Public speaking – it may or may not be your favorite thing to do, but from a business perspective, it is the third most successful way to build your business.

Let’s explore why and how you can take advantage of this – even if you’ve never spoken in front of people before!

THE POWER OF PUBLIC SPEAKING TO GET CLIENTS

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

When considering a topic for your public speaking event, be sure that you know your audience. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What are your audience’s pain points?
• How can you address their pain points with your specific knowledge, experience, or coaching methods/techniques?
• Is your topic practical and applicable? People want information they can use right away!

IDENTIFY YOUR GOAL

Next, you want to think about your goal for the speech. Is it to obtain new health coaching clients, simply for education, awareness, for practice, or to build credibility?

WRITE YOUR SPEECH

Once you have identified your topic and goal for giving the speech, you can then begin the writing process. Your speech should have the following components:

• Introduction. Briefly introduce and set up your topic for your audience.
• Body. Explain your topic and points to your audience.
• Summary. Recap the main takeaways from your speech.

Make sure you focus your speech on their problem and your solution (your “Signature System” as we refer to it here at ITN).

And tell your story. This can be impactful, meaningful, and relatable to your audience. They want to know that you understand them and can help.

Also, be sure to avoid profanity, inappropriate jokes, and bashing of other practitioners or systems of practice. You never know who will be in your audience. Plus, it’s just not appropriate, and it’s not who you are.

HAVE A PRE-WRITTEN BIOGRAPHY

You don’t want the first impression of the audience to be in the hands of another person who may be introducing you, so make sure you have your bio written, edited, and ready to go!

It also relieves the person doing the introducing of having to write one or try to come up with something on the spot. It controls how you want to be presented to each and every person hearing you speak, which is very valuable.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Before you give your presentation, you must first prepare! In other words, practice, practice, practice!

Strive to stay within your speaking time limit. Your time is valuable and so is that of your audience. Be respectful of the time allotted for the presentation and don’t go over.

Remember, you’re probably not the only one speaking and it’s important that the event organizer can keep the event running on schedule.

You could practice with your friends and family or even in front of the mirror. One helpful tip is to videotape your session and then replay it to see where you can improve. Watch for mannerisms, “uh,” “um,” “you know,” “so,” and “and.”

Also, be aware of your body language and gestures. Are you too stiff or hiding behind the podium? Are you a “deer in the headlights” scared or do you have roving hands? Are you rocking back and like a moving target?

You can also create self-affirmations to prepare yourself. For example, you might say, “Speaking to this group, I find myself becoming energized and excited.” Or, “I have so much to say and can’t wait to share it.”

Finally, be sure to speak from the heart. Be real! Your audience will know when you are and when you care.

BE PREPARED BASED ON YOUR GOALS

If your goal is to obtain new clients, then:

• Make sure you bring plenty of business cards.
• Give the audience something of value related to your talk in exchange for their contact information, preferably their email address. The slides from your presentation or an action guide based on what you spoke about are both great ideas! The best part is you can do this right from the stage (if the organizer permits) while you have their full attention!
• If you will have direct access to the audience, consider bringing your appointment book and schedule discovery sessions right then and there! After all, there’s no time like the present. You can also login to your appointment scheduling system (like Calendly) on your phone or mobile device to book their session as well.
• Stay after your presentation for questions but do not spend too much time with any one person. Others will tire and leave. Be sure to book an appointment to continue the discussion if the conversation is running long.
• Make sure any promotional materials you take have your name, address, phone number, email address, website, and lead magnet (or valuable free gift they can opt-in and receive from your website).
• Write thank you notes to everyone involved in the hosting organization.

FOLLOW UP

Be sure to follow-up with the participants within a day or two of your presentation. Any longer than that and the individual will have forgotten about you.

HAVE FUN

Lastly, have fun! Public speaking is a great way to meet new people, share your passion, educate others on health and wellness, get prospective clients, and grow your business!

Looking for more ways to improve and grow your business? Check out our Beginner’s Guide to Social Media For Business.