I have a busy week coming up.
At 1:00 pm EDT today, I will be interviewed on a weekly Facebook Live show, produced by Dan Rochon of the Greetings Virginia Extraordinary Business Network.
Tomorrow afternoon I will be presenting at the OTAC business networking group at the Belle Haven Country Club, and next Monday at the Alexandria Small Business Development Center.
That’s three presentations in seven days. Looks like I need to get prepared!
Having spoken dozens of times throughout my career, I follow a checklist that helps me to maximize the odds that my audience will have an excellent experience.
Structured Outline and/or Slide Deck
Obviously, the most important thing to prepare ahead of time is your message. Exactly how I do that will be the subject of a future email message.
Redundant Digital Assets
If my presentation is going to include a slide deck, I bring it with me on my laptop, place a copy in the cloud, and bring another one on a thumb drive. I also bring my own projector, video cables, extension cord and power strip – just in case.
Venue Walk-Through
Whenever possible, I will visit the venue at least one day in advance to get a sense of the place, the lighting, the A/V resources and on-site staff support. I make friends with whomever is in charge and ask them to help me do a great job on game day.
Content Repurposing
Every presentation can be repurposed into scores of social media posts, email messages, videos, blog posts, whitepapers and even books. I ALWAYS capture an audio recording of my remarks and, whenever possible, video footage as well.
Why I Do All This
Speaking opportunities can be hard to find. You need to do everything you can to leverage those opportunities, by creating a great experience for the live audience while generating remarkable recorded content for your tribe around the world, which will get you more speaking opportunities going forward.
Let me know if I can help you prepare for your next speech.
Frank Felker
703-982-0984
“To be prepared is half the victory.”
Miguel de Cervantes | 17th Century Spanish Author of Don Quixote
