How to Navigate Being Assigned a Speaking Topic
Cue the confetti! You’ve just been selected to speak at your favorite conference and you could not be more excited! You’ve attended this event in the past and dreamed of seeing yourself up on that stage. You’re already jumping out of your seat and doing a little happy dance before you finish reading your acceptance email,
That is, until you continue reading to realize they are asking you to speak on a topic outside of your wheelhouse. “Wait, what?!”
are you a subject matter expert?
You’ve been working really hard to establish yourself as a the expert in your field. You’re worried that taking this speaking opportunity may end up doing more harm than good… and you might be right, friend!
When we’re leveraging speaking as a marketing tool for our business it’s important that we select the right speaking topics for two reasons:
To Build Credibility
To Convert From The Stage
Build your credibility with speaking
Public speaking is one of the fastest ways to build our credibility and really stand out in our industry. It allows us to simultaneously serve our audience and fast-track our relationships with them. What may take months of online marketing can happen in a matter of minutes from the stage.
The secret to making this work is to STAY IN YOUR LANE.
Thoughtfully select your signature speaking topics and stick to them. We want your audience (and organizers) to recognize you as a subject matter expert. This leads to an increase in incoming speaking requests and referrals. Not to mention that you’re going to become really good at delivering your presentation if you stick to a single subject matter.
Grow Your Business with Speaking
If you want to convert audience members into paying clients you need to make sure you’re speaking on the right topic. It’s our job as the speaker to lead our audience on a journey. If we’re savvy business owners that journey is going to help them AND our bottom line.
We don’t want to leave our audience to trying connect the dots themselves.
We want to make this journey as seamless as possible for them so that they can focus on take action rather than worrying about what type of action they should be taking.
If your business helps people design beautiful websites, a presentation on how to file your taxes is going to confuse them. Are they really going to think of you when they need a new website or are they going to be emailing you in April stressed about tax deadlines?
By speaking on topics centered around our area of expertise we can create a clear path for our audience that leads into our products and services.
make sure you’re speaking on the RIGHT topics for your business!
Click the image below to grab your free workbook!
Should You still give the talk?
Do you say no? Do you make it work? How should you handle things?
Depending on the situation, there are a few things you can do. But the key to making this work for your audience, the organizer AND you is communication. Here are a few questions I want you to ask yourself:
“Is this topic outside of my normal area of expertise but still relevant to my work?”
For example: I’m a public speaking strategist. Let’s say that I was asked to speak on social media. Do I use social media? Yes. Is it my area of expertise? Absolutely not. What I could speak on is how to use social media to book more speaking engagements. Now that would make sense for my business AND still allow me to deliver a high-value presentation for my audience.
If this sounds like what you’re dealing with, you’re good to move forward with the presentation. However, you need to have a conversation with the organizer to make sure they’re clear on the angle you’ll be leaning into. We want to be sure you deliver the best presentation for your audience (and your business) that still fits into their desired speaker line-up.
"Is this topic a distraction from the work that I currently do?”
This is a tough one. If you’ve pivoted in business or changed professions over the years, you may have a situation come up where you’re asked to speak on a topic that you no longer cover. Are you equipped to speak on this subject? Absolutely! Is it the best business move for you, right now? Maybe not.
For these situations, you’re going to have to take it case-by-case.
If you’re in a season of raising awareness about the work you’re currently doing, speaking on something you no longer offer/cover could send your audience mixed signals and ultimately confuse potential clients. Be honest with yourself: Is this opportunity going to do more harm than good? Is someone else a better fit for it? Can you pour into this audience without sending mixed messages around your new offerings?
“Am I equipped to speak on this subject?”
This questions SHOULD be pretty straight forward. However, sometimes the promise of ‘exposure’ corrupts the lenses we view our reality through.
If you do not feel confident delivering a high-value presentation for the audience, please step down. There are plenty of other speaking opportunities out there for you, friend. I promise this will not be the last one!
Saying yes to speak on a subject that you’re not well versed in can end up causing your business harm in the long run. We want your audience (and the organizer) to be blown away by the value you delivered. We want them to leave rave reviews and recommend you to all of their friends.
If you try to throw together a duct-tapped-presentation your audience will remember it - and that’s not a good thing. If you’re not the best fit for the presentation, please be up front with the organizer before it’s too late.
Not sure if you should bow out or move forward with an already booked speaking engagement on a topic outside of your area of expertise? Check out this video on some tips for how to handle that sticky situation.
Showcase the right details
If you decide to move forward with the speaking opportunity (even though it’s not a signature topic of yours) we want to be sure that we’re maximizing the opportunity without it causing you headaches down the road. If possible, you’ll want to share about the presentation on your social media platforms without including the presentation title.
From the outside looking in, your audience will see you speaking and view you as an expert in your field… but they won’t get confused with a topic outside of your wheelhouse.
Avoid the stress from the start
The best way to avoid all of these headaches all together is to get crystal clear on what YOUR signature presentations are. The more organized and clear you can be about what speaking topics you are prepared to deliver, the more likely you’ll only be asked to speak on those subjects.
If you haven’t already identified your signature speaking topics, grab the free workbook below and select yours, today!
Have you ever been assigned a speaking topic by an organizer? I want to hear it about! Tell me about it in the comments or share it on Instagram and tag me (@JessicaRasdall) so that I can cheer you on as you share your message with the people who need to hear it the most!
