How to become a conference circuit superstar

1. https://www.flickr.com/photos/tedxsomerville/ Becoming a Conference circuit superstar 7 steps for success

2. Thanks for your interest! However, there is a newer version of this deck Please click here http://www.slideshare.net/selenasol/you-can-be-a-conference-circuit-superstar

3. this is me.

4. i’m giving a talk on technology strategy at The Asian Banker 2014

5. <whisper> i’m not actually a superstar https://www.flickr.com/photos/conveniencestoregourmet/

6. but i have been on the circuit for about 20 years, and have probably done 150 engagements

7. so if you are interested in speaking at an industry conference This is not me!!! https://www.flickr.com/photos/schani/

8. i can share my industry speaking journey This is definitely not me!!! https://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelstrum/

9. I’m gonna cover these things: • Why you should speak • How to get gigs • How to develop a topic • How to prepare • How to present • How to handle Q&A • How to follow-up

10. 0 0 Quick scope check

11. 0 0 Quick scope check By the way, I’ve been working in technology in the Asian Financial Services Industry for some time

12. 0 0 Quick scope check So when I say Industry Conference, for me that means conferences specific to: Asia Technology Banking

13. 0 0 Quick scope check However, this deck is not meant to be specific to any industry

14. 0 0 Quick scope check You might very well be in the Pharmaceuticals Industry, High-Tech Industry, Start-up Industry, Healthcare, Law, FMCG, Electronics.….

15. 0 0 Quick scope check That’s just fine. Keep reading! It all applies

16. 0 0 Quick scope check Also, this deck is meant to be read. This is NOT an example of a presentation deck. In fact, this would be a terrible format for presenting  You’ll see example of good stuff later.

17. 0 1 Why speak at an industry conference

18. 0 1 Why speak at an industry conference Getting yourself a speaking gig, preparing to speak, and actually speaking means a bit of personal/career risk, quite a bit of grunt work, and some gumption

19. 0 1 Why speak at an industry conference So the first question you need to answer is… “Why should I do this!?! Is it really worth it? ”

20. 0 1 Why speak at an industry conference Well, for me it is worth it. And here are some reasons why…

21. 0 1 Why speak at an industry conference 1. Professional development Whether with fellow speakers, audience members, exhibition vendors, colleagues or industry press, speaking is a great way to build your professional network & CV Your first impression will be as a charismatic, confident, industry expert. Not too shabby!

22. 0 1 Why speak at an industry conference As a measure, though I haven’t taken them all, I’ve easily received a dozen job offers as a direct result of contacts I made speaking

23. 0 1 Why speak at an industry conference 2. Specific Business objectives Speaking is also a great way to deliver specific business results, like sales, branding and PR, or business development. When I calculated backwards for this deck, I could identify at least USD 2.5 million in sales generated directly from speaking engagements.

24. 0 1 Why speak at an industry conference 3. BENEFIT FROM PREPARATION Although a truism, it is still true. You only really know something once you’ve taught it. By preparing to speak, you will gain an incredibly clear understanding of whatever subject you’re speaking on. You’d never get that without the discipline of prep.

25. 0 1 Why speak at an industry conference 4. STRETCH YOURSELF A bit of stage fright? No time in your schedule? Is this out of your comfort zone? GOOD! EAT IT! Stop whining. Get all Nike on it and Just Do It!

26. 0 1 Why speak at an industry conference One final note Although there are lots of reasons to speak, there are some important considerations

27. 0 1 Why speak at an industry conference • Most importantly, make sure to clear your speaking engagement and materials with: • Your Line Manager • Corporate Communications • Marketing • Legal

28. 0 1 Why speak at an industry conference That’s true whether or not you are formally billed as representing your firm

29. 0 2 How do you get gigs

30. 0 2 How do you get gigs Once you’ve decided that you want to do an industry conference, how do you actually get a speaking slot?

31. 0 2 How do you get gigs I’d start with a SWOT – TOWS for yourself so that you can define a personal Strategy

32. 0 2 How do you get gigs Start with a SWOT • STRENGTH • TOGAF certified expert in Enterprise Architecture • 15 years of industry experience • etc, you fill it in… • WEAKNESS • I’ve no experience speaking in public • Nerves!!!! • etc, you fill it in… • OPPORTUNITIES • There are loads of conferences this year • I could be up for a promotion by year end • etc, you fill it in… • THREATS • My boss may not allow me to do it • I’m very busy with project work and deadlines • etc, you fill it in…

33. 0 2 How do you get gigs Then do a TOWS to turn SWOT observations into actionable tasks • WEAKNESS • I’ve no experience speaking in public • Nerves!!!! • etc, you fill it in… • STRENGTH • TOGAF certified expert in Enterprise Architecture • 15 years of industry experience • etc, you fill it in… • SMART GAOLS TO USE STRENGTHS TO DELIVER OPPORTUNITY • By next Friday, Go online and make a list of all the Enterprise Architecture related conferences in Q3 and Q4 • Contact some EA speakers in Q1 and talk to them about their experiences speaking • SMART GAOLS TO ENSURE WEAKNESS DOES NOT UNDERMINE OPPORTUNITY • Get the idea? You fill this out for yourself. But define SMART Goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely) • OPPORTUNITIES • There are loads of conferences this year • I could be up for a promotion by year end • etc, you fill it in… • THREATS • My boss may not allow me to do it • I’m very busy with project work and deadlines • etc, you fill it in… • SMART GAOLS TO USE STRENGTHS TO COUNTER THREATS • Get the idea? You fill this out for yourself. But define SMART Goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely) • SMART GAOLS TO ENSURE WEAKNESS DOES NOT HELP MANIFEST THREAT • Get the idea? You fill this out for yourself. But define SMART Goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely)

34. 0 2 How do you get gigs After you’ve done a SWOT-TOWS, it is time to get out there and start marketing yourself. I’ve found 5 things work effectively….

35. 0 2 How do you get gigs SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKING At the end of the day, marketing requires market research and networking. One convenient source of both are google and linked-in.

36. 0 2 How do you get gigs I’d start by putting together a spreadsheet of all the major conferences that you could speak at, by searching with relevant google keywords.

37. 0 2 How do you get gigs From there, go to each conference website and check out the “about us” section. This section will likely provide the names of key organizers and admins.

38. 0 2 How do you get gigs Now head over to linked-in. Search for these folks (or search by the names of the event organizer firms) on linked-in, and when you find them, send a connect request

39. 0 2 How do you get gigs Some may not reply to your “SPAM” request, but, from experience, 70% will accept (linked-in is far more of a slutty social media network than Facebook).

40. 0 2 How do you get gigs Now, any good conference organizer worth their salt will be friended with other conference organizers.

41. 0 2 How do you get gigs So the next step is to go through the contact lists of the few who accepted your initial request. Then friend their conference organizing contacts.

42. 0 2 How do you get gigs After you get 3 or 4 connections, it will get easier. These are small communities and you’ll end up with a lot of 2nd degree connections quickly. As a result, your friend-request-accept rate will go up and up.

43. 0 2 How do you get gigs Finally, make sure that your own linked-in profile has the right keywords. For example, add, “Public Speaking” in Skills, and get buddies to endorse you. Or add, “Dynamic Industry Speaker and XYZ Domain expert” to your Summary. You get the idea

44. 0 2 How do you get gigs All this is important because conference organizers use linked-in to source speakers. The more 1st degree connections you have and the better your profile keywords are, the more likely it is that your profile will bubble up in search results for, “speaker on XYZ Topic”

45. 0 2 How do you get gigs Last but not least, generate content. For example, post the decks that you present on Slideshare.com and then link them to your linked-in profile page.

46. 0 2 How do you get gigs Similarly, if you can get a copy of a video of you speaking, add it to youtube and link that from your Linked-in profile too. Finally, make sure your social media identity is all over your slide deck. Be very findable.

47. 0 2 How do you get gigs 2. Sponsored Slots Of course, many speakers get gigs because they pay to speak. This is very common for vendors. If you sponsor an event, you usually get X speaking slots and a trade show booth.

48. 0 2 How do you get gigs This can get expensive quickly though, so I don’t suggest this as a long-term approach. But it is a good way to get a few events under your belt so that you can start leveraging the other guerrilla marketing methods suggested here.

49. 0 2 How do you get gigs 3. Befriend speakers IMHO, the best way to get gigs is to become friends with good speakers, and position yourself as a go-to speaker for event overflow.

50. 0 2 How do you get gigs I get about 2 requests per month to speak. In order to maintain a modicum of sanity, I speak at 1 event ever month and a half or so. That means I have to turn down lots of events. Hence, event overflow