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Written by Chris Woodward
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Thursday, 09 June 2011 19:19 |
Speaking engagements provide excellent opportunities to raise your company profile and are especially important in promoting your professional expertise. Get proactive in securing speaking opportunities...here are the basic steps:
- Research the conferences and major events in your industry or local events in your community to determine prospects for speaking engagements. Check out where your competition is speaking for ideas.
- Pinpoint the specific opportunities for you or one of your top employees to be featured as a speaker or panelist. Brainstorm with your colleagues topics that would be a good fit with your area of expertise. Consider teaming up with a power partner or turning an article you recently had published into an idea for a panel.
- Present your idea as an abstract. An abstract is essentially a summary of your topic idea. While not necessary for local organizations, abstracts are often required for large conferences. When creating your abstract, it’s important to avoid turning it into a pitch for your company. To create an abstract, follow these rules:
- Catchy but informative title
- Strong introduction highlighting the current situation
- Short explanation of the problem/issue
- What the attendees will learn
- Speaker bio
For large conferences, you can learn all the details for submitting a speaking proposal on the organization’s website or by calling the organization’s office. Try to become a part of the program early on so you will be included in any print materials publicizing the event.
Get the word out! Remember to send out a press release, email your contact list and let everyone in your social networks know that you will be speaking. |
