How do you match your speaking goals to your professional objectives?

1 Identify your purpose

The first step to matching your speaking goals to your professional objectives is to clarify why you want to speak in the first place. What do you hope to achieve by sharing your ideas, insights, or stories? Do you want to inform, persuade, inspire, or entertain your listeners? Do you want to raise your profile, build trust, generate leads, or establish authority? Your purpose will guide your choice of topics, venues, and formats, as well as your preparation and delivery.

4 Create a speaking strategy

The fourth step is to create a plan that aligns your speaking goals with your professional objectives. How often and where do you want to speak? What are the best opportunities and platforms for reaching your target audience and showcasing your expertise? How will you measure and evaluate your speaking performance and impact? How will you follow up and nurture the relationships you build through speaking? Your strategy will help you prioritize, schedule, and execute your speaking activities.

5 Improve your speaking skills

The fifth step is to continuously improve your speaking skills and confidence. How can you practice and rehearse your speeches before delivering them? How can you get feedback and learn from your successes and failures? How can you overcome your fears and nerves and speak with authenticity and passion? How can you use your voice, body language, and visuals to enhance your message and engage your audience? Your skills will determine your effectiveness and credibility as a speaker.

6 Enjoy the benefits

The sixth and final step is to enjoy the benefits of matching your speaking goals to your professional objectives. By speaking with purpose, audience, and message in mind, you'll be able to deliver speeches that are relevant, valuable, and memorable. By creating and executing a speaking strategy, you'll be able to achieve your career goals and grow your network. By improving your speaking skills and confidence, you'll be able to express yourself and inspire others.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?