Take the Plunge into Public Speaking

by Mark S. Fulton

I recently attended a monthly meeting of the Virginia Speakers Association, a chapter of the National Speakers Association. The organization provides educational and networking opportunities for people who are part-time or full-time conference keynoters, workshop leaders and other types of professional speakers.

I attended the VSA meeting to learn more about the group and to hear a panel of experts share the dos and don’ts, as well as the triumphs and trials, of life as a professional speaker. Increasingly, I’m being invited to speak at a variety of functions. So I thought it might be a good idea to take a more professional approach to the public speaking aspect of my business, beginning with gaining insights from people who are making a living as professional speakers.

I learned that pursuing a career as a full-time professional speaker requires a lot of grit. You need a prodigious amount of determination in order to slowly build your reputation, which includes accepting some speaking assignments that would make having a root canal seem like fun. One panelist described the time he unexpectedly wound up speaking to a group of hardened prison inmates about personal effectiveness and stress management.

The meeting’s speakers extolled the virtues of marketing yourself tirelessly, developing book and tape products and creating a vision for your future as the next Zig Ziglar. For members who are working their way toward becoming a Certified Speaking Professional, VSA provides a variety of resources—not the least of which is encouragement from fellow members.

For more information about the Virginia Speakers Association, visit their web site at www.VSASpeaker.org.

Not everyone in VSA intends to make speaking a full-time vocation. Some simply seek to add speaking to their business repertoire as a means to burnish their brand, compound their credibility or broaden their bottom line. And that’s why you should consider doing likewise.

Now before you moan that you’d rather eat a live toad than speak in public, consider how overcoming your apprehension and dipping your toe into the public speaking pool can help you make a splash in the business world.

No matter how you may market your business, public speaking can get your message out in a way that traditional marketing doesn’t. Where else can you get 20 to 30 minutes of a group of prospective customers’ undivided attention without paying big bucks? Moreover, public speaking gives you exposure to people who may never see your ad in the newspaper or catch your spot on the radio.

Furthermore, public speaking boosts your credibility. We all tend to seek out experts when we want the best product or service. People assume that your presence at a podium indicates that you possess expertise at something. That perception can be very bankable for your business when potential customers are making a buying decision.

Public speaking yields the added benefit of increasing your self-confidence and personal presence. While conquering stage fright may seem daunting, it can be done. Some of the most powerful speakers in history were petrified the first time they stood in front of an audience. Winston Churchill actually passed out at one of his first speaking engagements. With experience and practice, you can use public speaking to improve your poise and charisma.

You may be wondering what types of speaking opportunities are out there for the average business person who doesn’t have as many teeth as Tony Robbins. There are plenty. Service organizations, social clubs, trade associations, alumni chapters and other groups are always looking for interesting people to speak to them.

While many such groups reimburse you for your time by providing a free meal rather than money, others may pay you a speaker’s fee. Depending on your ambition and ability, you can work your way up to conferences and conventions where compensation can be considerable.

The best way to identify potential speaking venues is to ask friends and colleagues what professional, social and civic organizations they belong to. You can also search the Internet by typing in key words such as “professional association.”

Once you have identified a good prospect, contact the organization and find out who is in charge of its programs. Then do some homework and discover enough about the group to create a speech topic that will grab the members’ attention. Send a letter to the program director offering to speak on your topic. Provide some details about what you will cover.

Always ask for a letter of recommendation after your speaking engagements. Once you’ve collected a few testimonials, you can include quotes from satisfied program directors in your contact letters.

At the very least, your efforts as a public speaker will provide your business with free publicity. You may even discover that you enjoy it. After all, we all like getting positive strokes for a job well done—and there’s no more immediate reward than applause.

Copyright 2002 © Mark S. Fulton