Careers Speak up N ow, more than ever, being able to speak and present with impact is an essential life skill its high on employers wish lists; you need it for meetings, networking, pitches and presentations, conference talks and keynotes. Speaking benefits far outweigh the costs, yet many of us turn down these opportunities rather than face the challenge. Why speaking is a good idea Even before the advent of social media, speaking at conferences was part of my strategy for developing the leisure, travel and tourism business area at Mori and it worked, communicating expertise to large numbers of potential clients in the UK and overseas. The resulting papers provided PR material, and raised my personal and research credentials as a sector specialist. Its no coincidence that the research industry now has, for example, AQR Young Disruptors, MRSs &more and new speaker tracks at IIeX. New research among speakers in Now Youre Talking! Take your speeches, talks and presentations to a wider audience and a bigger stage sheds light on how we lose out when we shy away from speaking, and the opportunities it can bring to us as individuals, to our businesses, and in terms of our collective research knowledge. First, speaking at events raises your personal profile especially on social media and showcases who you are and your ideas. It helps build your confidence, influence and reputation which, in turn, attracts opportunities and helps your career. Second, speaking is also good for your organisations credibility and presence, and can bring new business derived from your authority as a speaker of value. Connecting with people who 68 There are three essentials of a good presentation making a connection, having a message that supports change, and delivering with confidence, says Lyn Roseaman have listened to your conference talk is a less intimidating and warmer approach to new business relationships than a commercial pitch or networking. Third, speaking strengthens our collective thinking and knowledge. Nowadays, we all have a voice, and a channel for sharing our thoughts and opinions, though very little is new and it is often poorly curated. As speakers, we have a responsibility to deliver quality material of value to an audience that also drives forward ideas and thinking. Being a good speaker is a real asset. But what makes a good speech and how can you build your own personal toolkit for giving one? The Now Youre Talking speaker survey revealed three essentials connection, a message that drives change, and confidence: the 3Cs. Connection If you cant connect with your audience, you might as well be talking to yourself. Connection is not only about being likable the smile, good eye contact, friendly conversational style but also about being relevant and, with todays notoriously short attention spans, you need to gain your audiences attention and interest fast. Picture yourself sitting in an audience. Youve set aside the time, maybe even spent money to be there. Youre wondering whats in it for me?. As a speaker, its your job to answer that question. To do that, you need to deep research your audience. Its not just about their name and job title. Depending on whether youre talking to a larger, conference-style audience or debriefing a project team, key questions might cover the goals of the event, other speakers, audience profile, what they do/ know/expect, how they talk and what they most want from you. The more you know about your audience, the stronger youll be able to connect with them and influence their thinking and behaviour on their terms. And its not just about the content of your