Public Speaking Information


What is YOUR Speaking Expertise?


Why do you have to be an expert when getting speaking engagements?

The first thing you need to do before engaging into a speaking career is to define what you are an expert in. I have seen so many speakers that get relegated into the mediocre list just because they say they can talk on anything and "what would you like to hear?" Although I am not advocating sticking with one topic, I am advocating that you are an expert in a field that you choose. Do not try to be everything to everyone. The other day I came across a consultant saying to me that he was in the Application Integration business and that he had some major customers. I asked "how do you present your materials?" He explained that he simply worked with major vendors to make all their systems talk together. Then to my dismay he also added "and I do training (which is OK) and I am also a management consultant to help management make decisions with processes and how to put them together." To each question I asked he replied "I do that too". Now I was totally confused. All of a sudden, I did not view him as an expert and moved on.

You will find that once you specifically define your expertise, you will stick to it! You may also provide other things to your clients, but when you are speaking to an audience, YOU are the expert and not a chameleon that changes spots with the changing smell of a new business opportunity. Remember to focus on what you do best and the rest will follow; when you secure a speaking engagement, attach a subject to it, don't leave it open.

If you can clearly define your expertise, then business will be easier to obtain. People will come to know you in that field and ask your advice. Being an expert and defining it well is the first step to a speaking career within your field. Another thing you must be aware of is your audience and why they will listen to you.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Harvard author Jeri Warren releases new book on public speaking
Nashoba Publishing
"Speech and public speaking scare a lot of people," said Warren. "I just had someone say "You don't understand- it's really scary." But Warren says she, too, overcame jitters and whether it's an audience of one or thousands, "The bottom line is you ...



The Express Tribune

Public speaking: Students given 4 minutes to talk their way to victory
The Express Tribune
By Our Correspondent Around 47 O- and A-Level students from 40 schools gave inspirational and somewhat philosophical speeches. PHOTOS: AYESHA MIR/EXPRESS We are all the pupils of time, said Abdul Nafay Siddiqui, a student, as he raised his fist and ...



Henley Standard

Students show their skill at public speaking contest
Henley Standard
Teams from Gillotts School in Henley, The Henley College, Chiltern Edge School in Sonning Common, Reading Blue Coat School in Sonning and Claires Court School in Maidenhead showed off their public speaking skills at the Kenton Theatre.



Acting, playwriting classes to be offered at Boys and Girls Club
Elizabethton Star
By Jason Mullins Teenagers and adults who are interested in learning more about theatre and public speaking will have a chance to take part in a new series of classes at the Elizabethton Boys and Girls Club. Scott Snell, who lives in the Milligan ...



Debate coach honed Gingrich's public speaking skills when he was a young prof ...
Washington Post
ATLANTA — As a young college professor running for Congress, Newt Gingrich wanted to sharpen his debating skills. Admirers say the Republican was always a dynamic speaker, but with flaws. He frowned. He tilted his head oddly and fell back repeatedly ...

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New tone in talks
Bryan College Station Eagle
If someone needed to be heard by the entire crowd, he or she had to shout, meaning there was not much public speaking. Instead, the event featured mostly person-to-person conversations, with Wellborn residents asking city staff questions like when ...

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Forbes

5 Ways to Use Public Speaking to Build Your Client Base
Forbes
I'd give anything to travel back in time and tell my eight-year-old self that I'd eventually build a business from public speaking. In third grade, opening my mouth and speaking my mind to a group of people was a recipe for public humiliation: voice ...



Girls happy to have their say
This is Staffordshire
THREE high school students will be speaking up for Staffordshire at the area finals of a public speaking competition this month. Year 11 girls Sally Belfield, Hannah Gordon and Harriet Burns, from Leek High School, impressed judges when they took part ...



Take public speaking tips from Abraham Lincoln
Washington Post
Study the classics: “I think for anyone in public speaking, it's always great to go back and look at Lincoln's second inaugural. If you're in Washington, you can go to the [Lincoln] Memorial and see it.” Background, check: “Know what you're going to ...

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Fast Company

The State Of The Union Address Is The Ultimate Master Class In Public Speaking
Fast Company
BY FC Expert Blogger Ruth Sherman Wed Jan 25, 2012 This blog is written by a member of our expert blogging community and expresses that expert's views alone. Learn advanced--yet simple--speaking techniques likes anaphora, anapest, and chiasmus by ...

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