I have been speaking for several years now. I am even a member of the National Speaker’s Association, and I’m here to tell you I still get scared before I speak; sometimes even weeks prior to an event. Let me reassure you it is natural and normal to experience fear! It’s not something to fight against or be upset about. In fact, if you didn’t experience some degree of fear it would be odd! When you understand that feeling fear or dread is part of the process, you are equipped to deal with it effectively.

Last month I went to an event to hear my client Dara Beevus VP of Publishing at Beaver’s Pond Press and Co-Founder of Wiseink (check out wiseinkblog.com for publishing tips for independent authors) give a presentation on turning your Passion into Profits by writing a book.  Right before the event someone said, “Dara, how are you feeling?” Dara said, “Scared!”  To which the person replied, “Why?”  All I could think was “Why? What do you mean why? Of course she’s scared, she’s about to get up in front of 40 people and speak!”  This idea that something is wrong with you or that you are not a good speaker if you’re afraid is ridiculous and limiting.  Dara gave one of the most engaging and interestesting presentations I have ever seen and she did it scared!

It is so freeing to realize that feeling fear doesn’t mean anything about your actual performance. It doesn’t mean that something’s wrong, or that you will do a bad job. In fact, one of the things I love to tell my clients and my audiences all the time is that if you are not afraid, you are not playing a big enough game! You should be afraid some of the time, it means you are growing.

Stay tuned for next week when I give you 3 tips on how to get yourself in the right mindset before you speak.

Over the next few weeks you will walk away with several keys that will give you an edge as a speaker.

Key #1

If you really want to hit a home run at your next public speaking event, engaging powerfully with your audience and providing them with information they really want, knowing your audience is a critical key element. You might think this is an obvious, elementary fact, but if you stop and think about it, how much effort do you actually put in preparing to know and understand the audience that will be listening to you?

The best way I know to find out who your audience is and what they want to know is to engage in a process of “discovery” that I call the “Pre-Event Interview.”

The Pre-Event Interview

A Pre-Event Interview can be done by phone or by a written questionnaire, and the purpose is to be in touch with the person who invited you to speak. You will ask a series of questions to determine important information, which will allow you to deliver a stellar talk that hits right on the mark. It will also serve to give you peace of mind, because there will be fewer unknowns.

Some example Pre-Event Interview questions could be:

1. What would a “home run” look like?

2. What is the specific purpose of the meeting?

2. What do you want the audience to know, feel or do after they have heard me talk?

3. What is the specific purpose of your meeting?

4. What is happening before and after my presentation? (This is great to know so that you may have an idea about the mood the audience might be in.)

By engaging in this kind of questioning, you will not only set yourself up for a very successful presentation, you will also set yourself apart from most speakers because only very few of them actually go to these lengths to know their audience in advance.

If you are interested in accessing the Pre-Event Interview form that I use, you can email me and I will be happy to send it to you. I know from personal experience that this extra step gives me great peace of mind and an extra edge when delivering my talks. It will do the same for you.

The very first thing I did when I decided I wanted to use public speaking to promote my business was sabotage myself! It took me awhile to realize that I was sabotaging myself— about 6 months—but luckily it was a pretty quick and easy fix once I saw it.

It was this: I was waiting to have my talk all written and prepared before booking a speaking engagement. Don’t do this, it will delay your growth.

Follow these 5 simple steps to get your speaking career off the ground.

Step #1: Don’t wait to have your talk prepared before booking public speaking engagements! It sounds simple, but take a moment to see what might be keeping you from preparing what you want to say. Is it a fear, or self-doubt?  If it is, take it from me, no amount of waiting will make the fear or self-doubt go away.  The only thing that will help is taking action.

Step #2: Make a list of groups you could speak to. Take five minutes (yes, time yourself so it doesn’t become another project you use to procrastinate!) and list every group you know of and every person you know who may belong to an organization you could speak to. To help you get started, consider these: Chamber of Commerce, your networking groups, your church, temple or synagogue, local libraries, mom’s groups, Rotary or other service clubs, high schools.

Step #3: Write down three or four bullet points:  Instead of thinking that you have to have your whole talk written before promoting yourself as a speaker, write down the following(and then start making calls!): Three-Four bullet points of what the audience will learn or be able to do as a result of your talk.  When you reach out to organizations, make sure you focus on the results the group will get from  your talk, versus why you want to speak to the group. People don’t care about why you want to speak but they do care about what they’re going get from hearing you.

Step #4: Get on the phone! Set yourself a goal of calling at least 1-3 people on your list each day. Start with the easiest ones! If your mother belongs to a senior citizens ladies’ club, speak to them! They may not be your potential clients, but a) they might know someone who would be, and b) it is a great opportunity to practice and streamline your talk before a non-threatening audience.  Keep in mind, it might take 10 or 20 calls to get a firm date. Perseverance is key here.

Step #5: Write your talk. When you have a firm public speaking date set on your calendar, write your talk. Don’t worry; I will be providing a series of blogs all year long on how to become a great public speaker, and the art of crafting a great public speaking presentation is just one of the many things you will learn. Meanwhile, write your talk, gear it to what your audience will get from listening to you, and be yourself.

Bonus tip:  Many organizations will ask you if you have a one sheet or a speaker sheet you can send them. Use your bullet points and a bio to put one together. Again, don’t use this step as a reason to procrastinate.  In the words of one of my business coaches Mark Leblanc, “Done is better than perfect!”  Don’t allow the desire to have the perfect speaker sheet keep you from booking gigs.  If you’d like to see what a one sheet looks like please email me at coach@fireyoufear.com and I’d be happy to send you mine.

The 3rd and final thing that sets public speaking apart from most other marketing strategies is visibility.

3. Visibility. When you speak before an audience, you stand out from the group.  By speaking to a group you are doing something most people are scared to death to do and this alone gives you visibility.  Plus,  when you speak publicly you give people a sense of who you are. Your appearance, manner and bearing are all part of marketing yourself as a representative of your business. It is commonly known that people are more likely to do business with people they know and trust.  When hearing you speak, potential customers come to know you, and will be more likely to do business with you.

So let’s review: If you are not using public speaking as a way to build leverage, credibility and visibility, you are missing out on one of the most powerful marketing tools available. It is not uncommon for me to get as many leads after one speaking engagement as most people get in an entire month. You can do this too!

Two True stories:

1) Katie Rodan, the now famous dermatologist who co-founded Proactiv Solution™ the worldwide acne solution, and now co-founder of Rodan+Fields Dermatologists™ skincare, originally started her dermatology practice fresh out of Stanford by making presentations to Rotary Clubs!

2) My client, chiropractor Dr. Matt Hansen, signed 103 people up for new patient exams during a one-hour presentation he gave at a mom’s group!  This exploded his business.  Imagine what would happen to your business if you could produce results like that.

So now that you know that the first reason public speaking is so powerful is because of leverage, you may be wondering what the second reason is.  It’s credibility.

Credibility: Public speaking builds credibility. Posting 15 times a week on Facebook is definitely part of a great marketing strategy, but it can’t do what speaking appearances can. When someone introduces you to the microphone or podium in front of a group of people that is instant credibility. The fact that someone else has brought you into a group to speak,  automatically qualifies you as an expert. When someone else introduces you they are publicly endorsing you.That endorsement speaks volumes to the audience, especially if they think highly of the person or organization who is sponsoring you. Public speaking truly does proffer instant believability, credibility, and trust.  Come back in a few days for the final reason public speaking is one of the most powerful marketing tools around!

Have you ever considered that being a public speaker could help build your business? If you haven’t, ask yourself this question: Would you like to collect more leads in 30 minutes than you could collect all month? Doubtless, you answered with a resounding “Yes!” This is what public speaking can provide.