Networking as a Professional Speaker

Public speaking offers numerous advantages for a variety of purposes. Entrepreneurs make presentations about industry innovations and product updates. Business professionals give talks to inform colleagues or the public of important developments. Experts associated with meritorious causes, such as non-profits, charities, and local or national initiatives make speeches to announce needs or updates tied to organizational goals. Whatever the goal, professional speakers can use networking to form valuable connections that will help to promote their cause. Establishing links through various media can help to form new speaking opportunities and gain broader exposure.

Business events.

Participating in organizations or business-related events quickly helps to inform members of your availability to speak on relevant issues. The Chamber of Commerce, local professional associations, and regional programs often look for speakers to address group activities at lunch or dinner events, or occasional seminars and workshops. Becoming a member may let you post articles in their newsletter or get to know members of organizations where speakers are sought.

Local professional groups.

Consider giving talks to groups like college classes or hobby enthusiasts. These are great venues to get acquainted with those interested in your topic, and this can form a domino effect in some cases where members may invite you to speak at other related events. Giving a how-to talk at community agencies can open even more doors to networking with those who recommend your presentation to others.

National conferences and trade shows.

Public speaking options include making conference presentations or trade show speeches if you submit a proposal or your resume. Look for major gatherings of people who may be interested in your expertise and offer a streamlined presentation that fits with the program theme.

Social media and Web presence.

Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are just three popular forms of social media where you can establish yourself as an expert and attract a following. With LinkedIn, you can network with others in your area of specialization to find out what people are interested in and how you can tailor your talk accordingly. You also may be able to learn about upcoming events or speaker needs that are looking for your area of expertise.

You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to become a sought-after speaker. Networking with those directly related to your specialty area or even marginally interested the topic may lead to speaking invitations at events where people want to learn more. Local and online network connections offer an informal but powerful way to connect with people who will want to hear you speak.

Use Your Everyday Conversations to Build Public Speaking Skills

There’s not as much difference between having a conversation with a coworker and public speaking as you might think. In each instance, you’re trying to get a point across. The point may be different in each case, but they’re more similar than you might expect. In order to become comfortable and even fluent in the ways of public speaking, you can use your daily conversations to make the skills you need become natural habits.

What is Public Speaking?

It could be a meeting with coworkers or a group meeting with friends, it could be that you want to achieve a career in public speaking and influencing others. Speaking in public means you will always be talking with a goal in mind. In a meeting with coworkers or your boss, you’re trying to convey a set message. On stage or in front of a class, you want to persuade people towards your personal point of view. Talking with friends, family or coworkers differs from speaking in public because you’re not actively trying to influence the conversation towards a certain goal. You’re likely to feel less anxiety because you know the people you are conversing with. This is a perfect time to hone the skills you will use in public speaking.

Building Your Skills

You can use your daily interactions with others to build your communication skills. For example, you can plan what you want to say in advance. Make sure you’ve practiced it, and plan on speaking clearly and definitively. Speaking in public requires confidence and authority in your words as well as your actions. You don’t have to have a mini-speech prepared in advance each day to practice, but you can use the opportunity to speak towards a message. That message can be anything from where you want to eat dinner to telling a coworker about a recent meeting with the boss. You want to be influential and persuasive without being aggressive or demanding. Think about the “why” of your point, rather than the “what”.

Passion is one of the biggest influencers. Think about the last public speaker you saw. It could have been a TED talk or a YouTube video where the person addressed an audience. The person spoke clearly and with authority. They kept a straight posture and moved and spoke with confidence. It’s important to believe in what you’re saying and to convey that belief with passion.

Eye contact with your audience is key to speaking with authority. If you look down at the ground or up in the air while speaking, you’re not giving your words the weight they deserve. This is one of the best things you can practice with your friends, family or coworkers.

When you pronounce each word on stage during a speaking engagement, it makes it easier to understand the message. You’re putting energy into your words. That doesn’t mean talking fast, though. Your words have to be clear and enunciated properly.

When you have a conversation at work, school, or with family, take note of your body. Hand gestures, posture, and other physical movements can be pivotal to a persuasive speech. You want to be authoritative and punctuate your thoughts without distracting from your words. You don’t want to be a “hand-talker” or pace with nervous energy, but you don want to make sure to take up space and stand tall in your conversation.

Build your vocabulary. Study new words and use them every day. While this might be difficult to do in everyday conversation, since it’ll seem unnatural, you can find ways to slip one or two words into the conversation to give yourself some practice.

Make sure to leave some pauses in the action to allow your words to sink into the minds of the audience. This is vital to speaking in front of a crowd, to the ebb and flow of your story, but may not come naturally (especially if you are nervous!)

Everyday Actions

• Straight spine during your speech
• Look your audience in the eye
• Talk with confidence
• Speak clearly
• Practice each day

Once you have practiced enough, transitioning to a real public speech in front of an audience won’t seem so daunting. Your skills will have improved, so you can speak to the audience with confidence and authority.