In-House Counsel

Expanding Your Speaking Opportunities

Having an effective speaking career needs vision, strategy, and practice. Here are some tips you can use.

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Establishing a speaking career is no simple accomplishment. While onlookers may imagine that all it takes are several gorgeous slides and charismatic acts, having an effective speaking career needs vision, strategy, and practice. I am often asked how to find speaking opportunities. There are many tried and successful techniques which most speakers have picked up to help them succeed. Here are some great tips to improve your speaking opportunities.

Pick the Right Speaking Subject Matter

Consider giving a lot of time and energy into picking the right speaking subject matter and decide on your angle or position. What is your expertise? What do you want to be known for? Then tell everyone you meet that you like speaking and would love to have more opportunities to share your message with wider audiences. Over time, your network will think of you to help them with events of various sizes.

Write a Book or Articles

Having a well written, engaging book or articles will be a major help in getting good speaking opportunities. Consider publishing on a widely circulated blog or social media platform, such as LinkedIn or Medium, on a subject where you have expertise and would like to speak about.

Hone Your Introduction

Answer consistently and concisely the “what do you do?” question. Your introduction should be intentional and highlight your subject matter expertise to each audience. There are two useful formulas for an influential response to this question. One way is by telling them you do something to help someone, such as a client.  Another way to answer this question is by introducing your position and what problems you solve or impact you make. Whichever formula you pick, both offer an opportunity to take part in an exchange. Professionals you meet over time will help you propel the conversation where they wish to, and perhaps become sources to find new speaking opportunities.

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Speak More

It takes time to build a reputation as a public speaker. Consider speaking more and sharing about your experiences with your network. Even organizers often attend other events in order to find speakers. If the audience enjoyed your insights, chances are someone will suggest you as a speaker for their next event. Finally, share pictures, lessons, and useful tips from your talks with your followers to inform your network and leverage them to help you find even more speaking opportunities in the future.

Act as a Gracious Professional at All Times

The best way to propel your speaking career is to act like a professional at all times and be helpful to the organizers. Always introduce yourself to others as an expert speaker. Be responsive and meet all the requirements that organizers ask you to meet (such as the length of your presentation). If you are knowledgeable, professional, and easy to work with, chances are that the event organizers will invite you again and recommend you as a speaker to their network.

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Olga V. Mack is an award-winning general counsel, operations professional, startup advisor, public speaker, adjunct professor at Berkeley Law, and entrepreneur. Olga founded the Women Serve on Boards movement that advocates for women to serve on corporate boards of Fortune 500 companies. Olga also co-founded SunLaw to prepare women in-house attorneys become general counsel and legal leaders and WISE to help women law firm partners become rainmakers. She embraces the current disruption to the legal profession. Olga loves this change and is dedicated to improving and shaping the future of law. She is convinced that the legal profession will emerge even stronger, more resilient, and inclusive than before. You can email Olga at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @olgavmack.

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