Public speaking offers benefits you can’t get from any other thought leadership tool. For example, did you know that a “Speaker” badge actually has power? Find out how public speaking is so worth the hassle.

1. BY CARL FRIESEN
thought leadership resources
Four benefits public
speaking gives that
nothing else does
Presentation by
Carl Friesen

2. Public speaking can be a
hassle
• Challenges finding venues that
contain potential clients
• It can be hard to get the gig
• All that time preparing the
speech
• Travel time and expense
• Too many white-chocolate-chip
macadamia-nut cookies

3. And to top it off…
Many business professionals
would rather have a tooth
extracted without anesthetic,
than give a speech

4. Easier ways to get your
message out
• Webinars let you reach more people
from your desk
• Podcasts let you engage with people on
the go
• Blogging helps your ideas come up in
online searches
• Social media (Twitter, Periscope,
Tumblr, LinkedIn …) amplify what you
say

5. But there are still four benefits
that public speaking gives you,
that nothing else does.

6. 1. Wearing a ‘speaker’ badge
gives your conversations
more power
That lanyard or badge marked
“speaker” is powerful
• It gives your ordinary
conversations at the event more
weight
• People at the event are eager to
talk with you
SPEAKER

7. 2. It’s your chance to focus
your ideas tightly on your
audience’s needs
Conversations before the
event help you find out what
issues are most pressing on
the people who will attend your
presentation. So, you can tailor
your message to respond to
those issues and concerns.

8. 3. Potential clients get
to see if they’ll enjoy
working with you
Prospective clients want to
know if they’ll enjoy working
with you. Public speaking gives
you a chance for you to show
what you’re like as a person, in
a way no other medium can do.

9. • They see how you respond to
technical glitches – do you roll with
it, or throw a hissy fit?
• How well do you respond to
questions?
• Are you personable, a good
communicator, and do you have a
sense of humor?

10. 4. Getting invited to speak
boosts your credibility
Speaker slots are limited in
number. If the organizers
decide you’re worth one of their
available slots, that’s a boost in
your credibility.

11. Get the most from the opportunity
• Drop mentions of your speech into
conversations: “In my presentation at the
conference, one of the points was…”
• Add a description of your presentation to
your LinkedIn profile.
• Modify the text of your speech into an article
or blog post.
• Get referrals from the organizers to help you
get your next speaking gig.

12. Public speaking is
just one of many
tools for building your
professional profile, but
it’s an important one.

13. thought leadership resourcesT h o u g h t l e a d e r s h i p r e s o u r c e s .
To
learn more about
how you can get speaking
engagements that boost your
profile, download our free Action
Guide: “Get that speaking
engagement.”
www.thoughtleadershipresources.com/freegift