Talking the Talk

Successful people know the importance of having a distinctive and strong personal brand. Wherever you go, whatever you do, your reputation precedes you, so having a strong personal brand can ensure that you will survive even if you get laid off from your job or have to move to another town or state to start over.

Nowadays, there are so many tools you can utilize in order to establish your personal brand. The online world has given people the ability to create a name for themselves without having to spend too much – through blogging, networking, and social media, there are so many ways for you to create a powerful online presence that people can look up to and admire.

But even if you have a strong personal brand in the online world, you need to remember that establishing yourself offline is just as important. And one of the most powerful things you can do for your personal brand in the real world is to speak in public.

You see, your personal brand is basically how people perceive you, and it is directly linked to what people’s experiences of you are and how they are exposed to you. When you place too much emphasis on your online reputation without considering your offline one, then you limit how people perceive you.

This is why even politicians who have successfully utilized online tools such as networking and social media to become popular, but don’t know how to speak well to an audience about their viewpoints, can never succeed in their political campaign. There’s just something about hearing someone passionately speak about their ideas and opinions that really resonates with people – and this is why public speaking is one of the best tools you can utilize for your personal brand.

Other reasons why public speaking should be part of your branding campaign:

·         It positions you as the expert – most people assume that if you’re qualified enough to speak in a roomful of people with confidence, then you’re most likely an expert on the subject.

·         It builds your credibility – there’s a reason why not everyone is a sought-after speaker; becoming one can definitely help you build credibility in your chosen niche.

·         It helps people get to know you – in branding, it’s important that people know you and what you’re about. Speaking in public can help people get to know you better so people relate with you and remember you.

So how do you use speaking to promote your personal brand? What are some of the best practices when speaking in public?

1.   Choose your topic well

It’s important that you speak about a topic you’re passionate about and that means something to you. People can easily see if you’re really into a topic or you’re just forcing yourself to speak. It should also be a topic you’re already familiar with and something that you have personal experience with. This is important in establishing your personal brand and your expertise.

2.   Know your audience

You should know your audience and what they’re interested in so that you can tailor your presentation to address them. If you’re addressing a group of social media managers, for example, you may want to refrain from going over social media once again and how it can help businesses – you should offer something different, something new that offers them value.

This is where listening to your audience is very important – it’s a good idea to connect with your audience even before your presentation, or to come early to mingle with them and learn what their viewpoints are. This will be very helpful in giving you some insights on how to tailor your presentation for them.

3.   Tell a story

Sometimes, people don’t even remember what you’re talking about, but if there’s one thing that many people always recall during presentations is a good story told that helps them relate with you. So to avoid being just one of the random speakers they’ve heard in the course of time, tell a story – specifically, your story. Make it relevant to your audience so that it resonates with them. This is how you connect with your audience and make yourself remembered.

How people perceive you is your personal brand. And this is why it’s important to utilize as many tools as possible to position yourself as an expert in your chosen niche and be remembered by your audience. Don’t just rely on having a strong online presence, because this limits how people know you. Utilize public speaking so that people can really get to know you and what you can offer to them. 

Author:
Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog, CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks.com – a word of mouth marketing firm.   She helps create connection, credibility, community and cha-ching through mobile marketing and social commerce around your brand. She is co-founder of #brandchat - a weekly twitter chat focused on every aspect of branding.