
If you wish to grow your business and establish yourself as an authority within the industry, you will likely need to sign-up for the next toastmasters class. Because ultimately, a great marketing channel that (usually) doesn’t fail to produce significant connections and ROI is public speaking.
I left the speaking circuit for a few years, so getting back into it was not easy. I wouldn’t say I’m an introvert, but life experiences and time have dictated the way I behave in work related environments. In my social life I’m a lot more outgoing, but when it comes to networking or speaking I have become a lot more subdued. Is it related to the fact that I’m a woman who also happens to be wearing hijab? That may be part of it.

But introvert or extrovert, no matter who you are, you are likely to face some anxieties before you start to speak. But quickly, what are some of the benefits you can attain from speaking:

1. First and foremost, speaking on a specific work-related topic automatically coins you as an expert. In the business world, whatever your specific vertical may be, this means a lot.
2. More business. Speaking very often leads to new business for your company. However, this is where you need to be careful about where you are speaking. If you are looking to gain business for speaking, then you need to do your due diligence in finding out more information on the conference, and who attends. Is it your target market? Then certainly speaking makes sense.
3. More connections. As a company, my partner and I don’t often get direct business from speaking engagements, but what we do get is a lot of recognition and connections with likeminds within the industry. This can lead to of course referrals and other types of benefits to your business.
4. Learning from others. Speaking gives you an opportunity to connect, attend and learn from others. I find it funny when a speaker goes to a conference and doesn’t bother to listen to any other speaker’s talk! You’re at a conference with other experts, you’re bound to learn something new!

But it is critical to note that if you can relate a certain business objective or ROI directly to speaking, maybe you’re doing something wrong. If you aren’t gaining more business or not growing your network with likeminds that you can exchange your ideas with, you may be:
- not speaking at the right events
- not mingling and networking enough to get the full benefit
- giving a weak, undesirable presentation
So how can you improve your public speaking skills? Over the years I’ve learned that you need to do some key things to make or break a presentation. These things have ever failed me:

- Practice your presentation! Okay, okay, it’s obvious, and cliche, right? Well for many people, they put together their presentation and don’t even bother saying it to themselves or in front of a colleague before they make it on stage. I’ve seen this time and time again. I’ve literally been to panels where a fellow panelist is looking at their slides what seems like the very first time! How can you expect to deliver a stellar presentation no matter HOW confident of a person you may be? So don’t ever skip over this one! Watch yourself in the mirror, and/or preferably practice in front of someone at your company.
- Feel comfortable in what you’re wearing. If you have any doubts about what you’re wearing, this can cast a very dark cloud on your presentation. It’s actually happened to me before. I was super confident, and then a colleague commented that maybe i should have decided to wear something else. I started doubting myself and the presentation suffered as a result.
- Believe in yourself. Remember how amazing you are to be chosen to speak at this conference, as an expert in your field. Don’t get too cocky! but feel reassured and believe that you do indeed have expertise knowledge that you can give others. While most people possess the knowledge, some don’t have the confidence in themselves and what they have to offer, which translates into a poor delivery.
- Don’t be ‘salesy.’ People love to sell themselves at these events. But remember, speaking alone coins you as an expert, so no need to work on your salespitch. Just figure out how to deliver amazing content so you’re invited back to conferences time and time again.
- Watch your body language. You’ve got the sticks that don’t move, or the people that pace waaay too much. It’s important to strike a balance. Don’t get the audience disoriented with you simply because you move too much, and don’t stand like a stick which gives off nervous vibes either. When you practice your talk, you can work on this.
- Speaking of body language. People often have odd ticks or move their hands just way too much. These are all different things that can impact your performance and delivery.
- Know your shit. So you practice your presentation, but do you possess the in-depth knowledge that can address any question that comes your way? There’s nothing worse then giving a stellar presentation but then being clueless during the QA.

You can either make your experience speaking fun or an extremely anxious experience you never want to repeat! If you follow these steps you’re sure to deliver a spot on talk, and many more in the future.
My speaking tour picks up in January 2018, and I’ll update the post with those events. As of this year, I’ll be in London in October to speak at the Hero Conference.
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