Create a speaking platform that gets noticed

Finding Forrester & Nemo. Who are you speaking to and what is your message?

Take a look at your business (or business idea), what is the core message you can pull from it to ap
Take a look at your business (or business idea), what is the core message you can pull from it to apply to a live audience? What lessons have you learned and how can those lessons apply to other people/businesses? You may have to look beyond the surface to uncover a core message beyond the product/company itself.

Are you a personal trainer? Maybe your message is about personal growth for single moms, or maybe it’s about health hacks for workers in small businesses. Are you a vintage toy collector? Maybe your core message is about managing change or the importance of learning from the past for bankers.
Share your progress
Submit a brief explanation of your business, a presentation name/concept and a 1-2 paragraph explanation of the core message for feedback from the other students and instructor. Also include 1-2 sentences describing who your key audience is.

Vitamin Wieners & Delivering a Memorable Presentation. What do you say and how do you say it?

Now that you have decided on a core message and a possible presentation title and identified who you
Now that you have decided on a core message and a possible presentation title and identified who you want to be speaking to, it’s time to start thinking about a presentation outline (story-point-story) and how the content relates to your business.

Begin by taking the title of your presentation and list 5-7 key points that could relate the title, theme and core message. Once you have points listed, create a separate list of stories/anecdotes that could be included to illustrate/demonstrate your key points. (Think of the stories that people ask you to tell or that you enjoy telling).

Now choose, 2-3 of your strongest stories and the key points they relate to and begin outlining your presentation from beginning to end.
Share your progress
Submit your presentation title, with 2-3 anchors and a brief explanation of how it relates to your presentation and key points.

Marketing to Your Audience. How do you approach your customers?

Which mediums are best for you and your speaking business? For most speakers, a demo video is key to
Which mediums are best for you and your speaking business? For most speakers, a demo video is key to get business. A website and/or blog and/or speaking section on your website is a must.

Choose 1-2 mediums and begin creating content that promotes you as a speaker and relates to your presentation and message. This content could be in the form of a WordPress website, a blog, a video, an online article, a video testimonial etc.
Share your progress
Submit 1-2 of your promotional materials (links to your blog/website/twitter profile/demo video etc.) and a 1-2 sentence description ofhow you will approach potential customers with these materials. Include step by step walkthrough of how you will approach and follow-up with potential customers.

Moving beyond the stage. How do you use speaking to bring you business?

Why are you speaking? Is it to raise awareness of an issue? To sell books? To consult for other orga
Why are you speaking? Is it to raise awareness of an issue? To sell books? To consult for other organizations? Not sure? Start listening.

Decide what you want your speaking to lead to? Once you’ve decided what that is, you can begin to create an action plan and methods to raise awareness of your purpose/products. Decide what you can do before the presentation, during the presentation and after the presentation.
Share your progress
Submit the purpose of your presentation (ie. what your presentation will lead to) and how you will incorporate promotion into your presentation and your follow-up strategy (1-3 paragraphs).

Additional Resources

In this module, students will begin honing in on a specific theme or message for their presentation(s) that relate to their business or product. They will begin developing a core message and presentation title with the help of other students and the instructor.

They will also begin to identify who could benefit from this message.
1. Gary Vaynerchuk PCBC Keynote (Explicit version)-http://youtu.be/lRbAujxksEw
2. Gary Vaynerchuk RE/MAX Keynote (G version)-http://youtu.be/kWN8WdKgerA
3. Jason Fried - Why work doesn’t happen at work?http://youtu.be/5XD2kNopsUs
1. Sir Ken Robinson - Do schools kill creativity?http://youtu.be/iG9CE55wbtY
2. Ryan Porter - TEDxYouth@Toronto talkhttp://youtu.be/eMZLFTLjtTQ
3. Drew Dudley - Leading With Lollipops -http://youtu.be/hVCBrkrFrBE
In this unit, students will decide on which marketing methods/mediums to utilize for their speaking business and begin to create a marketing plan to find and secure clients.
1. Creating customer friendly marketing: http://www.speakerlauncher.com/blog/2605/3-tips-effective-positioning/
2. Collection of infographics for building a brand: http://pinterest.com/ButterflyHerdr/marketing-ideas-for-speakers/
3. Direct video marketing: http://youtu.be/D7ajmwh6HGg
Students will learn how to use a presentation to sell product, secure consulting contracts, book more presentations etc.
1. Shopify’s top 12 Talks for Entrepreneurs: http://www.shopify.com/blog/6553665-12-must-watch-ted-talks-for-entrepreneurs#axzz2IjqcHfvd

Deborah Smith

22