By Deborah A. Genovesi, Accredited PR Veteran
Temecula, CA
There’s a lot of harmful misinformation floating around about what you do and do not need to become a sought-after professional who speaks in public. I heard a real doozy on a teleclass that I unfortunately paid to attend and which brought me zero value.
This class was billed as helping entrepreneurs get more paid speaking gigs. It not only did not deliver on that, one of the suggestions was particularly troubling to me as a professional who has successfully helped businesses build their brands and trained executives on how to speak in media and during public presentations. This expert’s advice was that you do not need any training at all—he suggested you speak in Church and said all you really need is passion for your topic. Um, WHAT?
Would you go to a surgeon who didn’t actually have any formal training but just thought he’d really like to carve up some people?
Granted, lives are rarely at stake during a speaking engagement but your BRAND is, and if you are trying to establish yourself as an expert and differentiate from your competitors you can’t afford to just get up on stage and wing it. Reading during Church won’t come close to preparing you. Churchgoers are generally kind to those who get up to read—kindness is a big part of the whole Church thing! What horrible person would go to Church and heckle the readers? They won’t tell you if you are off-message or boring.
Foregoing proper training is dangerous bad advice. No one wants to hear that effort is required. We all want to hear that we can be superstars with no training and no monetary investment. Unfortunately, that’s grossly incorrect and here’s why.
1. You need professional guidance. Have you ever pitied the guy flailing away on the machines at the gym? Without a professional trainer to show him proper technique, correct his form and guide him safely, he’s not getting an effective work-out and will probably injure himself as well.
2. No man (or woman) is an island. You need an objective, outside opinion. You can ask friends if your presentation is captivating but they’re going to tell you it’s great. And they’re probably not your target audience, so their opinions will not help you hone a great presentation. You need to know how to instantly connect with your target and engage them. A professional trainer teaches you to do that.
3. You are too close to your own message. A pro that can help you formulate and learn to deliver key message points will ensure your time with the audience (or on TV or radio) is well spent. It’s a learned skill to be able to bridge what you want to say with what your prospects want to hear, and do it ethically and authentically.
4. You must stay in alignment with your brand in all speaking appearances. It’s easy to get off-message. Working with a trainer will minimize that and help you keep sight of the brand you are building so your business stays strong and you attract your ideal clients.
Do you speak in public or in the media as part of promoting your business? Leave a comment here–we’d love to hear about it!
Deborah A. Genovesi, APR “Your Communications Copilot” is an accredited PR veteran and former TV reporter who helps business owners attract ideal clients and increase income. She nails down your marketing messages and trains you to deliver them via media and public speaking with confidence, poise and style. Reach her at www.CommsCopilot.com.