I decided to borrow a page out of the David Letterman’s playbook for this month’s article. It’s my personal top ten list of reasons why public speaking is totally worth every small business owner’s and/or entrepreneur’s consideration. I was inspired to write it while working on a talk for Lorraine Duncan’s upcoming summit. (Lorraine is one of our mastermind regulars, and you can read more about her summit below.)
#10: There’s always something new to learn! Personally, I love doing online research when I’m preparing for a presentation. There’s almost always a new idea or perspective that gets you thinking. It’s also a great way to ensure our content is always fresh and up to date.
#9: Speaking is one of the best ways to grow your network! Public speaking isn’t just about getting your next client. You never know who else might be in your audience… your next business BFF, someone you want to partner with, a great referral buddy, or a new friend.
#8: Your confidence is going to grow! When you focus on creating your signature talk, one of the great side-effects is how much your confidence in the value of your content will grow as a result of all of your practice, practice, practice, delivering your kick-ass signature talk.
#7: Everything you do to prepare for the stage builds your momentum towards reaching your speaker goals! When you genuinely put yourself out there, others will take notice. One opportunity leads to the next, and so on, and so on, and so on….
#6: Your willingness to stand and speak is evidence to the people in your audience that you really do care about them! Which makes it easier to start building genuine and authentic connections when you step off the stage.
#5: Your reputation will grow… in good ways! That’s one of the results of making sure your signature talk delivers what you promised it would deliver. This is how you start earning trust, and top-of-mind status.
#4: Each time you speak, you’re building your brand! People who speak a couple of times and then quit don’t build brands. They don’t earn trust or top-of-mind status either. Consistency builds brands. Showing up builds brands. Being there to support your audiences both on and after the stage builds your brand.
#3: Consistently showing up both on and off the stage positions you as an expert in your topic! Now, in addition to having earned the respect and trust of your audiences as the go-to expert for advice, to get their questions answered, and for help solving the problem you have a solution for… you’re also gaining the respect of your peers!
#2: You’re starting to make money! The good news is that it might not take as long to get here as it sounds. One shortcut is to work with someone who’s genuinely invested in seeing you succeed (hint hint).
#1:You’re changing lives… including your own! There’s nothing like watching someone’s face light up after you share something with them and they “get it.” Nothing. It’s one of the absolute best feel-good life-affirming perks of being a public speaker.
The fact is, public speaking changes our lives for the better too. For me, now that I’ve developed a couple of talks I enjoy sharing with an audience, and have gotten some speaking under my belt, I’m more relaxed when it comes to speaking. I have more confidence and find it easier to “speak off the cuff” more often too. In fact, now that I think about it, the #1 best kept secret about public speaking just might be how much fun it can be!
‘Til we speak again….
~Beth