Let’s Talk About Speaking Engagements; Here’s How To Get Them

I know this post is long overdue after publishing the previous one on how to get media features! Thank you for all your comments and feedback. I’m glad the tips were useful for you. 

Now, let’s dive into speaking engagements. 

Of course, I’m sure you know by now that speaking engagements are generally great for your personal brand. The publicity and affirmation it brings as a thought leader in your industry makes it important for you to learn how to secure one or two speaking opportunties organically. 

You can sit around and wait for someone somewhere to see you as the expert that you are and invite you to speak at a conference or seminar, or you can subtly position yourself to be considered for such opportunities. 

I’ll admit something here. I wasn’t too particular about speaking engagements when I started building my personal brand, all thanks to my introverted personality. Why would I want to voluntarily go in front of a large audience to speak to them? No, thanks. 

Over time, however, I saw how the speaking enagements I was invited for to opened me up to even more opportunties. 

As I started to write this post, I tried to go down memory lane and recall my first ever speaking engagement. It came from Church! I was invited by one of the branches of Global Harvest Church to speak at their social media week event. At the time, I was the Brand Communications Manager for the ministry so I guess the choice was obvious. I didn’t actively pitch for it but reasons I was invited include:

• I had demonstrated my expertise over time with regards to church communications and using social media for ministry.
• I always talked about interesting trends and things Churches could be doing better to leverage social media better. I did this in small conversations but it cemented my place as an expert in the field in the minds of those who listened.

After this first engagement, one other branch of the Church invited me to speak and then I had the opportunity to also moderate a panel session at the Singles Conference in the main Church. All of this marked the beginning and I became more deliberate about speaking opportunities.

Here’s what I did.

1. I identified the topics I wanted to speak about. I’m all about God (ministry), communications and storytelling for social impact. These are the areas where I keep expanding my knowledge and I can speak about them if you wake me up in the middle of the night. Identifying your core topics will allow you to streamline your pitch and the platforms you want to gain access to.
2. I didn’t despise the little beginnings. Only few people will start off being invited to speak at a large conference with 1000 people. I’ve spoken at an event where there were only 10 people. I have also spoken at an event where no one showed up! Yes, it was so painful but we thank God for the grace to move on. In all, I gave my best. I prepared great slides, and shared valuable and practical information.
3. I publicized these speaking engagements. It is absolutely necessary to ‘make noise’ about every speaking engagement, no matter how small. Share the flier of the event. If you can, ensure that a flier is done with your face on it. During the event, ensure you have someone taking your pictures as you speak. Alternatively, you can liaise with the official photographer of the event if there is one. Also have videos of you taken when you speak. I have found that it is better to have this done by yourself (ie plan to go with someone who will help you with this) instead of relying on the organisers. Share the most impactful clips of your session on all your social media platforms.
4. I pitched the value I could offer. I’m speaking at the 2019 Tony Elumelu Foundation Forum later this week and it came about because I was able to pitch my value. I met a ‘random’ person in their office when I went for an event last December and we got talking about different things. I told her what I do, focusing more on why I do it and the results I’ve seen so far. Her response was for me to come on board to train their entrepreneurs. This was a very big deal for me at the time. We continued the conversation in January and she mentioned in passing that they also wanted me to speak at the TEFForum. In my mind I was like, why not! I kicked off my training with the entrepreneurs and month after month, I made sure that I added real value. From being told I was to have a 10-minute session during the event, I was given a 30-minute speaking session. Value is crucial.

So, you’ve read all of this and you are wondering, “Where do I start?” I’ll tell you.

• Be great at what you do. Nothing beats being a person of substance and having a good mastery over your subject matter or area of expertise.
• Have your elevator pitch ready. This is a short pitch that communicates who you are and the value you bring to the table in about a minute. I know it sounds impossible but work on writing your compelling story in about 300-400 words. Then trim it down to the essential details. I’ll share in the next point why this is important.
• Be ready at any time to pitch your value. I was invited to do a video series for some female entrepreneurs early in the year. I was the first person to get there and I met the manager who was coordinating the programme. We got talking and I asked questions about the work they do. As she spoke, I noticed a gap where I could plug in what I do and that’s what I did. I started from the perspective of the gap I noticed, how it has been a trend I have noticed in female entrepreneurs over time, how I started working with some female entrepreneurs to help them solve this problem and the results achieved within a time frame. She was beyond elated. “This is just what we need!” And then we started to talk about the possibilties of me coming in to train them or coming on board the program as a mentor. That would never have happened if I didn’t know my elevator pitch clearly.
• Attend events. I’ve said it before that I really don’t like going for events but if you want to find opportunities to pitch yourself, you must be visible at the right events. You need to engage with people, share your elevator pitch with them, network with the organizers and learn more about how the conference is put together. If you do this step well, you can even pitch a session to them for their next event which they may not have considered before. Again, this works when you come from the angle of a value that will be of benefit to them.
• Do your research. This is so important and this shouldn’t be only for the big events. Research events that are yearly, quarterly or event industry specific. Who are the organizers? How do they get their speakers? Sign up for their newsletters. A number of these events put out calls for speakers where you will have to pitch yourself. That was how I was able to host a Masterclass at Social Media Week 2019. Again, don’t just focus on the big events and conferences. I’d prefer for you to start small and work your way to the top.
• Lastly, volunteer. Too many people sleep on this. If you can’t speak at this event, can you at least volunteer? From being a resourceful volunteer, you can be called on to be in charge of a workshop for example. Then you can be asked to have a 15 minute session during the event. It has happened to me several times. Out of the blue, I’d hear Adedoyin please handle the introductions or coordinate the networking session. Yes, it isn’t something big but it often leads to something bigger when I do it absolutely well and someone in the audience comes to me and says, “I love the way you handled that session. Will you be interested in speaking at my event later this year?” And that’s how more opportunties open up. The salient point here, however, is that you need to master the art of public speaking! My advice is be authentic and learn to articulate yourself concisely. I never try to be anyone but myself and I make sure I prepare very well.

Of course, I have much more to share but I hope you’ll find these tips helpful and you will start working on them. Remember, no opportuntity is too small and publicize every engagement as much as you can, even if your speech was only for two minutes. It counts for something. I don’t know how to explain it, but the more people look through your profile and they see you speaking at a number of events, the more they feel that you can be a credible speaker or panel moderator.

Oh, and don’t forget to always, always communicate value. You know how they say people don’t care how much you know until they knowh ow much you care. It’s true! Yes, you want to grow your personal brand but come from the perspective of adding value wherever you are.

If you have any more questions, I’m very happy to answer them.