Good? Good. We\u2019re going to walk through public speaking from beginning to end: From the moment you apply to or accept your invitation, to the moment you step foot onstage. We\u2019ll cover ideating, staying organized, promoting the event, what to wear, your stage presence, and everything in between. (If you want some food for thought on whether you should pursue paid speaking opportunities, we have some thoughts on that<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n You mean you didn\u2019t complete that keynote speech before hitting the \u201cJoin the call for speakers\u201d button? Kidding. Mostly, I think about my talks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The intersection of what I think is fun, what I\u2019m good at, and what the audience wants. It needs to be fun to hold my attention while I finish building the deck. It needs to be something I\u2019m good at, otherwise why would I be qualified to speak on it? And it definitely needs to be in line with the audience\u2019s goals. If I have no clue what the audience wants, I\u2019m unlikely to accept the speaking invitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do some research on the event itself, and do some audience research. You’ll probably want to know more about your attendees. Are they typically front-line practitioners who are looking for tactics? Or are they organizational executives who care more about overall strategy? You can ask the event organizers for this, and you can search on social media to look for past tweets and LinkedIn posts from people who talked about the event last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also use a couple content marketing tools for content inspiration. Find your industry on Feedly<\/a> for a refresher of some blogs and newsletters to check out. Head over to BuzzSumo <\/a>to see the current, most popular content in your niche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And of course, use SparkToro<\/a> to get an even more detailed picture of your audience \u2014 their sources of influence, and the things they’re currently talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The easiest way to do this is to run a search for: “My audience uses these words in their profile: <insert a job title that best represents the conference’s audience>”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s a SparkToro search I ran for people whose profiles include “marketing director”:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interesting. Now I know some hashtags to help me find additional content \u2014 so I’ll make a note to check Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter for those hashtags. And I see some of the frequently used phrases. I see people talking about email marketing a lot. Do I have a strong point of view here? Should I consider structuring my talk around big ideas in email marketing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n From here, I’ll look at the influential people and channels within this niche. This audience likely listens to Guy Kawasaki’s “Remarkable People” podcast<\/a>. I wonder if I can find some relevant episodes that will help inspire examples for my talk! This audience also listen to “This Old Marketing<\/a>.” Maybe I should give that a listen for Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose’s latest commentary on content marketing news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’d use all this intel to strengthen fluency in my audience, find new ideas and inspiration, and overall make sure that what I’m saying in my talk is unique and additive to the broader marketing conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s the event organizers\u2019 jobs to make sure you don\u2019t miss deadlines \u2014 like sending your headshot and bio, submitting your outline, and sharing the completed deck. But you should be aware of all the deliverables too. Plus, it\u2019s not very nice to make someone chase you down for your homework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So ask for the deadlines upfront, and once your day and time is locked in, put it on your calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Extra pro tip:<\/em><\/strong> In the case of webinars, where you\u2019re the only speaker and you\u2019re Zooming in remotely, ask the organizer to send you the calendar invite. That way, if the time changes, the organizer can edit the invite and you all can avoid potential confusion.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And in the \u201ccover your ass\u201d category, I\u2019ll suggest that if you\u2019re in doubt, ask for feedback early on. Don\u2019t wait until your presentation is almost done and your deadline is tomorrow to surprise the event organizers with hesitations and questions. Consider sharing your outline before you complete your deck and get their first reactions to it. They might have suggestions for how to make your presentation even better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh also, make backups of your slides. Working in PowerPoint? Make your backup in Google Slides. Using Keynote? Make a PDF deck as well. Cover all your bases. It\u2019s unlikely you\u2019ll get to plug your own laptop into their AV setup. Most likely, they\u2019ll have a dedicated PowerPoint setup and you\u2019ll get a remote control slide advancer. They\u2019ll usually let you preview your slides onsite to make sure they\u2019re rendering properly, but that typically doesn\u2019t happen until the morning of the conference. You won\u2019t want any surprises then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many event organizers will want to tap into your existing audience (if you have one). And some are more upfront than others about asking for that access. In my experience, most organizers won\u2019t expect you to do much marketing on their behalf, but they definitely welcome it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Rand or I speak at an event or webinar, we\u2019ll usually engage with the promotional social media posts. When it\u2019s especially relevant to our audience, we\u2019ll also a include a link in our Audience Research newsletter<\/a>. But we are wary about seeming overly self-promotional, so we\u2019re reluctant to ever commit to any set promotional cycle. Here’s an example, from the top of a recent newsletter edition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also find ways to get creative about co-marketing the event. It’s customary for speakers to get 1 complimentary conference pass, which people often use for their colleague or even for their partner. And while it’s not customary to expect multiple passes, most conference organizers are happy to give you some extra free passes if you use them to promote the event. I sometimes ask for 2-3 extra passes to raffle to my audience or gift to mentees. If your request is in the spirit of getting the word out, most organizers are happy to oblige. And if they’re not able to, they’ll politely let you know. (Don’t worry, it won’t be weird.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n All this is to say: it\u2019s up to you and what you\u2019re comfortable with. There are no hard and fast rules. Perhaps you have a specific platform (like a blog or personal newsletter) in which you\u2019re comfortable being more self-promotional and directing people to purchase a ticket on the conference website. Or maybe you\u2019ll find a competitive edge in public speaking as being the type of speaker who promises a set amount of promotional activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I know you know to practice your talk. But practicing is much less about reciting all the words perfectly, and much more about making sure your delivery works as a whole. Are you pacing the story in a way that reveals the stakes? Are you pausing long enough (but not too long!) to let the audience react to the joke? Practice in front of a mirror. Practice with a loved one you feel comfortable with. Or if you have the stomach for it, record yourself and actually watch it. Look for the moments your voice trails off, you forget to emote, or when your posture sags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of posture, you\u2019ll also want to be mindful of your body onstage. Consider practicing a couple of hand or arm gestures for emphasis. Accept that bigger gestures, no matter how ridiculous they will feel, will always look better onstage than do smaller gestures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Case in point: Twirl your finger in a circle while saying the statement, \u201caround the world.\u201d It might feel more natural in the comfort of your office, with your audience of zero. Now use your whole arm in a circular gesture with the statement, \u201caround the world.\u201d I know. It feels silly. But trust me, it will look much better on a stage, under the spotlight, in front of an audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond hand gestures and posture, think about moving your whole body across the stage. The best, most engaging speakers use much of the space around them. Move sideways across the stage while you\u2019re setting up a story. Walk back across to appropriately channel your nervous energy. March several steps while you\u2019re hammering home a point, and stop when you get to the end of your sentence. Or, just be mindful that in shifting positions, you\u2019re making it easier for the scattered audience to see you. However you move, move with deliberation. Don\u2019t fidget side to side just because you\u2019re nervous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Extra pro tip:<\/em><\/strong> If a professional photographer is capturing the moment, be sure to hold your poses longer. Strengthen your stance and try not to blink for several seconds. This was something I did at MozCon 2022 and I thought my pics came out alright!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n My favorite advice on attire comes from Rand: What you wear should match your talk.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re giving a really serious talk even in an informal setting, you probably don\u2019t want to wear a graphic tee. If your style is more casual and even humorous, you might want to forgo the tie or overly crisp button-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But overall, you just need to make sure you\u2019re comfortable. Don\u2019t wear those dress shoes that pinch your pinky toes. And definitely don\u2019t try a new-to-you look on the day of. You\u2019ll end up feeling self-conscious about the bold fashion choice. (This last advice comes from my husband, who cautioned me against choosing a speaking session for the debut of my wide-legged pants: \u201cI\u2019m just saying, you\u2019ve literally never worn those pants before. It\u2019s a pretty bold statement to wear them as though it\u2019s your usual look.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well yeah, of course you\u2019re going to be there. But are you really<\/em> going to be there? Part of being a good conference speaker means being a good guest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not every speaker is able to stay for the full duration of a multi-day conference (and organizers don\u2019t expect this), but if you can stay for an entire day, you should. Attend the other sessions, learn from the other speakers, and network with folks. You\u2019ll get a better pulse on what\u2019s top of mind for everyone, what they care about, and what\u2019s resonating well. Plus, having the full picture of the event can help you better connect with the audience \u2014 perhaps you can add in a few references to the other sessions within your own talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If nothing else, you\u2019re being a gracious guest. You\u2019re enjoying the event and helping to make it a good environment for everybody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, if you\u2019re going to put all this time, brainpower and energy into a single talk, you would be wise to make sure you get full use out of it. Think beyond reusing the talk. Think of how you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Pick your topic.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-03-at-5.39.33-PM-1024x705.png\")
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2. Cover your ass.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Promote the event\u2026 if you want.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a>4. Practice your talk, gestures, and stage movements.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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5. Dress accordingly.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. Attend the conference.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
7. Reuse your content.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n