It’s a commonly quoted statistic that more people fear public speaking than death. Now, I suspect that if you put a gun to their heads, the majority of these people would find a way to talk. But it proves a point – speaking in public is a scary proposition. However, if you can overcome this phobia, speaking about your business is a very effective promotion tool.

If your product or service is geared towards businesses, service clubs and business associations are always looking for speakers for their meetings. If your customers are consumers, community groups also need speakers. If you can find a group that includes your target market, this is an ideal way to promote yourself to them.

Like e-zines and blogs, your talk cannot be a thinly disguised sales pitch. You must provide useful and interesting information.

Think about a problem your audience has. Talk about the problem and possible solutions. If you have examples and case studies, use them – make sure you get permission before using someone’s name.

It’s okay to talk about how you would solve the problem … just don’t belabor the point. If the audience feels like they’ve been duped into a sales pitch you’ll lose credibility, not gain it.

When speaking to a group, you have two main objectives. First is building credibility and trust. I’ve said it before – people buy from people they know, like and trust. If you give an informative, interesting talk you will achieve this.

Your main goal however, is to collect contact information. Don’t ever give a talk without getting contacts.

How do you do this? Have a draw or offer a free report. The draw could be for a product or service you offer. If you are offering a free report, make sure it is related to your talk. Just make it more in depth.

When you collect business cards for the draw or free report, tell the audience you will add them to your email list. If they don’t want to be on the list, ask them to write “no email” on the back of their card before putting it in the basket. This is a quick and easy way to build your email list, and keep your name in front of your audience.

Make absolutely sure you honour the no-email requests. If you anger a member of this group you will lose credibility with the entire group.

What if you’re not a good speaker?

Like any skill, you need practice to get better. A great way to gain experience is with Toastmasters. This international organization has helped thousands of people become better speakers by offering a friendly and supportive environment for people to practice speaking. And remember, you don’t have to start as the keynote speaker at an international conference. Starting small at a local networking group gets you name out there.

Try teaching

There is no better way to establish yourself as an expert than to teach. If you are teaching a course, you must be an expert. Regardless of your background or business, you can probably find a place to teach.

Check out your local community college. They are often looking for instructors – and not just for credit courses. Colleges and school boards often offer evening adult education courses for everything from belly dancing to home decorating to computers for beginners.

Check out the course calendars and approach the school about teaching. If they don’t offer a course you can teach, propose one. You’ll get free publicity when they promote the course. An added benefit – you’ll get paid.

Next I’ll talk about getting free publicity by using press releases.

Andrea J. Stenberg