Public Speaking Tip: Don't skip these three things

When you have been asked to speak to an association or group, give yourself a chance to succeed right away by doing these three things:

1. Understand Why You?
2. Understand Your Audience
3. Understand the Logistics

Understand Why You?  When approached by a meeting planner to speak, ask:

• why have you been chosen to present the topic?
• exactly what information is expected to be delivered?
• why is the topic important to this group?
• has this topic been presented before at previous meetings?
• is this a plenary session or a break-out session?
• when is the session scheduled?

These questions will help to focus you on why you are the person who should give this presentation and why the information is important to the group.  When speaking, you are there to provide information to the audience, not to hear yourself speak or to merely build your resume.  Understanding why they called you is vital in your speaking preparation process.

Understand Your Audience.  The people you are addressing have real needs and questions and they are choosing to spend their valuable time listening to you.  Respect their time and yours and have something to say that makes a difference to them.  A great idea is to contact three or four members of this group or association and ask them what challenges they currently face.  Ask them about any hot-button issues.  Know why they should care about your topic.  Meeting planners can't always fill this need.  You've got to communicate with members of your audience. 

Understand the Logistics.  Whether you're speaking across the world, across the country, or across town, do everything in your power to arrive in plenty of time.  Cutting it close only adds stress and practically ensures that you will not be at your best, thereby short-changing the audience and reflecting poorly upon you as a professional.  Getting there with time to spare allows you to accomplish last minute preparations, relax, and check the room where you'll be speaking.  A speaking engagement is a credibility and, for many, a career-builder.  Don't waste the opportunity by not planning to be there with time to spare.

If you are asking yourself, "how do I get called for a speaking engagement?", see the article on your left entitled "A Winning Speech - Part I: Securing the Speaking Engagement."

Inspiration for this post comes from "3 Reasons Speakers Fail to Hit the Mark"
by Patricia Fripp and Jeff Davidson.  Patricia Fripp:  [email protected], 1-800 634 3035, http://www.fripp.com