Speakers Zoom to New Realms

Public speaking is more important than ever, even though at first glance it might not feel so public. Messages are mostly the same, although the venues are more personal.

That’s good news for Chelsea Krost. She makes her living as a millennial expert, marketing and branding strategist, global speaker and LinkedIn instructor.

“Public speaking has been a huge part of my business,” she said.

Rather than appearing before large gatherings, Krost is adjusting to make the most out of Zoom and other virtual connections.

She is far from alone. Council of Peers Award for Excellence Speaker Hall of Fame keynote speaker, strategist and six-time author Jay Baer also has taken more of his presentations online. Fortunately, his customer experience and marketing innovation advice translates well on the small screen.

During Krost’s #MillennialTalk Twitter chat, she and Baer talked about how to position, prepare and rock out speaking online and at live events.

To successfully be in position to land more speaking opportunities, speakers should make themselves available. Have a good resume of expertise to draw on so it’s readily obvious that you’re someone who can talk about particular subjects.

“The key to getting speaking opportunities is understanding exactly how you help an audience improve,” Baer said. “Then find those people. As my friend author Rory Vaden says, ‘The speech is just an advertisement for what’s possible.’

“Usually, speaking is one of the last elements of personal branding and thought leadership to pop,” Baer said. “You want to speak? Write a book. Have a great Youtube channel. Have a killer podcast or Twitter chat.”

Krost thinks of strengths when it comes to public speaking.

“Use your expertise to create topics for presentations for live and virtual events,” she said. “Speak to your customers. Show them value, and share solutions.”

Promote word of mouth

Speakers should create strategic materials and assets to market speeches and presentations.

For example, have what’s in effect a demo tape. It doesn’t matter about the subject as much as showing confidence and composure to credibly deliver a message.

“The most important thing is to have a speech or presentation that creates word of mouth among meeting planners,” Baer said. “You also need an excellent website that showcases how you help. A good trailer or sizzle reel is very helpful.”

He has done a research project available via his dropbox about what meeting planners want. Besides tweaking his website, Baer also showcases his YouTube video.

“I’d also pay attention to organic search engine optimization,” he said. “I have a whole initiative on my site to rank for ‘marketing keynote speaker,’ ‘customer experience keynote speaker’ and the rest.”

Krost compiled assets needed for speeches and presentations:

• Website
• Blog
• YouTube Channel
• E-book
• Video Course
• Live Stream
• Podcast

“If you have video of your public speaking, use the best soundbites to create a media reel showcasing your expertise and experience,” Krost said.

“Reels should feel timely and industry- and audience-relevant,” she said. “The soundbites should be punchy and bite-sized. A reel should be treated like a trailer to a bigger movie. Give them something to chew on, and leave them wanting more.”

Krost has a compilation reel for media and speaking.

“I have used this reel over the past few years as an elevator pitch to my brand, my community and my mission,” she said.

Krost and Baer continued to discuss best ways for speech preparation, customizing content, working for free and other things to consider when presenting online or off. Go here for the rest of what they had to say.