Speaking at a Conference: Best Practices and Tips

By Sarah Palmer, Director of Business Development, EMEA

“Great speakers are not born, they are trained.”?

This?Dale Carnegie?quote is never more true than when you’re speaking at a conference.

Here’s my advice for making your next conference speaking engagement a success . . .

START WITH THE END IN MIND

Think of your session as a story you and your?audience will embark upon together. How does this story end: a call to?action, an answer to a question you posed initially, or maybe a new perspective on the topic??

GRAB THEIR ATTENTION FROM THE START

You don’t get a second chance?at a first impression. Imagine a movie that starts with an agenda:

“Today, I will?introduce you to the characters, build the backstory, introduce a challenge, solve?it, and end happily ever after.” It doesn’t capture your interest.

So why?start a virtual presentation with an agenda? Instead, grab their attention: tell a?story, make a challenge, ask a question for them to think about. You can get to?your agenda after that.?

BE AUDIENCE-CENTRIC

Tailor your content to what your audience cares about.?Talk with the conference organizers to get a deeper understanding of who’s attending. Then ask yourself, why should they care about my message? What would interest them most?

HAVE A CORE MESSAGE

What is the short, unforgettable sentence you want your?audience to remember??Ideally, it’s nine or fewer words.

I recommend repeating a core message at least three times during a talk—and literally telling them that “this is the key takeaway, the main message I want you to remember from this talk.”?

KISS: KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE

Audiences absorb more if you are concise and?to the point. Long sentences and too much detail will send your audience?running for caffeine.?

MAKE CLEAR TRANSITIONS

Tie your content together to help the audience connect the dots:?“Now that we’ve seen the problem, let’s have a look at the solutions,” or?“Having looked at what’s on the market, we realized there was no solution that?fits.?This is what we’re suggesting.”

HAVE ONE MESSAGE PER SLIDE

If you are including slides in your presentation, make your core message the title of your slide.?Your slide content should support that single message.?

CREATE VISUAL VARIETY

Include pictures, graphs, charts, bullet points,?highlights, graphics, etc. to clarify and make your points easier to understand.?

CREATE VOCAL VARIETY

Your voice is the number one tool you have to keep your?audience engaged. Listen to your favourite radio station. Focus on the?speaker’s voice.?It probably changes in volume and varies in inflections. If you don’t want your audience to snooze through your presentation, create vocal variety.??

BE CONVERSATIONAL

Don’t talk at them. Talk to them as if they are friends.?Weaving in personal analogies is also a great way to convey your passion for the subject and engage your audience.

USE PAUSES?

Give your audience time to reflect. Don’t power through. It’s better?to reduce the content rather than increase the speed of delivery.??

KEEP THE FOCUS ON YOUR AUDIENCE

Remember, whether you’re giving a rousing speech or a technical presentation at a conference,?it’s not about you. It’s about your audience. If you want to have a meaningful, memorable impact on them, keep them and their needs uppermost in your mind.

A great quote from Maya Angelou to remember:

“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”?

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Your speech or presentation at a virtual conference can make a big impact—or not. To succeed, you have to know how to speak with authority, engage your audience, and deliver content that is meaningful to them.

I hope these tips help you wow your next audience!

Another step toward becoming a successful conference speaker is building your personal brand. Join us for our next virtual PowerSpeaking Live! to gain expert tips on how to represent yourself and articulate your unique value proposition.

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