How to Make the Most Out of a Speaking at an Event

With Event Tech Live just around the corner and lots of sessions planned over the virtual and in-person event, how do you get the most out of your speaking opportunity?

I've been very fortunate to speak at or host events all over the world. And in those years of experience, I've learned a thing or two about how to make the most out of speaking at events. Whether you're a seasoned pro or this is your first time speaking at an event, here are some tips on how to make sure you make a lasting impression and your session audience gains value from your talk.

Phase 1 - Pre Event Planning

Preparing for your session

With only a few weeks left until Event Tech Live London 2022, you hopefully have your session already planned. If you've got a presentation, the finishing touches should be in place, so that you can work on presenting yourself, ensuring your knowledge is up to scratch and that your session is engaging to the audience.

One tip that I've learned over the years when public speaking, is to keep my session bio at hand when I practice. This helps to ensure you are hitting all the points you submitted on your "call for speakers" entry and that those that are interested in and registered for your session, are getting what they were promised.

What were the takeaways you promised in your speaker entry? Are you ready to deliver those when you speak? Keep those details to hand and your audience will feel engaged in the session.

Remembering what you have to say

It can be really hard to remember everything you wanted to say when the spotlight shines on you and the mic is turned up. You're getting nervous, you forget a word, and it all feels like its spiralling downhill from there. Who can resonate with that? I've been there, got the t-shirt and thrown that t-shirt in the wash as soon as home as it was getting pretty sweaty (yea, sorry, sweat is involved in public speaking!).

So what do you do?

Keep cool

I can offer two tips from my experience from when I speak at events.

The first is to try not to memorise word for word what you're going to say. Instead, have bullet points of the key messages you want to get across and speak from those. Of course, if there is a specific line or quote you wanted in your session, by all means, commit that to memory so it doesn't slip through the cracks. But don't try to remember every word verbatim and let the conversation flow.

Remember, your event audience didn't know what you weren't going to say!

Secondly, I was taught this some twenty years ago. Before you even get close to the stage, recall a session or person you've seen deliver a speech that was super cool. They seemed to float in, talk with confidence, were engaging and just seemed to have their sh*t together.

Before you step up to the mic, recall how they delivered their session – the tone of voice, the body language, and even mannerisms. Not saying you should be them, after all, there is no-one better talking about what you're going to talk about than you.

This will help to calm your nerves and give you a little bit of guidance in those on-stage moments where it's easy to forget your lines

Rehearse your session

If you're on a panel, it's a little bit easier to cope with this as you'll have a moderator that hopefully, would have gone through your session and the questions or topics that are going to be discussed when you're on stage.

When you're flying solo, practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. Have I said practice yet?

I will often be found in my bedroom talking to my mirror. Running through my presentation or session, making eye contact with myself, seeing where I can add little extra bits of body language or movement to make my talk more engaging. If you can look yourself in the eye when you're practicing, it'll be a breeze on stage.

Prepare for questions

What questions might your audience ask about your topic? If you're not sure, go to your network of friends or work colleagues and have them ask you them. Can you answer their questions? Sure, you'll likely always get a curveball at some point when you're speaking at an events, but the more you are prepared, the more engagement you'll create and your audience will love you for it.

Promote yourself

This could seem like an obvious one, but aside from the one Tweet or Linkedin post you've shared, ensure you are promoting yourself, your session, the event and perhaps even other speakers you're looking forward to seeing at the event. You may not be a trained marketer, but it's incredibly important to add marketing into your pre-session planning process.

If you're marketing yourself and your session on social media, start early and be consistent. Maybe even create a hashtag for your session and start using it in all your posts leading up to the event. Make sure your bio on all your social media platforms is updated with a link to event website (or your unique referral link if you have one) or to your session, so people can easily find more information about your session.

Phase 2 - It's show-time

Go for a run.

Ok, so not everyone runs, but go do whatever it is that puts you at ease. For me, it's a run on the morning of the event, just me and my headphones turned up load to give myself some space ahead of the "big day".

Get there early - watch other speakers

Get to your event early and go and watch a couple of other sessions. I've always felt that the audience, who has potentially sat through a few speakers already, is more engaged with you when you reference other comments made in previous sessions. It shows that you care and that you value their time for being sat through a few sessions already.

Find some space

There's usually a speakers room and if not, there's definitely some space somewhere you can go to have a moment to yourself before you jump up on stage. Take some deep breaths, check your posture and remind yourself of the points or key messages that you want to hit in your session

Be confident

You know what you're talking about. You've prepared, practiced and promoted yourself. Now go out there and own it! Smile, engage with your audience and above all, remember to have fun. If you're having fun, your audience is too.

Don't forget to say thank you to the audience for their time and to the event organizers for having you on stage

And most importantly, enjoy it! Public speaking can be nerve-wracking but when you nail it, there's nothing quite like that feeling of accomplishment.

Phase 3 - Post Event Follow Up

It doesn't end when you walk off stage. Have prepared some tweets or images that you can share of your session so that anyone that's looking for you after you speak at an event, can easily find you and connect with you.

Write up your session

You just delivered a great session right? You would have made notes about the session, so write them up. It doesn't have to be war and peace, but even 500 words that summarise what you talked about would be a great starting point to share your story.

Not only will this help those looking for you to find you, but depending on the reason you spoke, if you're looking at speaking at future events for example, it gives other organizers a great insight into the topic you spoke about and will help boost your SEO.

Follow up with key connections

Did someone ask a question during your session that sparked a conversation afterwards? Or did someone come up to you after the event and suggest connecting for coffee? Follow up with these people, whether it be through social media or email, to continue the conversation.

You never know where a conversation or connection can lead, so make sure you are following up with those key contacts you made during the event

Ask for feedback

Follow up with the event organizers to thank them for having you on stage and ask for any feedback they may have for you. It's always great to continue to improve our public speaking skills and what better way than getting honest feedback from the people who organized the event

And lastly, pat yourself on the back. You did it! Celebrate your success and start thinking about what's next for you as a public speaker. Are there other events you want to speak at? Are there other avenues or topics you want to explore?

Speaking at an event can be a great way to promote yourself or your business and hopefully, these tips help you and your audience to get the most out of your session.

Keep sharing your story and keep pushing yourself.

Need help preparing for your session or want to talk through your ideas? Get in touch with Waves Connects.

Happy speaking!