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Give a Great
Talk, Part 1
One of the ways you can market your product or service is through public
speaking.
For instance, you'll often see financial seminars advertised in your
local newspaper. The ads invite you to come for a lunch or evening
seminar ... typically just an hour or two ... on a topic like estate
planning, retirement planning, or mutual fund investing.
The seminar, sponsored by a local brokerage, financial planner, or other
financial services firm, is free.
So
how do they make money? By converting some of the attendees into paid
clients for whom they manage money, prepare estate plans, or provide
other financial services.
This "give a free talk" strategy can work in many fields and venues.
A
consultant who specializes in small-business management and marketing,
for example, might speak at a Chamber of Commerce lunch to promote his
services and sign up local business owners as clients.
You can speak at local association lunches and dinners ... the YMCA or
YMHA ... high school and college adult-education programs ... local
libraries ... trade shows and conferences ... public seminars.
Why don't more entrepreneurs use the "give a free talk" promotional
strategy? One reason is that the idea of speaking in front of a group
makes them nervous.
We
often hear about surveys showing the number one fear of Americans to be
public speaking … ahead of fear of flying, heights (my particular
bugaboo), snakes, or even death....
Now, I have been using the "give a free talk" strategy to promote myself
as a freelance copywriter for more than two decades. And I've developed
a technique that can help you deliver a superior presentation AND
overcome your butterflies at the same time.
It's really simple - and you've already been doing it your whole life.
It's called "having a conversation with another person."
You, along with virtually everyone else on the planet, are already an
experienced and accomplished speaker. You speak all the time, every day,
almost nonstop - to colleagues, coworkers, customers, supervisors,
vendors, suppliers, friends, family, the clerk at the drugstore, the
waiter at the restaurant - in one-to-one personal conversations.
Having these conversations comes naturally. You don't get nervous or
scared. And the people you talk to listen and respond - for the most
part.
Well, to become a good speaker, all you need to do is have the same kind
of one-to-one conversation with your audience when you're speaking in
front of a group!
When I am speaking to a group, I look into the audience as I begin
talking, find one person who is looking back at me, and make eye
contact. Then, I talk just to that one person ... as if we are having a
private, one-on-one conversation.
I
know that everyone else can hear us. But notice: I am not "giving a
lecture" or "making a speech" ... activities that the average person
approaches with fear and trepidation. Instead, I am just having a
conversation with one person.
After a minute, I break eye contact, find another person in the
audience, and make eye contact with him.
I
repeat this process throughout my talk. So I am never staring out into a
crowd, seeing an ocean of bodies ... which can be intimidating. Instead,
I am always having a conversation with one person.
The result? My fear and anxiety are totally gone. And my presentation is
much more conversational and natural than a formal lecture or
pontificating speech would be.
Here's one other tip: NEVER bring your talk written out as a "speech"
and read it word for word.
Such presentations are stiff and boring. The listener knows you are
reading a speech, and thinks, "This guy could have just e-mailed his
talk to me as a PDF file ... and I could have read it at home without
bothering to make the trip here!"
Instead, outline your talk in bullet form.
You can write the bullets on index cards (for your eyes only). Or put
the major points on PowerPoint slides and project them in front of the
audience so they can follow along with you.
In
my next article for ETR, I'll tell you four more secrets for giving a
great talk that will not only dazzle your audience, but also get them to
trust you - and, ultimately, buy what you are selling.
(Author:
Bob Bly
Bob Bly is a self-made multi-millionaire, and the author of more than
60 books, including
The Complete
Idiot's Guide to Direct Marketing
and
The
Copywriter's Handbook.)
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