Public Speaking

They say your network is your net worth. One of the very best ways to grow your network is by and through public speaking. Creating and taking advantage of speaking opportunities has expanded my network, generated referrals, and established me as someone who can be trusted to offer value on different topics of interest to lawyers.

There is no question that this all takes time and effort. However, the rewards I have discovered can be massive.

Here are some things I have learned from speaking both virtually and in person before different groups of people:

• Speaking opportunities almost always have to be sought out and created. You won't get them without asking for them. I frequently reach out to both lawyer and non-lawyer groups to see if they need speakers. But rather than make them ask about me, I make the pitch all about the various topics I speak on that will provide value to the members of the group.
• When I make my pitch through email, I will attach to the email course descriptions, slide decks, and my bio. This allows the person to read a little about the courses I offer, and if interested, he can then pick the topic(s) he feels would benefit the members of the group the most. The more options the decision-maker can choose, the better your chances of receiving a ‘yes.’
• During the presentation, I always have an offer to share at the end of the presentation (a free report, video, etc.) in exchange for an email address. That way, when the presentation ends, I can communicate with attendees and keep the conversation going after the fact. That in turn may lead to further speaking opportunities, referrals, etc. If you don’t collect contact information, you are relying on attendees to remember you after the fact. That won’t happen I have found.
• Size does not matter. Whether you are speaking to 5 people or 500 hundred people, take every possible speaking opportunity you can. Sure it is better to speak before larger amounts of people, but a small group can also provide massive value so don’t decline any opportunity if the audience is small. Sometimes smaller audiences can be better than larger ones. I always prefer to present to a small group that is engaged and interested, rather than to a large group of people that is disengaged. We are interested after all in developing a strong and deep network.

If you are interested in having me speak either in-person or virtually to a group you belong to, or if you would like examples of course descriptions, slide decks, and bio formats that I use, send me an email to [email protected] and I will share them with you.

Topics such as time management, marketing, hiring, and firing, providing 5-star client service, and effective referral marketing are some of the topics I would be pleased to present to your group, completely free of charge of course.