Speaking to realtors at the Coldwell Banker annual Tahoe retreat
As an author or aspiring author it’s imperative that you do presentations to connect with your ideal clients, to reach more people and hence grow your platform/tribe, as Rick Frishman stated in his great post The Platform Requirement. It’s also a great way to solidify your expert status and sell more books and services.
I started speaking long before my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution, was released. I continue to speak to anxious and stressed women, businesses, schools, to other nutrition professionals and to mental health professionals.
Together with having a book, getting media coverage and referrals, speaking is one of the biggest ways I have grown my business.
Here are some of my best speaking tips:
- If you’re just getting started I highly recommend that you find a local Toastmasters International club as it will teach you speaking and listening skills in a safe and supportive environment. One of my favorite parts of Toastmasters is table topics: impromptu 2 minute talks on random topics. This is great for getting clear on your message and building confidence.
- One of the golden rules of speaking is this: never apologize for how you’re feeling or let on how uncomfortable, awkward, afraid, anxious or unprepared you are. You can read more about this and see a video example of Anna Christine here.
- You should feel cool, calm and collected when speaking. I encourage you to address any anxiety, fear and/or negative self-talk with dietary changes and nutrients, especially if some of the other approaches are not working:
- quit caffeine if you’re anxious and consider if you need GABA support
- if you’re a perfectionist and experience the critic-on-the-shoulder or negative self-talk you may need a serotonin boost with tryptophan
- and if you feel socially uncomfortable in crowds figure out if pyroluria may be an issue and add in vitamin B6, zinc and evening primrose oil
- My best advice if you’re on the fence about public speaking is this: “Just get out and speak! Don’t wait to get all your ducks in a row!” You don’t have to be an expert in everything. If you have something valuable to share then you’re ready. Remember, your talk should solve a problem and be something that people want to hear about.
- As you get more experienced, don’t be afraid to find a niche! People want expert advice from experts!
My friend and colleague, Sue Painter, The Confident Marketer, says this of many business owners: “The problem is not that you aren’t good at what you do, it’s that you’re obscure!” Getting out and speaking, doing teleseminars, telesummits, doing poster presentations and exhibiting at events can change that. Do it even if you don’t yet have a book.
If you are ready and want to learn more about speaking, doing teleseminars, telesummits, doing poster presentations and exhibiting, join me on a free content-rich call. Sign up here for the call details.
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