7 Steps for Building an Effective Speaking Strategy

A sound speaking strategy can have a dramatic effect on the growth of your organization, and the impact of your publicity campaigns, while also positioning your company's experts as thought-leaders and innovators.

Here is a step-by-step guide we often use to help clients looking to build speaking strategies that deliver results.

Step 1: Identify Topics

Speaking topics establish the foundation for a sound speaking strategy. These topics, which will evolve over time, support the identification and pursuit of venues and opportunities.

Step 2: Select Audiences

Define, segment and prioritize target audiences.

Step 3: Define Objectives

Establish quantifiable objectives to provide direction to the program and define success. These may include: number of appearances, leads generated, media coverage and attendees.

Step 4: Research & Evaluate Opportunities

• Identify venues for potential speaking engagements, including: colleges, trade shows, conferences, seminars/workshops, career fairs and professional-organization events.
• Establish a valuation system to rate each opportunity based on defined criteria (e.g. event organizer, audience, topic, date, location, objectives, etc.)
• Create an event calendar of opportunities at targeted venues.
• Contact venues to inquire about submission guidelines.
• Pre-qualify high-value engagements through media coverage, past speaker status and feedback, attendance history and projections, and first-hand experience with venues.
• Monitor and assess trends to identify timely opportunities with targeted venues.

Step 5: Positioning & Placement

• Create a speaker’s packet, including: biography, by-lined articles, testimonials from past organizers and attendees, demo DVD, topic list, photos, contact information, A/V requirements and rate card.
• Research and evaluate membership in professional speaking organizations.
• Build the speaker’s resume through preliminary appearances within an existing network of business and trade organizations, as well as academic institutions.
• Enhance credibility and value through publicity programs, including the submission of relevant, by-lined articles to targeted media outlets.
• Utilize the event database built in Step 4 to pursue high-priority speaking opportunities.
• Maintain communications and relationships with all targeted venues.
• Define protocol and prepare responses for declining unsolicited opportunities that do not meet defined criteria.

Step 6: Preparation

• Attend targeted and scheduled venues to assess defined criteria and support presentation development.
• Publicize appearances through targeted media outlets.

Step 7: Evaluation

• Establish a grading system to measure the return-on-investment (ROI) for speaking appearances.
• Assess and grade each appearance and venue.