I’ll give you a hint.
It has nothing to do with working a pitch into your talk. We all know that guy or girl. The first five minutes is their personal resume, there’s a few slides that look like a presentation but are really blinding, cramped marketing materials, and the last 10 minutes is a sales pitch for their company or product.
Hopefully they’re reading. (If that’s you, we won’t ask you to out yourself, but please keep reading. You don’t have to keep doing it that way.)
Want the secret sauce? It’s as simple – and not so easy – as this.
1. Make the speech relevant to your audience.
It’s fine if you have a framework you use for a standard speech. But for heaven’s sake, pay attention to who you’re talking to. If it’s a small business conference, find examples that reflect the challenges of small business. If it’s women, accountants, dinosaurs, you best have your well-practiced, stock presentation reflective of your understanding of their unique point of view. You should present as though you’re one of them sharing your best secrets, rather than an outsider telling them what they ought to be doing.
If you’re not familiar with the nature of the audience, do some research. Ask the organizers why they chose this session/topic for this group and what they know or believe they’re hoping to learn. Tap your online networks in advance and ask people in that industry or category to help you understand what about your topic is interesting to them.
2. Fill it full of valuable information. (Don’t worry, you aren’t going to give it all away).
Bring the best of your knowledge. Share the good stuff. Share successes, details, mistakes, shortcuts, whatever *you* would find useful if you were sitting in the audience. Most standard talks are 30-60 minutes long, which is about enough time to get across a few high level concepts to illustrate the “why” and some sketches about the what and how of execution, if your session is intended to be instructive like that. I promise you there’s no way someone’s going to steal your secret sauce from a slide deck.
If your talk is nothing more than a thinly veiled “hire me to get the good stuff” thing, it’s going to turn people off. They likely paid to come hear you and learn something. Besides, if your entire value as a professional is wrapped up in a single conference session presentation, you’ve got bigger issues to address.
3. Prepare. Relentlessly. And leave time for Q&A.
It’s so obvious when someone has their presentation nailed. You can tell that they’re prepared and fluid. That they did their homework and their research, and that they understand the audience. The real secret though? Anyone on earth can learn to recite the script behind a carefully architected presentation. The outstanding pros show their stuff during Q&A. Unless you’re doing a keynote, Q&A is something that most organizers and attendees alike will welcome, and it’s often where the best stuff happens.
Someone who has only memorized a deck won’t be able to provide a ton of value in response to questions that are impromptu. But if you *really* know your stuff, you’ll shine when you’re contributing your expertise to the questions and challenges that are on the minds of the audience. If you can, always leave 15 minutes give or take at the end of a talk to answer questions.
4. Make yourself accessible afterward.
After most conference sessions, there’s a stack of people that will immediately come up to the stage and ask follow up questions, ask for your business card, or give you theirs. If you have to follow up on something, be sure you scribble a note on the back of the card to remind yourself. And follow up.
Have your contact information on at least the first slide and the last, and if you can do it tastefully, stick your Twitter handle or your email address on other slides, too. Come with plenty of business cards. And if you can, be present at the event before and after your speech. Some folks won’t approach you in the midst of the post-speech rush, but will say hi later if you’re around and not surrounded.
How do I know it works?
If after the speech, people come and talk to me, ask for my card, give me theirs, and want to continue a dialogue. The goal is not an immediate “hire me” instantly. The goal is to move that person one step closer to being interested in my expertise and capabilities. The business might pay off in a week or a year. Sometimes it won’t go anywhere at all, but many times, it does. Many folks don’t connect immediately, but later remember your speech, and drop you an email because when they needed something that you do, you were the first person that came to mind.
I’m sure one of my analytics friends will tell me that I should be relentlessly tracking funnel stages and lead close rates so that I can properly quantify ROI of my speaking engagements. They might be right, and if that’s something that’s incredibly important to you, by all means do that.
But you know what? I’m not that rigorous, personally, because I’m comfortable with my anecdotal experience confirming my hypothesis enough to keep doing it. My company can probably tell you how many I send them directly after an event or a speech, as I usually gather up a bunch of those business cards and get them to the right person. And I’m sure there’s many more that end up there but that I don’t know about.
I do know, however, that these connections are valuable to me on levels beyond just the lead, simply in the quality of my network, the diversity of the connections, the experience of learning from and with other people, and the joy I get when someone tells me that I actually helped them think about something in a new way.
In Closing…
The truth is this: no one comes to hear you speak so that you can market to them. Period.
Good presentation skills *are* marketing in their own, more indirect way. People say “Gee, she knows her stuff. Maybe I should work with her, and maybe her company is as smart/helpful/useful as she is. I should check them out.”
But the goal of the presentation is not the pitch. You don’t have to do that, I promise. People are smart. They can find your website and if you give them a great talk, they will.
The goal is the information sharing, the knowledge transfer, the contribution to something bigger than you. And I’m in full support of speaking being an outstanding way to develop business, as I’ve done it successfully for many years in several different industries. But the business you earn is the result of the effort you put in, not an entitlement just because someone handed you a stage. Business doesn’t work that way. It never has. And if that’s the way you approach it, you’ll likely burn more connections than you make.
I’m eager to hear if you agree.
What bugs you about seeing blatant pitches on stage? What makes you want to learn more about a speaker or give them your business? What have you learned as a speaker about the correlation between your presentations and earning new business?
Amber, well articulated (as usual). The problem I have with getting pitched at a presentation is that I am there to be informed, entertained, or encouraged and not there to buy anything. Grab my attention, not my wallet.
Earning new business as a speaker for me has always worked best when I am able to solve an attendees problem or lead them down a path of self discovery that they need to do whatever I am talking about. Their Aha moment has everything to do with them receiving and nothing to do with me pushing.
At least that’s my $0.02
Great thoughts as always Amber.
Thanks, Charlie. Hope your week is off to a great start.
I totally agree – people aren’t going to take your info and think they don’t need your services/products… it’s usually the opposite, because they know there’s more where that came from so they’ll be more likely to want to hire you.
Only if you’re good. Which, of course, is the elusive bit that’s harder to teach. Speaking publicly is something that many people think they can do well, and few *actually* do well. It takes a lot of practice and discipline, and if you intent to garner business from those speeches, it pays off to prepare them and hone your speaking skills.
Amen! Personally I am much more likely to favorably remember the person who knew their stuff, made a great presentation of it, and was modest enough to let those two factors do their selling for them. As David said, “grab my attention, not my wallet.”
Well-written, Amber!
Yep. Humility is one of those magic characteristics that softens a lot of things, and is really difficult to fake. False humility, on the other hand, it just about as damaging as it gets when people sniff that out. 🙂
Very good points. The most important is making yourself and your material accessible. When I used to conduct events I always used to make it a point to ask for slides. It’s even better if there’s a transcript of the speech itself.
Very good points. The most important is making yourself and your material accessible. When I used to conduct events I always used to make it a point to ask for slides. It’s even better if there’s a transcript of the speech itself.
Rajiv, I actually am not sure I agree with that. For instance, most of the slides for my speeches are images, with maybe a few words per slide. The deck makes very little sense out of context, and in fact can be easily misinterpreted without the speech to wrap around it. I’m all for sharing, but I hesitate to do so with slides more often than not for that reason alone. Transcripts or videos are better.
Very good points. The most important is making yourself and your material accessible. When I used to conduct events I always used to make it a point to ask for slides. It’s even better if there’s a transcript of the speech itself.
Well organized article .. i’ll be using these advice’s soon because im about to discuss my graduation project @ the University .. Thank you so much ..
Well organized article .. i’ll be using these advice’s soon because im about to discuss my graduation project @ the University .. Thank you so much ..
Well organized article .. i’ll be using these advice’s soon because im about to discuss my graduation project @ the University .. Thank you so much ..
Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
You have so accurately described all the awful speeches I’ve been made to sit through. Also your bit about people who know two things and are afraid you’ll steal them is something I sat through just last week.
And it’s exhausting, isn’t it? You spend all your time focused on where you feel shortchanged instead of where there might have been value in the speech. There are unfortunately more bad speeches out there than good, mostly because folks look and say “huh, getting up and talking about how smart I am on a stage for an hour? Easy! I can do that.” 🙂
Exhausting is a good word for it. So many awful decisions start with “Why not?” and “How hard could it be?”
You have so accurately described all the awful speeches I’ve been made to sit through. Also your bit about people who know two things and are afraid you’ll steal them is something I sat through just last week.
You have so accurately described all the awful speeches I’ve been made to sit through. Also your bit about people who know two things and are afraid you’ll steal them is something I sat through just last week.
Agree wholeheartedly with everything you wrote here. First conquer their hearts, then they’ll open their wallets. More rewarding in so many ways.
They might or they might not. But I’d rather give a valuable, memorable speech that I can be proud of than get up there and be the shill, even if the former means I’ll get one or two fewer customers if I’m not beating them over the head with a pitch. My presence and my expertise should be my marketing if I do it right.
If only more people understood this in real life…if only more people understood this when online.
No kidding. The hard part about posts like this or anything in the “do this not that” vein: the people who most need to read it will never think this is about them. Much like “that guy” on the social networks who doesn’t think he’s that guy. They just don’t see themselves in the behavior that’s described, and/or don’t feel a desire to change. It’s the rare self-aware person that can look at something, think “ooh, ouch, I probably do that”, and make a concerted effort to change because they see the value in the alternative.
That’s not to say that my prescriptive advice is all-knowing. Hell, I’ve read a few posts myself and said “Shit, I’ve totally done that” and realized that I wanted to fix it. So there are plenty of people that will tell me that they don’t need to do anything different. And maybe they don’t. But all I can do is share my point of view, and hope that it’s useful to a person or two in the fray. 🙂
Your point of view AND your experience. Credibility helps.
It is very hard to be self aware. And rather than point things out to your face (like “hey, you are trying too hard to sell early”), most people will just avoid you. And if someone does critique you, it is hard to appreciate that and take it to heart.
No one is all-knowing. If that was a prerequisite then no one could write anything. You have plenty to say.
Knowing the audience you are about to speak to, in my opinion, shows your respect for what they do. If you can’t show interest in them, there is no way they are going to care about what comes out of your mouth. I speak /train at a lot of non-social media conferences and make it a point to understand their lingo. Do they have employees or partners, customers or clients, how long is their sales cycle, am I talking to worker bees or c-suite, etc. It’s because of their business I am standing in front of them earning a buck and speaking. I just did a talk this past weekend for an insurance industry conference, and emptied a box of business cards into the hands of attendees afterwards. Why? Because I spoke to their level of understanding because I did my research and spent 3/4 of the time answering questions and helping. I also booked 4 more speaking gigs right then and there.
Care about your audience, don’t pitch to them. It works.
Couldn’t agree more, Lynette, and have had lots of success spending effort in this department. Glad to hear you are too!
I’ve seen you speak on a couple of occasions and you do bring it home. You engage and teach without preaching and both times, I have left with a new thought on how to do something different. In this industry especially, there are so many presenters who do exactly what you refer to and after the first 5 minutes I’m left wondering why did I waste my time. Again. They either 1) don’t know what they’re talking about or 2) are scared we’re all going to steal their amazing ideas so refuse to give anything other than the ABCs of what we already know.
Thanks, Kristen! I really appreciate the kind words. Have we said hello yet? If not, please say hi next time. Like BlogWorld Los Angeles maybe??
We have both times (Triangle AMA & SoFresh Charlotte) but meeting after a presentation is hectic, to say the least!
Yesterday – sat through two presentations. One was for a product I was already on-board with but the presenter pitched so hard I was almost turned off. Other was for a product I use but considered the dullest subject in the world (think facial tissues) but he managed to present an upbeat, humorous and energized information session.
Interesting how something you’re already a fan of can become unattractive if ill presented. And the opposite! The power of *how* you present something, not what you present, is really something.
Amber, this is sound advice for speakers. I get quite uncomfortable (and even put off) when the presentation goes from decent content to sales pitch. What makes me want to learn more about a speaker is how and if they capture my attention and imagination to make me think beyond sitting in that room. As a speaker, I believe being available after has helped so much in continuing the conversation and potentially advancing new opportunities for speaking gigs and clients.
Good stuff.
You’ve said it perfectly. And yep, that after time tends to beget even more opportunity. I have yet to see you present, and I’m looking forward to it!
And don’t be afraid to be you on stage. Especially you 🙂
Oh, you know I hear that (and wrote a whole post about it). It’s a lesson I won’t soon forget. Thanks for that. 🙂
This isn’t just an issue on stage. I find the practice common in webinairs as well. It is as shame becasue the topics often get my attention but the actual webinairs fall short
That’s a good point, Amber. I see that on webinars too. I see a lot of speakers phone it in because it’s “just a webinar”, but it’s almost *more* important to bring it since you lack the nonverbal dynamics with your audience.
Absolutely true through and through. I’m most often told that I don’t talk down to audiences and that I tell them what it means to them rather than daring them to derive insights and takeaways. Pretty much what companies appreciate in a consulting project as well. It all ties together and drives future business. Your comment regarding not providing slide decks and transcripts is spot on as well. I never do. You are giving a presentation for a reason – it is an interactive, walking, talking event that if done right, pales when deconstructed (contrarian but true). I have a theory that multi-track, content-competitive events exacerbate the burn – they turn what might have been a slight annoyance over a mediocre presentation into an unfuriating grudge. Not only did they paid dearly for the event, they chose one session among many for an hour or so of their time only to find that the competing session or sessions were fantastic. Perhaps they even heard laughter and clapping in the next room as their chosen presenter rambled on. A double negative that will ding conference coordinators.
Good for you, Carol! Glad to hear that. That’s an interesting point about the multi-track events, too. You might just have something there.
Amber,
Do you also give them something to respond to that you’re not actually selling? I mean something like “In case you didn’t capture everything in your notes, I’ve created a short report that covers what we just talked about. Sign up on this form or go here http://www.________ to get it.”
Hi Jim, I’ve done that before, not really for any purpose other than adding value (though surely some post-event resonance of my presence and content is in there). For instance, I have created a collection of related links, content, and resources in something like Delicious or Diigo, and then shared a custom bit.ly link on the last slide of the presentation. In the presentation that @jaybaer:disqus and I did for The NOW Revolution, we of course directed people to the book and the online resources where you could download graphics and related content, like the first free chapter. But it’s always with the goal of enhancing the experience and providing even more context and substance.
This is excellent advice! If you can get even one speaker to quit pitching from the stage, it will be time well spent!
Let’s hope for that, Mimi. 🙂
Yes I watched a national well know, pretty loved speaker do his close and it was much more story oriented but his material was so stale and old that everyone in room said to me afterwards, that is not relevant to me anymore, he needs to update his talk.
I have given this analogy before and some find it lands well and others say TMI ( I am nto talking about me personally chuckle).
It’s like making love, no woman is gonna buy you love her if you are trying to go for the big bang in one meeting. Take it is steps, woo them. Reminds me what Gary V said couple years back at sxsw, “stop being that 19 year old guy”.
Thanks Amber.
Amber – Great post! My favorite points here are the importance of practice and Q & A time. They’re very much related. I always try to leave 15 at the end for QA but unless you *practice* you don’t know if you’ve left enough. I’m currently prepping for a keynote that’s next week and am giving the first 10 mins a few extra practices to knock it out of the park. Too many people get hung up on making the sale on site at the engagement and end up with talks like you noted. People want their problems solved before being sold to. Again, great post. Go Hawks.
Thanks. Good stuff, yet simple and something I needed to hear for reinforcement. Same goes for social networks as well, I think, i. e. Posing a question on a LinkedIn group just to make a statement or question just to position yourself as an expert! But what do I know?
Another piece of advice I picked up in Guy Kawasaki’s book Enchantment. He tries to get to each speaking city a few hours (or a day) early so he can walk around the downtown area, see the sites and get a feel for the location. He photographs himself out and about in their city and launches his presentation with that image. What a great way to literally show you are thinking about your audience’s daily life.
It’s like everything else that should be done in business… but isn’t. Help, don’t sell.
Love the first hint. I think social so works very similarly. You do things now, and land results later, when someone decides they need what service you offer. Then, the impression you made on them, gets their brains firing off YOU for their needs.
Eh, pitches are ok, if they’re authentic. There’s a different between “let me get my pitch in here all, ninja like,” and someone who outright wants to sell, and says they do. BUT, you can tell whether someone has passion about something, and then pitches something cool, or doesn’t really give a crap, and pitches because all they want is your cold hard cash.
The correlation. Well, I haven’t spoken enough to know, I’ll report back to you soon on that. 😉 But I can say this. Knowledge is everywhere, knowing who you are, what you’re about, what you stand for and how to authentically deliver that to people that you obviously care about connecting with, that wins. Real recognize real perhaps? I’ll do business with the real people. Know what I mean?
I can certainly see why some people want to “sell” to their audience because they don’t want to miss a opportunity to show their stuff in front of prospective clients. Of course, if they focus on deep rich content and giving the audience at least one actionable idea that can be executed immediately, they’ve done their job.
Another issue with presentations and speeches is that far too many conference organizers dangle the client carrot in lieu of actually paying speakers for their time. So we have an audience waiting to learn, a conference organizer not paying speakers and speakers who take the chance to recoup the hotel and flight they paid out for out of their own pocket for the chance to show their wares by including slides that have no business being in the presentation.
An hour of my time is actually 10-12 hours of prep plus travel plus twenty-five years of experience but that’s okay, it’s great exposure.
Great article and I hope to be putting this advice to use soon as I am working on preparing some lunch & learn sessions in the near future. Thank you for the advice, keep it coming.
Generally I agree, but the speaking formula is very effective when masterfully delivered. Meaning more good content and value and the very softest of sales at the end.
Great post, Amber! Very straightforward, yet info some probably don’t think about when prepping to speak. Definitely have sat through the “sales” pitch speeches and it’s always really obvious if/when they’re just trying to pitch, and I usually just end up tuning them out because there’s a potent sense of disingenuous intent, and when the audience is there to learn something, that’s such a turnoff.
Great advice, Amber! I’m honestly not trying to pat my back, but I followed these exact steps for my first big-time presentation at our industry conference in March and it was voted the #2 session in a 4 day event. I put about 40+ hours into my research phase, outlined my points, built slides that support my points (but weren’t filled with text), and knew the content (not memorized!). Couldn’t agree with your points more!