Today I was the guest speaker for my local chamber, but I have spoken at many business events and I am scheduled to speak at a few more this year. Why do I speak? Beyond getting a chance to help out many of the local business networking groups and chambers, I “speak up” to “stand out”. The quickest way to be known as a recognized expert in your field is to be a guest speaker at an event, club or non-profit organization where potential clients will attend.

Always choose a subject that relates to your business, but is a niche topic that you can be well versed on. Confidence comes when you are comfortable with the topic so if the topic is too broad you might find that you are not as well prepared. Speak from the heart and from experience and remember who your audience is and speak directly to them. No matter what your field is there are opportunities to speak that you might not have ever considered. Last year I attended a local event on social networking and using LINKEDIN. The speaker about Linkedin was Dave West, owner of Meadowview Construction. Dave had used social networking to enhance his business in home construction and green home building long before most of us had even set-up profiles on these free sites. Dave saw an opportunity to help his business by being known as the Social Networking / Linkedin Expert who could speak about his own company’s success with this on-line networking resource. His warm personality and genuine excitement about how he was able to connect with people on Linkedin was contagious. By the time he finished his talk about Linkedin, there wasn’t one person in the room that didn’t appreciate Dave’s help and learned more about this Georgetown based Construction Company.

So, as you are trying to increase sales and get known in your industry, consider the power of “speaking up”. If you are shy about speaking you can take a class at a local college, join a local Toastmasters Group, or practice your speech on small groups until you build up your confidence. Keep to a simple topic that you know well and then reach out to local groups and tell them you are doing speaking engagements and ask if they need speakers. Though often you are not paid for some speaking opportunities, I promise it will get you noticed and potentially more business.

All my best to your success!

Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”