Public speaking can be a powerful way to elevate your brand, showcase expertise, and build trust with potential clients—but only if you do it right. From managing time on stage to handling tech hiccups and making the most of your appearances, these do’s and don’ts from three seasoned MSP business owners will help you shine and avoid common missteps.
6 Critical Tips to Make the Most of Your Speaking Opportunities
1. Don’t spread yourself too thin.
Being on the road does take time away from your business, so “make sure that [the opportunity] aligns with your mission and where you want to go,” advises Corey Kirkendoll, CEO of Plano, Texas-based 5K Technical Services.
Seana Fippin, founder and CEO of Red Box Business Solutions, an MSP in Brentwood, California, agrees. “I don’t take every opportunity,” she says. “There’s a lot of them that come around now and unfortunately I have to be a little more selective. Make sure you’re looking at where’s the best return on investment of any given opportunity.”
2. Do be prepared for technical glitches.
“A key part of public speaking is being able to pivot and adjust and be ready for anything to happen,” Fippin says. Just in case she can’t access her slide deck or there’s no audio, Fippin has notes on her phone. Lisa Shorr, co-owner of Secure Future Tech Solutions, an MSP in Warwick, Rhode Island prints out her speaker notes.
3. Don’t let your appearance be a distraction.
“Make sure that you look polished from head to toe,” Shorr says. “All of that sends a message. If we show up on stage, not on brand and looking unkempt, those can all create distractions.”
4. Do leverage your speaking appearances as part of your marketing.
“If not, you’re just out there speaking, having a good time and taking away from your business,” Kirkendoll says. “Make sure you find a way to drive it back to the business.”
5. Don’t run over your designated time.
While conference agendas are not always quite as precise as a Swiss clock, you don’t want to be the speaker who got the hook. Know how much time you’ve been designated and time yourself during practice. “A lot of events have surveys that the attendees fill out and you don’t want to be remembered for the person who rushed and went over time,” Shorr says.
6. Do ask for feedback so you can improve.
“I’m always asking when I go out and speak, ‘What’s the response back? How was the review? What was my score?’ Because I want to know how to get better, what needs to be improved,” Kirkendoll says.
Resources to Polish Your Stage Presence
Feel like you need to do some homework before you hit the stage for the first time? Here are some books that can help:
- Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Dan Heath and Chip Heath
- Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Mind, Carmine Gallo
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert B. Cialdini
- TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking, Chris Anderson
- The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking, Dale Carnegie
- Your B.R.A.N.D. Unleashed: 9 Proven Strategies that Build Trust and Maintain Lasting Customer Loyalty, Lisa Shorr
And here are some speakers groups and opportunities you may want to consider:
- National Speakers Association (NSA)
- Toastmasters International
- The Moth (Moth StorySLAMs are open-mic storytelling competitions, held in 28 cities around the world. They are open to anyone with a five-minute story to share on the night’s theme.)
- TEDx
If you want to get on the speaking circuit for channel events or vertical industry conferences and meetings, but don’t know how to get started, see Talk Influence: Why MSPs Should Take the Mic
