4 Lessons I Learned From My First "Real" Speaking Engagement ...

I don?t like to write posts about me, but I wanted to share 4 main lessons I learned from my first ?real? speaking engagement. ?

I recently had the?privilege?of?speaking at a Main Street Chamber Event in Bloomington, IL. ?Although I have been able to speak in small group settings, service clubs, and at Toastmaster?s meetings, this was the first time I was listed on the schedule as ?featured speaker.?

The Main Street Chamber in Bloomington, IL is a very new organization so this was still a small group. ?I would love to tell you this was huge audience that was clamoring to hear my information. ?The reality is that this was a group of mainly small business owners and independent sales professionals looking to network and grow their business.

That?s what made this opportunity so perfect for me. ?As an unpolished speaker, this was a perfect way to get my feet wet. ?To be quite honest, I owe the Main Street Chamber much thanks as they trusted me to provide value to their organization with nothing more than a topic and a few brief discussions.

My topic was ?Marketing Today and How Social Media is Changing the Game.? ?If you have read this blog, you know that I love marketing and social media so this was a perfect chance to share what I have learned (mostly through mistakes) and how to help my audience ?seize the opportunity technology and social media provides.

The actual presentation went very well and the feedback I received was extremely positive (although I doubt any one would say, ?you suck? to your face). ?My goal was to provide the audience with some new ideas and I feel that was accomplished.

The amazing thing was how much I learned from this experience. ?Here are the top 4 things I learned.

?1. ?Speaking much like writing helps make your thoughts concrete.

As much as I love to read and learn from great books, writing and speaking cements thoughts and ideas into your brain. ?Writing and rehearsing a presentation also helps to put thoughts and words into actions.

Much like a teacher; a speaker?s job is to inform, motivate, and inspire. ?You can?t do this without having detailed knowledge and confidence about the subject matter.

2. ?Speaking builds instant credibility.

This is fairly obvious as I have attended many events with a speaker. ?If the speaker is good, you definitely give more credence to the product, service, or idea they are selling. ?I noticed this right away after my presentation. ?I had several people ask me questions and want to learn more. ?At most networking events there is an invisible wall that everyone puts up. ?After my speech, this wall was removed. ?I was no longer a salesperson, I was a resource. ?

3. ?I have a passion for speaking and want to do more.

I always believed I wanted to be a speaker, but until you get out there and do it, you never really know. ?There is a rush to speaking and an opportunity to make a difference by providing valuable information. ?It provides me energy and fuels my passion.

4. ?I still have a long way to go.

Although I feel my presentation went well, I know that it was far from perfect. ? In fact, for a professional speaker, it was probably below average at best. ?That?s ok. ? I want to get better, be pushed , grow, learn through failure, and work my tail off to become better. ?It?s a work in progress, but I am ready for the challenge.

Being a value to others is my goal. ?Speaking is an amazing way to reach this goal. ?If you want to solidify your words and thoughts and build credibility become a resource and speak. ?

P.S. If your group is looking for a speaker to present on marketing, social media, or insurance topics that may be of interest, contact me. I would love share ideas. The best part?..I am free (except travel and until I hit the big time:)

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