Public speaking is a powerful way for thought leaders to stand out from the crowd.
How can PR pros and communicators leverage speaking opportunities to help clients get more visibility for themselves and their brands? In this episode of PR Explored I talked with guest Tricia Richards-Service, founder of I Need a Speaker, which helps organizations and event planners find the right speaker for their events.
Show summary:
In this episode of PR Explored, host Michelle Garrett, a PR consultant, author, and writer, welcomes Tricia Richard Service, founder of I Need a Speaker, to discuss how public speaking can enhance public relations efforts.
The conversation delves into the creation and benefits of I Need a Speaker, guidelines for effective public speaking, and how organizations can strategically utilize speakers to boost their PR programs.
Tricia offers practical tips for potential speakers, including the importance of practice, clear messaging, and working closely with communications teams. The episode also covers advice for organizations seeking speakers and the value of compensating speakers appropriately.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:31 The Birth of ‘I Need a Speaker’
01:16 How ‘I Need a Speaker’ Works
02:19 The Value of Diverse Speakers
04:12 Public Speaking and PR Programs
07:06 Maximizing Speaking Opportunities
11:37 Choosing the Right Events
23:32 The Importance of Practice and Feedback
29:05 Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety
29:49 The Importance of Preparation
30:12 Avoiding Off-the-Cuff Remarks
33:22 Handling Media Interviews
36:13 Engaging with Your Comms Team
40:05 Advice for Event Planners
46:11 Speaker Compensation and Expectations
49:46 Final Thoughts and Resources
Show notes:
I Need a Speaker: https://www.ineedaspeaker.com/
Tricia Richard-Service on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/triciarichardsservicephd/
Full transcript:
How Public Speaking Can Boost Your PR Efforts
Michelle: [00:00:00] Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of PR Explored. Thank you for being here with us today. We’re gonna be talking all about how speaking can, be a boost to your public relations efforts with our very special guest Tricia Richard Service who founded I Need a Speaker. Welcome Tricia. Thank you.
I appreciate being here, Michelle. And I always love catching up with you. We were, chatting a little bit beforehand, but I would love for you to tell everybody about I need a speaker and how it works and how it can, benefit them and then we’ll, get into some questions.
Tricia: Sure. I found it. I need a speaker.
In 2020, after I sat through a particularly painful three hour meeting in 85 degree heat, where we were looking for a speaker with a limited budget. And I was Googling and I couldn’t find anything and I was searching online, other [00:01:00] places, couldn’t find the kind of speaker we needed at the price that we had to pay.
And it was just so frustrating. And this went on for a while of hearing who do you know? Who might know someone? Who might know someone? So I decided to build the company I was hoping to work with that day. We launched in 2020 and are now, excited to say we have a global user community in 23 countries.
Which is really nice and the way it works is that speakers and event planners can both sign up for free. And when a speaker is booked, we take 20% commission for their, promotion and their booking. So we make the connection for them and we promote that directory and our speakers all year long. So that’s our differentiator is qualified speakers at all price points.
A lot of the traditional speakers bureaus have a minimum spend of 25 or 40,000.
Michelle: Wow. I’m gonna put the, the website up here so people can see [00:02:00] more. Thank you. And, I have a profile there that I’ve had probably since you launched. I think you and I met, it’s been a few years.
Yes. So I would highly recommend, if you do any speaking, paid or, not. I would put, I would get your profile up there and then if you’re looking for speakers, I think it would be a great resource for folks to check out as well because I feel like sometimes, this may just be me, but like events seem to reuse a lot of the speakers, the same speakers, time after time.
Which I mean there, I guess there’s something to that, but then I think it’s good to freshen it up a little bit. Sometimes it’s great to freshen it
Tricia: up, and I like the point that you made about whether you speak, to be paid or not. Some of our most impactful speakers don’t charge anything because they’re just excited to share a message or share their expertise.
So right now our speakers range from [00:03:00] zero to about $80,000. Oh
Michelle: wow. Okay. It’s
Tricia: like a bottle of wine. You can’t always judge the speaker by the price point.
Michelle: and as we were also chatting beforehand I think, we can’t, I think depending on your level of experience as a speaker, I think, you can’t always expect to be compensated for the talk itself.
You might get compensated in the form of, the feed to go to the event or travel expenses or something like that. But it’s not like you can. Probably charge if you’re not an experienced speaker or professional speaker. I don’t know. What do you think about that?
Tricia: That’s such a complicated question.
At times, if you have experience, you have your materials, a speaker sheet, a speaker reel, you can charge a lot more than someone who’s just starting out. But use that time starting out to collect feedback, to act on the feedback, collect testimonials, and the more experience you get, snowballs [00:04:00] into higher speaker fees as your career moves on.
Michelle: And feedback, right? Feedback from your events that you’ve spoken at and so forth, I think would be important too. let’s talk a little bit about, how PR kind of fits into a public relations program. Of course, I work a lot with B2B clients. I think that it’s, a part of thought leadership for those clients, and I think it’s an important.
Piece of the overall program or effort. So let’s talk a little bit about, how it fits in why it’s important, and. Just tell, us a little bit about how it really boosts your PR program.
Tricia: Okay. One thing I wanna start with is explaining to the audience that my background is communications, so I have a really strong understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish as a PR or comms professional.
even a Marco space, and a lot of them are just blending [00:05:00] now because there’s so much overlap with that background in mind. I will say there are three main ways that public speaking can support a PR program. The one is to tell your brand story more professionally, and I’m not suggesting that the communications professionals need to tell it more professionally.
What I’m suggesting is your potential brand ambassadors in the form of. Donors, patrons, volunteers, employees, board members, anyone you’re dealing with, any stakeholder Is potentially someone who’s going to be sharing your brand voice, and you want that to be shared professionally because all of them will make an impression on people, and we want it to be positive rather than negative.
you’re going to proofread all of your. Materials that are going out of the building, you’re going to be evaluating any videos or social media clips before they’re posted. So why wouldn’t you also want that brand voice, [00:06:00] verbally to be professional? The second way to boost a PR program would be to speak at conferences or events to raise credibility and brand awareness.
So that’s an opportunity. Michelle and I were talking about this earlier, about how that spokesperson can also mingle with people before and after the presentation to build relationships. Talk about what the company does, even if it’s a nonprofit. what is the cause that they’re championing? So either way, there’s, a story to tell.
And the third would be, I think very, a very good opportunity is to look at using speaker events as a lead generator. And that’s something that a lot of places don’t consider tactically, but I like to recommend that not only because we are in the business of speakers, but it gives people value just for showing up.
Whether it’s virtually or in person, if you have a speaker, the assumption is I’m learning something along the way. I’m getting benefit from it. And that starts to [00:07:00] give that, emotional relationship and brand affinity a little boost.
Michelle: And I think, once you’ve been speaking a while. It can have momentum, it can snowball, one opportunity can lead to another opportunity.
Somebody else sees you there at that event and they say, we need this person at our event. And so at first, starting out, I think sometimes, again, like industry events would be a great. I think a great place for a lot of people to try. if they haven’t, and if they’re, feel like they’re established in that way, they might be able to go on and try something a little bit more, a little bigger, a little broader.
But I, I feel like industry events, they always need good speakers. They take speaking submissions. and so I think that’s a great way to at least, try it out and see, how it works for you.
Tricia: I agree, and I also think it’s an opportunity for the comms [00:08:00] department in an organization to do some public speaking training or, we offer public speaking training as well, but there are lots of companies that do, and they’re very good at what they do.
Offer that training or coaching before someone takes one of those opportunities to make sure, again, that we’re circling back to the idea of that brand representation, the brand voice being expressed professionally.
Michelle: There’s nothing worse than winging it, in my opinion.
Tricia: sometimes you’re so organized and prepared. I, fully agree with you there.
Michelle: Sometimes you don’t have a choice if you’re put on the spot or something, if you’re like a C-level, C-suite, CEO or something. But if you’re actually, you’re gonna be speaking in an event, you should certainly be.
Doing some rehearsing or, you should be running through, what you’re talking about and be really prepared. I think that definitely shows and, if you want to do more speaking, I think again, that’s gonna bode well for you if you come prepared, [00:09:00] Are professional and, ready to field questions or, hear the feedback and so forth.
And I, that’s another thing we were talking about is speaking is such a great way to test your messages and see what resonates with your audience, with your customers, or whoever it might be that you’re speaking to. I think, It’s just great to get that feedback and hear which particular points are resonating with people, and then you can maybe build on those for future presentations as well,
Tricia: It’s an opportunity to learn. Learn about what your reputation is, what people are hearing and saying. Think about the questions they’re asking and see if there’s a pattern. Is there something that needs to be resolved or something you need to strengthen and brag about more? Those are really good data points that don’t often come when you stay in the office,
Michelle: right?
Because we sit in our little bubble and we don’t really know what, people are thinking about, [00:10:00] what we’re. what we’re, what messages we’re putting out there. We’re not always getting that immediate feedback. And you can actually, having done some speaking myself, I can see, I can, I know if people get up and leave, or if people stay for the whole thing or, if they are engaged in asking questions or, somebody laughed at me one time when I said, I gauge, if no one leaves that I feel like that was effective.
But and it’s a joke, but it’s, it is important if people are, Are, appear to be engaged and then you can see if they’re posting on social media, maybe, slides from your talk or points from your talk. things like that. So I think, you need to look at all those things too.
Of course you can’t do it while you’re speaking, but afterward, always go back, I think, and see, who came up to you afterward, what kind of questions they ask, and then what they posted on social media. I always like events to have a hashtag and this. Was a bigger deal when Twitter was more popular, but [00:11:00] you could see what people were saying and, based on the hashtag you could see who else was at the event and who else was posting about a particular session or something like that.
But I think that’s still, that still happens on other social media outlets. So it’s always worth, taking a look to see, what people are saying about your presentation. So
Tricia: I agree completely. Such an opportunity on multiple levels.
Michelle: Yeah. I feel again, working with B2B clients, thought leadership is at the top of the list and positioning them as an expert, and of course speaking is a great way to do that.
I would love to talk about, what kind of, how do you figure out which events, if you’re wanting to submit yourself as a speaker or if you’re possibly, doing the PR for your client and trying to figure out, what events to submit yourself to. What’s, what do you, what is your advice on that?
There
Tricia: are so many [00:12:00] events right now. they are back post pandemic in a big, way, and all sizes of events, all types of purposes and experiences for events. If you are starting out in speaking, I would choose the ones where you’re very comfortable, where maybe they’re smaller, you can collect feedback and testimonials where you can practice that signature talk that you have and then maybe expand out.
So think about what are your goals. Who is the audience that you wanna reach? What events are they likely to attend? And then zone in there because if you’re like, most busy comms professionals, you don’t have a lot of time to do this, so you wanna make it really impactful. So look for those opportunities where you’ve got a strong message to share.
I would recommend if you are proposing yourself as a speaker, that you have some unique take on a topic or a different way of looking at something, a different perspective or a new approach. And share [00:13:00] that, because that usually would be very interesting to the audience. look for opportunities to expand what they know.
And give them a chance to, even if it’s interdisciplinary, ideas, just be more creative in their space. Look for opportunities to collaborate with others. you could even, cos speak with someone was another opportunity that some people don’t think about is, if you’re at the intersection of say, sustainability and manufacturing, you might be at a manufacturing conference, but bring someone.
Who’s your sustainability expert? you might wanna think about how those topics. Can really affect the reputation of the company, what messages you wanna get out there. And I wanna underscore, this is not an infomercial when you’re speaking. It’s really delivering something that is meaningful and impactful and creating a really good, positive audience experience.
Michelle: So I
Tricia: would give that a lot of thought. And anyone who’s not in the comms department of their [00:14:00] organization, I recommend you go knock on their door, text them, go onto their Slack channel and find them and say. Give us some guidance here because they are the experts on how to do that.
Michelle: You said several things that really stuck out to me there, the unique perspective because, okay, so let’s, talk about this in, in our current reality is everybody wants to use AI to generate everything, right?
So if you have a unique perspective, it’s always helped you stand out. But now more than ever, I feel like that’s so important because if you’re just saying the same thing that everybody else in your industry is saying, why, would that be? somebody that they would wanna bring in to speak.
so you wanna have maybe a little bit of a different take or, you want it to be authentic to, your beliefs Of course. About whatever it is. But you do, I think just trying to figure out like how not to say the same thing that everyone else is saying is important. So
Tricia: important.
One of the [00:15:00] topics that I like hearing about related to AI is how AI can make you more creative, which sounds counterintuitive because isn’t it answering questions for you and limiting creativity. But there are people who can tell you how to use that tool to impact your ability to create and innovate, exponentially.
And I think that’s really interesting and it’s also practical.
Michelle: Yeah. Yes. I just feel like when everybody says, we’re just gonna use AI to create our presentation and write for us, and I’m like, okay, we gotta bring our unique brand message perspectives here.
Tricia: okay, It really means giving things more thought, really taking them apart, dissecting them, asking questions, what does this mean?
What are the consequences? What if we tried something different? How can we apply it? Yeah. I just love, I love those thought exercises. [00:16:00]
Michelle: I wish everyone would really get on board with giving things more thought. We don’t, we wish that were the case. ’cause I feel like now it’s just, again, we just, wanna just, we don’t wanna do our own thinking or in writing or, I’m like, okay.
Again, let’s, a lot
Tricia: of people are in the passenger seat just going for the ride. I like to be the driver, to think, okay, where do we wanna go with this? Whatever the topic is, right? How can we do better? What do we wanna accomplish? What’s a new way we can think about doing
Michelle: that? Yeah. Yeah. And that’s how you position yourself as a thought leader. That’s my what I think anyway, Absolutely. and then you mentioned don’t make it an info infomercial. again, this is a pr, this goes across everything in pr, right? We don’t wanna be, it’s not an ad, right? So your talk isn’t an ad either.
Of course, you’re gonna get visibility because you are up there speaking. Yeah. And of course you’re gonna have a slide, The, you’re gonna have your name and title and everything on the title [00:17:00] slide probably. And then at the end, I usually put, thank you. And I put all my contact information.
So it is, an opportunity to, of course, share your, links or your, contact with people. But it’s not like you’re up there just trying to. Sell whatever it is that your company is selling,
Tricia: If I knew that all they were talking about, is patting themselves in the back, I don’t know that I necessarily would sign up for a session or have any appeal to that, for me.
But I like the idea of here’s a case study and how we solved a problem. Oh yes, I’ll be sitting there in the front row. Or this is a problem that we encountered and this is how we overcame it. Yes. I wanna know more about that. So it depends on what the theme of the conference is and what you’re trying to achieve, but definitely not an infomercial.
Yeah,
Michelle: And the fact that we have to remind people, yes. but it is a good reminder, so it never hurts to have [00:18:00] a little refresher. you also mentioned getting comms involved. So again. You’re singing from my songbook here, because I feel like, again, you can’t, I’ve had clients say, oh, our, CEO is speaking at this event, and they tell me like, when it’s happening next week or what.
I’m like, really? you’re like, so I feel like Sometimes they don. Understand the value that a pr or comms person might bring to helping them prepare and, rehearse and, just talk about messages and things like that. So I, I feel like that’s a really important point.
And of course if you’re doing speaking, you should have your. PR comms team involved in that? I think so,
Tricia: yes. At the risk of sounding like an infomercial in favor of the comms department? Yes. That’s what this is. Because really when you talk about the brand voice, it’s all about what are your key messages, key talking points, [00:19:00] mission, vision, values.
If what they’re talking about doesn’t align with any of those, they probably shouldn’t be talking about it. So align all of those things, have those messages clear. Practice with people, find the right opportunities versus wasted opportunities and, work as a team, and that’s when it’s going to succeed.
And also that’s when a comms person can step in and say, we’re going to promote this on socials and on our website before, during, and after your talk. And then help them mingle throughout, work around the conference. What are you hearing from people? Who are you meeting? What are they saying?
What can you offer? Yeah, so that could often turn into, a relationship with a company. Definitely get that brand affinity because the difference between a social media post and maybe a news release or a website. all these different tactics there, there are hundreds that I could list, but very few bring the personality and the energy.
Of having someone live [00:20:00] speaking. And that’s when you start to feel like, wow, I really like that person. And then there’s that connection to the brand,
Michelle: right? ’cause it’s a human, it brings the human side. because even if people and B2B, even if, it’s a company buying from another company, I still think humans are buying from humans.
And so we have to remember that’s a big part of it. And I think, some of, I work with clients as some of the, c like the people in the C-suite. They’re charismatic and I think that’s a huge win. It’s so helpful because, they are naturally, they’re natural born.
Speakers and presenters and they just, that people gravitate toward those people and not everybody probably has that if you’re working with the client, if you do, you definitely wanna capitalize on it. And if you need to work on that, then certainly that’s something that you could work together with them to up their game a little bit.
Tricia: You said it [00:21:00] very well. I, fully agree. Use those opportunities. Find them. Use them. Yes.
Michelle: Yeah. Now, I almost feel really lucky when I have, A-A-C-E-O who’s, first of all understands the value of PR and comms. And then secondly is such a great, like a gifted, presenter. And they know their industry.
They know what they’re talking about. those are true. thought leaders and just, such gems to work with. let’s see here. You also mentioned co speaking, which I think is something I think panels and co speaking. Some people just wanna be standalone speakers, but those are other opportunities.
I’m curious on your, I had a question about that. Do you recommend present, submitting with the cos speaker? I know some of the clients that I work with sometimes will submit with a customer. For example, they speak with them on stage or something like that. How do, what would you, what’s your advice on that?
Tricia: The co speaking could be with any partner really. Okay. It could be with someone else in the industry talking [00:22:00] about trends. It could be someone from your own company who brings a different perspective from a specific department like IT, or risk management or research and development, whatever it is.
It could also be a customer or someone who has benefited from the work with the company, and I think the latter, working with a customer or. Some kind of, other stakeholder who’s not employed by the organization could really be a boost to credibility because wow, they’ve got this live testimonial here at the mic, and that’s pretty exciting.
But all of those have opportunity. There are pros and cons to different ones. The important thing I think, is to practice together, know what each other’s going to say, and practice using those verbal flags that throw a conversation. Back from one person to another. So it reduces that awkward time in between of who’s gonna talk next.
So in other words, if I were to say, and let’s hear your perspective, Michelle. I have just taken [00:23:00] that verbal flag and toss it over to you so it’s really smooth. So those kinds of little things start to make the presentation even more professional. But co speaking can be an excellent experience for both people involved.
Yeah. Or three or four, depending.
Michelle: Yeah. Yeah. I think, that just opens up more doors if people are open, to, to different, Different options like that. But I just wanna reiterate again, and I put it up here on the screen, because I think it’s so important. You have to practice. You have to rehearse.
Especially I think, again, if you’re bouncing off another person, if you’re on a panel or you have a co speaker, that’s even more important. But I think always, the more comfortable you’re at the material, of course nobody likes it when you read your slides. it’s good to get to a point where you can just give the talk.
And obviously the slides will are there, but I usually come up with a little note card with just the, [00:24:00] most, like just key words or just key points, that I wanna make throughout the talk. And very minimal, like I’ve practiced to a point where I really don’t need to read from anything.
Use it as more of a reminder for myself, but that’s wonderful. A different process, but definitely just don’t. I would say don’t wing it. No, you’ve gotta have self-awareness.
Tricia: If you’re not a good public speaker, work with a coach, work with someone. Take a course, but definitely practice. And there’s a book out called The Mom Test, which talks about, your mom’s always gonna say, you did really well.
Don’t have people who you know are very close to you. Be the people giving you feedback. Ask someone who might not know you as well, or a coworker. To say, could you just please give me honest feedback? But the other side of the coin is you have to be open to the feedback. So if I were to say, Michelle, would you just watch me gimme some feedback?
And he’d say, that wasn’t really good. And I say, I don’t know why I asked you anyway. [00:25:00] that’s now it’s destroying a relationship and neither one is helpful, but be open to the feedback. Accept it.
Michelle: Yeah. I think that’s an interesting point too, is that, I think, like I know when we do media training, filming someone is more informative for them than maybe anything else that we do because they can see themselves and it’s painful.
Like I, anybody that’s been through it knows it’s not fun. I know salespeople do that too. They, they’ll film them, in their training and so I think. It’s just, but it tells you so much about yourself. ’cause you can see, if are using too many fillers or like ums and ahs and things like that, or you’re doing any strange, I don’t know anything with your face or hands or, so it’s just really informative to have that.
So I think the training is a great. Point if you’re not comfortable, right? some people again, are just, I’ve done it a lot. Natural [00:26:00] born, like they’re just good at it. and they’re able to speak off the cuff or give a presentation and it’s okay, they’re great. But then there are other people who do need to work at it.
And it’s good if they’re humble and gracious and accept the feedback and, we’re not, everybody needs to improve. Honestly. There’s nobody that couldn’t improve a little bit on, I agree. Speaking or anything that they’re doing, communications wise. let’s talk a little bit about, what other ways would you say that public speaking ties into your PR program?
Tricia: One of the ways that people don’t often. I realize it’s beneficial is the act of writing a speech or a presentation forces you to seek clarity. And the benefit from that is when you start to think about it. I use this really, foolproof is a good word, [00:27:00] outline. When I’m doing a presentation, there’s an intro transitioning to your central statement.
Here’s what I’m gonna tell you. Three main points. Then you summarize and you conclude. I like to begin with the story and end with the conclusion of the story. it’s foolproof, I think. but as you go through that process of what information is most relevant, what do I really wanna say? What do I want people to know after they hear the presentation starts to really bring clarity to the message.
You start to eliminate unnecessary words and phrases and focus on. What really matters to you, whether it’s a specific message or your company’s vision. and again, that goes back to the purpose of the talk. Is it to motivate, to educate, to inspire? Is it, a training type of, presentation? is it wellness?
do you want people to laugh and feel happy? Do you want them to accept a new idea? That’s [00:28:00] gonna influence, your choice of how that goes. But the clarity is so important. Just the act of, writing it out, thinking about it, delivering it. It is so important.
Michelle: and I think, rehearsing again and reviewing and refining you, you change it.
like you learn, like you feel like, you probably think, oh, this isn’t gonna resonate as much as this, and again, to your point about the purpose of the talk, I think the more that you work on it. And then rehearse it. Of course, it’s gonna be, hopefully a stronger presentation than it would be if you just showed up and said, okay, I spent 20 minutes putting this together on my way over here.
Tricia: yeah. There are some people who do that and some who do it very well, because if that’s what they do all day, say they’re in media relations or they’re a spokesperson, they might have that nailed [00:29:00] down because they practice every day.
But those individuals who are not accustomed to it. Have that fear factor going where they’ve got anxiety often, or they have a fear of what if I say the wrong thing? What if no one understands? And that’s where if someone who’s a coach can work with them to say, let’s remove gendered language. Let’s remove, any stereotypes.
Let’s define unfamiliar terms so that it is more relatable to a broader audience. And then there’s more comfort as well.
Michelle: Yeah. The fear and anxiety is absolutely a real thing. For many people, I think public speaking is one of the scariest things. It’s always, they always talk about, how people, have that there’s the list of the top 10 things people fear and it’s like at the top of the list or whatever.
I think that’s absolutely just, again, preparation is the cure for that In my. Opinion and experience Is if you go unprepared, then you don’t, [00:30:00] you can be excited instead of anxious. You can be excited to talk about and deliver your message versus being like, deer in the headlights.
So if you’re ready. It’ll go a lot smoother. That’s, That’s what I would think. The other thing that you just made me think about is, we see kind, we’ve seen a lot of, high level executives putting their foot in their mouth. we see this all the time, but of course it’s in the news more and more.
Like they just gets more attention, I think, at least initially when it happens. and I wrote about this in my newsletter not too long ago and I was talking about it on a podcast because there, it’s. Again, it’s like they, they speak off the cuff and they don’t think about how it sounds to the real world.
Like there may be not, the, I’m thinking about the Kellogg’s, executive who was talking about, let ’em eat cereal for dinner and people are like struggling to buy groceries and pay bills and things. And so that just was a, it was like how out of touch was that, it wasn’t [00:31:00] relatable.
So I think, It’s back to the rehearsing, but also the comms team should be able to give you feedback if you have developed this presentation on your own, in your own little bubble or vacuum or whatever, and you, need to get some other people. Eyes and ears to, give you feedback and, to listen to the feedback because you definitely don’t wanna put yourself in the position of having to do damage control because you didn’t get the feedback, you didn’t think it through beforehand.
And what you think sounds fine, may not really resonate or be, the right message to be putting out there.
Tricia: And here’s a commercial again for the comms teams if you need to work with them. Don’t wait until the day of or the day before. give them enough time that they have an opportunity to really think about your message, help you refine it, help you practice it.
I worked with the CEO once, who would literally go up to a [00:32:00] podium where I had the speech prepared. I had it printed out in huge font, separated with notes and everything that she needed. And as she would turn from one page and slide it sideways to the other at the podium, she would say, I don’t wanna say this.
I don’t wanna say that people were taking their seats. And she’d say, no, let’s change this. Let’s change that. When two hours before she said, oh, this is wonderful. We’re so well prepared. Stay with it. Don’t panic, work with what the comms team recommends. Stick to the message because it is those off the cuff messages that can get people in trouble, right?
I think part of the reason is that we don’t like the awkwardness of the silence. There could be a lot of drama and a pause. Yeah, but when someone asks a question, most people just feel compelled. I have to answer it immediately. You don’t have to, and you don’t have to answer it at all. But we are conditioned that when we are asked a question, we will respond.
Maybe this goes back to elementary school. I [00:33:00] don’t know that’s when some of the danger zone starts to present itself is because it hasn’t been considered. Maybe the audience hasn’t been considered, it hasn’t been prepared. But typically in a well structured comms department, you’ve got key messages.
Just bring your talk always back to those key messages and you should be fine.
Michelle: But not everybody
Tricia: does that.
Michelle: That’s exactly the coaching that I give for media. Interviews, right? So we talk, we, we have our, nuggets, I call ’em and we are gonna come back to those. So at the end when they say, is there anything else you want to tell me that I didn’t ask you?
You bring it back to your messages and you repeat again. like you’ve Hopefully woven ’em in throughout the interview, but then you’re gonna bring it back to that at the end to tie it up in a nice little package for them. and hopefully that’s, that’s the last thing they hear.
So they’re gonna remember that, hopefully. When they go to write the story or, yeah. Edit the piece or whatever it is. So I think I’m just, I’m feeling like [00:34:00] a lot of this ties in. the, way you prepare and the way you approach it is it just ties into everything else you’re doing.
In comms, right. that’s why you’re a rockstar. the love mobs are just going off for me, Tricia. I don’t,
it’s good reminders, right? Because everything we do is really building, this is, what we’re aiming for is them, for them to be prepared and for them to be delivering, the messages that, we have developed, instead of just. whatever comes to their, pops into their head, and again, I think experience is part of this, but any, anyone can learn to do it and, practice it and so forth.
of course, of course you’re lucky again if you get people who have experience and are really good at it. But that, that, that doesn’t mean that if you’re not in that, those categories that you can’t. [00:35:00] Get there, So definitely something to consider. somebody posted a comment here and LinkedIn never shows the name.
I’m so sorry. not every question is worthy of a response and a three second delay in responding provides a moment. Yes. I think to your point about the awkward pause, I think that happens in all kinds of conversations and I think, that’s when conversations do get awkward is when you feel like you have to rush to fill that.
Space instead of just to, thinking. And again, for media interviews, I will give the same advice. I’ll be like, you know what? If they ask you a question you don’t know the answer to, it’s fine to say, you know what, we’ll get back to you on that. or, good question, will, we’ll follow up with you or whatever it is.
don’t feel like you need to just. Spew out an answer. if you don’t really exactly have something that seems like it’s, like what you really wanna say, and sometimes you do need to think about it, so
Tricia: it’s perfectly okay to say something like, I wasn’t prepared to answer that. I’d like to think [00:36:00] it over, or, I don’t have that information.
Now I can get back to you. Or, that’s proprietary and I can’t share it unfortunately, but I can tell you X, Y, Z, whatever that is. So it’s important to have that training. If an immediate situation or a q and a situation, that’s another thing that we really didn’t talk about yet. When you are a corporate spokesperson or a speaker at a conference or an event, be prepared for questions that may not have anything to do with your talk, but it’s related to your brand or a situation that you’ve been in.
And again, the comms team is where to go to prepare for that. And to our LinkedIn user. hats off to you. I do agree. You don’t have to answer. It doesn’t need to be immediate. it might not have to happen at all, and that’s part of the speaker experience of that training, being ready to address an audience of any size.
Michelle: Yes, I’m typing a little [00:37:00] thought here, about bringing your comms and PR team in early because, they can really help you prepare for any, anything that may come your way. And, when you’re at an event with. Human beings, you do need to be prepared. And obviously it’s not, I wouldn’t expect the worst because normally it’s very, it’s all, good.
But, you do, wanna be at least aware of things that might come up. And I think the other thing is when you’re a C-level executive, you’re not paying attention to everything. Maybe else that’s going on, you’re probably paying attention to the industry, but just. The world at large, breaking news or anything like that, that might impact your industry or might impact a question someone might have or again, back to the Kellogg’s example, I’m sure that there was a question that came up about people struggling, economically and they, maybe just weren’t like thinking that was gonna be something they were gonna be asked, so they never thought about how they were gonna answer it.
[00:38:00] So you can’t answer. Paid every question, but I think it’s good to have an FAQ, like a frequently asked questions, or, just, talk through, think through, what might come up based on stories that are in the news.
Tricia: Yeah. For anyone listening who’s not at comms, I do keep coming back to that because that’s my background and that’s part of the element of being a good speaker.
But all the messages and. Mission, vision, values, all the activities and strategies of a company should be backed by behavior and policies and procedures and those sorts of things. so it’s not just a message. It’s not like we’re just bringing a message out that’s empty. And when we talk about not answering, we’re not suggesting a lack of transparency is okay.
We’re saying that maybe that speaker might not have enough information at the time. To address a question,
Michelle: right? So
Tricia: it’s not about hiding anything, or [00:39:00] covering anything. It’s really about preparation and that preparation, any comms person knows, goes through every single department and every element of a company or organization to ensure that they are living the mission, vision, and values appropriately, ethically, morally.
and in those situations, like you said earlier, Michelle, they’re gems to work with.
Michelle: Yes. I’m gonna put the mission, vision, and values, point up here because I think that’s also very important. tying it back into those things. And of course, if you need to work on those things to even before you do your messages, make sure you have your mission, vision, values in place.
And then your messages speak to that, go back to that, Underscore that, or however, whatever you wanna say about that. But, but yeah. Let’s see. okay, so let’s talk for a minute. Let’s change gears a little bit here. And again, [00:40:00] please feel free to ask questions if you’re listening, watching, I’ll be happy to answer them.
What about organizations looking for speakers? what is your advice, because you work with them as well.
Tricia: I’ve got some advice, definitely about that. First is, as an event planner or someone looking for a speaker, know what you want to accomplish because that will inform your choice of speaker, whether it’s, For your event, if it’s speakers, foods, beverages, know what you’re trying to accomplish. And I, mix in food and beverage, which might sound odd to some people, but if it’s a wellness day, you don’t wanna be serving pizza and wings, for example, right? everything in moderation, right? So that just wouldn’t align with the goals of the organizational event.
choose a speaker who is well suited for the audience, for the topic, for the fee. speaking of fees, I always recommend pay your speakers [00:41:00] well, and by well, I mean for the value they bring. Some speakers are appropriately priced at three or $500. Some are a lot more expensive. They’re much more expensive.
Again, what is the value they bring? How many people are they going to be addressing? Is this a custom program? Did they have to travel for seven hours to get there? all these questions come into the subject of fees and I do recommend going outside of your tried and true. There’s a lot of comfort in an old pair of jeans, right?
But there’s also a fun element to trying on new styles, and, that’s just an analogy for opening yourself up to fresh voices, hearing from different people, and bringing that diversity into the organization. whether it’s a difference of, a perspective or opinion or approach can really be inspiring for the audience.
make expectations [00:42:00] very clear to the speaker. Identify exactly what you expect, how long you want them to speak, how long q and A should be. Are you covering travel? Are you covering lodging and meals? Make that very, clear. SHRM does an amazing job of this. With speakers, I always hold them at this platinum level of setting expectations because you know exactly what you’re going into as a speaker.
And then on the speaker side, they should also share what the organization should expect. I will be on time, I will deliver this. I will, sell my books or not. I will, Bring someone to take video or not. Let them know what you’re planning to do as well, so those expectations are met and are reflected in your letter of agreement or your contract.
also ask the speaker to preview what will be covered. There was a particularly nasty situation I saw years ago where a speaker came to a [00:43:00] healthcare event and they happened to be serving prime rib that night. ’cause they wanted to impress all the physicians who would be there. And the speaker proceeded to talk about how red meat can kill you.
so all the prime rib was then Joe just. pushed into the trash and it was like, oh, why did we not know, we should have served something else. We should have had grilled vegetables and fish that night. But again, it was a failure for the event planner to ask the speaker, what exactly are you going to cover?
Because that was important. also request that the speakers have a mindset of accessibility, whether it’s materials or slides. Be sure that people of all abilities can hear and experience what you’re sharing. Some speakers like to say, oh, I project my voice really well. I don’t need a microphone.
And that might be to the detriment of someone who has hearing [00:44:00] impairment, for example, or the slides don’t have a lot of contrast. So those with visual impairment might have a difficult time seeing them clearly. So do everything with people, and their abilities in mind so that you’re as inclusive as possible, is something that I recommend.
Yeah, we can keep for hours, but I’ll, cut that off there. that’s some good advice I think for organizations looking for speakers.
Michelle: Yeah, no, that was great advice. And again, I feel like some of these things should just be, we should just know these things. But honestly, when you.
Are out there living in the world, that it doesn’t always happen that way. And people, I’m sure have, good intentions, but it’s good to remember and have the checklist even like your tips could be a little checklist for people. that’s, That’s, those are all good tips.
we did have another question, I’m gonna put it on the screen. How do you feel about company spokespersons, including in their talking points, a few of the [00:45:00] company’s pillars?
Tricia: Personally, I think that’s expected, and I think it’s appropriate because to not include them might suggest that you assume everyone in the audience knows those pillars, if the pillars are relative to what you’re discussing.
Absolutely. But I do think even in introduction, you can talk about, if you’re not familiar with our company, X, Y, Z is a company that was founded in this year that does these things and these are our values or pillars or. beliefs, whatever you wanna share. I think that’s very appropriate.
Michelle: Okay, good. Is there anything else? as we start to wrap up here, I’ll put a note out if there are any other questions, anyone has about speaking and or questions for Trisha about I need a speaker, please feel free to ask. We’re happy to answer those. what, what other. Tips for potential speakers.
What [00:46:00] else do you think that they should know maybe that we haven’t talked about? Or what should PR teams know as they work to place their executives to speak and things like that?
Tricia: for all aspiring speakers, I would have as much experience as possible, have a coach or hire someone for public speaking training if possible.
We do a lot of training in organizations where they have public facing teams. Typically, the C-Suite, D Suite sales and marketing are the ones where we’re interacting the most to give them that training and give them that confidence to go out. I also recommend if they’re going to apply for opportunities and respond to calls for proposals.
Have a reel ready. If you don’t have a reel, it’s okay. but when you do start to speak, have someone videotape you, make sure that you get horizontal video for a few minutes and vertical, because that way if you’re posting to YouTube, which is more horizontal, you have that opportunity. That [00:47:00] clip there, if you’re going to Instagram or something more vertical, you’ve also got clips that are suitable for that to let people see the energy and engagement that you bring to the audience.
and also I would recommend that you have a speaker sheet, which is a one-sided, one sheet that includes the speakers image. Credentials, name, label if you have a label, like entrepreneur, author, whatever that might be. And then I would include some information about signature talks. I wouldn’t have ever more than three because then it looks like you’re not really a subject matter expert in one area.
If you stretch it out too much, that starts to dilute your credibility. And if you have a great testimonial. Or logos of companies for which you’ve worked as a comms person. I have to say, ask those companies permission, but you could put the logo at the bottom if they say yes, but add a testimonial from someone who has seen you and help the event planner complete the vetting for you to know [00:48:00] that you have experience, you have a good relationship in terms of audience engagement and the materials to give that social proof that you’ve done this before.
No, those are all great answers. Lot of this have expectations. Really it’s on both sides, speakers and event planners. What are your expectations?
Michelle: Yeah. And on the site I’m gonna say you probably have some of these suggestions and tips on, I need on, I need a speaker. Are there some of these checklists and things up there?
Tricia: We have some blogs that address some of these. We are proudly, relaunching an updated platform later this month. Should be up by September 1st. Okay. That’s going to have a search to book capability so you can find and book the speaker directly on the site. And as far as I know, we’re one of the few that will have a five star rating system for speakers and event planners to rate and review each other because, there are some [00:49:00] practices that I don’t necessarily agree with in the industry and I like to see everybody bringing their best.
So I wanna have that opportunity for the real stars to be recognized that way. That’s, so watch the relaunch of the platform. It’s gonna be better than ever, and it will have some downloadable resources like you’re referencing, as well as a downloadable speaker agreement that you can customize and use.
Ooh. When you’re booking someone or being booked, that’s great. I’m looking to build, our whole team is devoted to building the company that. Really is delivering what speakers and event planners both need and satisfying those needs with respect, with service, and with fairness.
Michelle: We overlook paperwork sometimes.
I know. it’s good to have, of course we have to sign when we agree to speak often, we have to sign the events, agreement. But it would be good for us to have, something [00:50:00] maybe for them to sign or just if organizations don’t have, you, an agreement for speakers, it’d be good for them to have one, I think.
Because I think it’s just, it’s really about, again, setting expectations. you’re agreeing, you’re committing. You have to, there’s some weight when you sign off, I think, on that. Versus just verbal, oh yeah, I’ll be there. And I like
Tricia: working with an agency or a bureau.
I recommend that over an individual. Only because you have the backing of that agency or bureau. I know that very recently, a high level celebrity backed out of a speaking engagement less than 24 hours before he was supposed to take the stage. And there was a lot of panic involved and they were able to replace that speaker.
But think about all the promotion that went on for that event prior to that speaker pulling out.
Michelle: So
Tricia: that’s difficult. When you work with the bureau or an agency, they can start immediately. To [00:51:00] fill that slot for you and hopefully bring in someone who is equal or better in terms of status or expectations.
Again, I’d like a speaker agreement for that reason. you can outline. Outline specifically. I fly first class. Or not, I want Gatorade in my room, I want ground transportation. I want the right to videotape. I would like to be able to sell from stage or do a book signing. things like that I like to have in writing.
So that you can go back and have it as a reference if needed.
Michelle: I also think it’s important to remind speakers, and I am guilty of this myself and I, that’s why I’m taking some notes that I need to go back and revisit my own, practices because sometimes we, someone asks us to speak, on a webinar or something.
It’s not quite as involved maybe as an in-person, presentation, but there’s still things that you. Especially if they’re not gonna compensate you financially that you might wanna ask for, can we get a [00:52:00] testimonial? Can we get, will you include us in the promotion? like how is that gonna work?
just questions like that I feel are often overlooked. ’cause I think some of us are just like, oh, so delighted to be asked. And so it’s it’s a, it’s an ego thing. It’s wow, they want me to. Oh, sure, I’ll do it. And then you’re like, wow, I spent hours and hours doing a presentation and Right.
of course I got visibility out of it, but what else did I get out of it? And then afterward it’s everybody moves on and it’s almost like an afterthought. Or maybe you are afraid to bring it up. Then it’s almost like getting, a client after a project wraps up to, to say something, that you can use in a testimonial or it’s just a good reminder, again, to look out for yourself because the organization.
Is busy and doing things. It’s not like they’re intentionally not thinking of you, but they, nobody’s gonna remember, what you need. Like you will, nobody’s gonna look out for you like you will. So I just feel like
Tricia: that’s so true. That’s so true. I [00:53:00] have a speaker who once called a convention center.
And, she was prompted to do this because she was asked to speak for free and drive two and a half hours to get to the venue. So she called the venue and asked what does it cost for food and beverage for a particular conference? So this one gave it as an example, comes to find out that the afternoon break of cookies, brownies, coffee and tea, I think was priced at, I don’t know, 1495 a person.
Something silly like that. I’m not justing food and beverage. I understand what goes into that and it’s served and I respect. The, wait staff who in preparation behind it? I do. but her point was, am I not worth the cost of a brownie? so I, I understand what she was saying. I. think about how you can compensate them somehow.
Can you cover their mileage? Can you offer them, an opportunity to give a discount to their audience for services that they offer, or allow them to talk about their product? [00:54:00] Can their company have a booth in the lobby? Can they be included in a swag bag, with giveaways? Can they be on the website?
if you have a podcast or, other way of, getting them some exposure, can you include that? Do you have a newsletter? Do you have, company information that goes out all the time? There are so many ways that are non-cash. In terms of compensation that I really think should be offered if you don’t have the money to pay, and again, if, you have say, 250 people coming and you add, say, $5 a ticket to this, event.
At least give the speaker something for all those hours of preparation to travel, and all the work that goes into it and the energy that it takes. And they’ve gotta realize that the speakers are not making money while they’re on your stage, so they’re not in a position to contribute to their company or organization while they’re away during that time.[00:55:00]
for other people, they think I’m leaving my family for two nights, make it worth it for me to leave the family.
Michelle: these are so important because I, this is how I engage a lot of times if it’s, even if they’re paying for your expenses or whatever, you are outta the office.
You are away from your family and you are spending hopefully, time to prepare, whether or not you’re. Developing a brand new talk or rehearsing a talk and revising a talk that you’ve already given. I still think it’s a lot of time involved on the speaker’s, side of things. So I feel like, you definitely need to be thoughtful and think it through, time-wise, expense-wise is, does the cost, equal the benefit?
Because sometimes, I’m gonna be honest, it may not always, be an automatic yes to a speaking engagement if things don’t line up that way.
Tricia: I fully agree. We are really strong advocates for speakers getting paid [00:56:00] for their value. I don’t like it when people look at our directory and then offer free opportunities to everyone.
We do have speakers who will speak for free because they love the topic or they love just being involved. They wanna get community, they want feedback for whatever reason. That’s an individual choice. But there is a lot of time and effort involved and I like to see that acknowledged and respected.
the same way that we would pay a plumber, a dentist, anyone who is providing a service and putting the time in.
Michelle: Yeah, I think if you work for a company, obviously you know you are, probably, that’s part of your role at the company, maybe putting together a talk and traveling, and that’s all gonna be compensated by the company.
But if you’re on your own. I think it’s sometimes, it is a lot I know from my own experience, like I just spend hours getting ready for these things and I really take them very seriously. I put a lot of time and thought into it, and then after the afterward I’m like, okay, I have to really think about, [00:57:00] was that worth it?
And if it’s virtual, obviously that makes it a little bit easier. But when you’re traveling, that’s a big ask, I think for some speakers. Especially for international travel. Yes. Yep. Yes. we could talk all day. we’re always good. Every time I talk to you, we could talk all day.
We’re almost at our hour. And, I think it’s, be a good time to wrap it up. And again, I have put the, I need a speaker site up there a couple of times. Be sure to follow Tricia on social media. I know she’s on LinkedIn and, where else? Can people, is there any place else you, we should.
Tricia: I focus on LinkedIn and we’re starting a YouTube channel very shortly.
We’ve, got some interviews in the can that are being edited right now, and that’s pretty exciting because we want people to see the energy that our speakers bring. So I’m looking forward to that, along with the relaunch of our platform. but if you’re [00:58:00] looking for a speaker or public speaking training.
Would love to be of help to you. I need a speaker.com or you can reach me directly at Tricia T-R-I-C-I-A at I need a speaker.com.
Michelle: That’s great, Tricia. I really appreciate you being here. I think this was very valuable and. I know I, I’m taking away a lot from it, and I hope, everybody, listening, watching is as well.
So thank you so much for spending time on pr, explore today and we’ll be back with another episode soon. Thank you so much.
About the host: Michelle Garrett is a B2B PR consultant, media relations consultant, and author of B2B PR That Gets Results, an Amazon Best Seller. She helps companies create content, earn media coverage, and position themselves as thought leaders in their industry. Michelle’s articles have been featured by Entrepreneur, Content Marketing Institute, Muck Rack, and Ragan’s PR Daily, among others. She’s a frequent speaker on public relations and content. Michelle has been repeatedly ranked among the top ten most influential PR professionals.
Learn more about Michelle’s freelance PR consulting services here. Book a no-obligation call to talk about your needs here. Buy Michelle’s book here.
