS

1. Plan an Event – If you have not already got a speaking event or presentation planned in the next 90 days take time this week to reflect on who you would like to present to, on what subject and who can help you make such an event happen.
2. Review Your Performance – If you have recently spoken or presented to an audience, review that event against the 10 steps to building your personal brand as an inspiring and confident speaker. Are there areas that you could enhance your performance as a speaker or presenter and who could support you in taking action.
3. Invest In Your Development – If you are looking for additional guidance on enhancing your reputation and personal brand through speaking, make sure that you note in your diary to join the ‘Biz Growth Live’ seminar on Monday 20 August 2007, ‘Speak Your Way To Success’. I will be taking you through 5 biggest mistakes to avoid if you want to build your reputation as a compelling and magnetic speaker. I’ll also be sharing strategies you can employ so that you attract more clients and more business opportunities whether you speak for free or for a fee – guaranteed. This is a no-cost telecinference and you can join us from anywhere in the world so make sure that you register today.

Building your reputation as a compelling and inspiring speaker will build your reputation and lead to greater professional and personal success. But remember great speakers were not born; they nurtured and developed that skill and you can too.

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©Krishna De, Oneocean Ltd 2007. All rights reserved. Reprinted from ‘Biz Growth Express’, a Oneocean Ltd publication for leaders in professional services practices, featuring inspiration, strategies and tips to build your brand, attract your ideal clients and enjoy greater success with less stress.  Subscribe today at http://www.bizgrowthlive.com and access no-cost teleconferences where we interview experts from across the globe on how to build your corporate brand, your employer brand and your personal brand and expand your professional and personal success.