- Becoming a Thought Leader [2]
- Becoming a Thought Leader – by Speaking [3]
- Becoming a Thought Leader – through Conversations [4]
- Becoming a Thought Leader – by Formal Speaking
- Thought Leadership – Why your firm should embrace it [5]
- Thought Leadership – What’s in it for you? [6]
- Thought Leadership – Your Reputation [7]
Continuing the Thought Leadership discussion…
Formal Speaking will take you to the next level. There are many places to get started in formal speaking. I would suggest that you start by volunteering to present something at you local user group. This is usually a more informal setting that allows you to work the kinks out of your style.
By presenting in these venues, you get a chance to work through your presentations and get some informal feedback from others. Are you well liked and people seem interested? Do the respond to your perspectives? This is an indication that you may be able to expand your efforts. If the room seems too silent, then you may need to polish your skills.
Select a topic that you are very familiar with. Make sure that you have tested your presentation before the event. Live presentations are difficult. Things can go wrong. Be prepared to fill the dead space when things take too long. It can happen to the best presenters. Things take longer than you think.
I suggest making a handout. People like having something to take with them.
Once you have done this a few times, you can graduate to even more official speaking engagements. We will talk about those soon.