Guest Post by Diane H. Craver:
I’m a career coach, and it’s amazing to me how many people I run into that don’t like to talk about themselves. They think it’s bragging, or rude, or vulgar.
Houston, we have a problem!
If you are in a job search, wanting to move ahead at work, or trying to get clients for your business, you have to learn to talk about yourself in a way that informs people authentically about what value you create. I like to think about this as educating people on what I do best, what I want to do, and why.
Elevator speeches are not for me
I’ve never liked the concept of an elevator speech because the last time I was in an elevator no one spoke and no one dared make eye contact. So I don’t do elevator speeches, and no one can make me.
There does however come a time when you must talk about yourself and you need to know what to say & how to say it. Here’s my process: authenticity, brevity, and passion.
Be honest about the value you create
Just be honest about how you create value. If you don’t know, you might want to look at your
I like to think about this as educating people on what I do best, what I want to do, and why.performance reviews, survey your clients, or ask people who would tell you the truth. Take a few days & make a list without editing anything – just keep the flow going. Be sure you focus on what value you create because no matter what you like to do, you have to find a buyer.Keep it simple, keep it brief
Let the fun begin and start editing. Get some help if you need it. Think about finishing this sentence, “I’m at my best when…”
It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it – not true
Well, actually it IS what you say … and it’s how you say it. Think about how you would talk about what would motivate you to get up every day and do that thing you do so well. What will you say to inspire others to ask you for more? What will you say to help them remember you?
It’s the thought that counts … and the gift
You’ve put a lot of thought into what you do best and what would motivate you to do it every day. Think of what you say about yourself as a gift you give to others. Your message is sincere and content rich, and even inspiring. Paint a picture for people so they see you succeeding. Also, if you need help, people need to know how to help you.
Want an example? Here’s mine:
I am a career coach. I’m at my best when I’m helping people connect their strengths, values and passions with the organization or business. I use a creative process to help them get really clear about what they want so they’re motivated to take action. Our careers affect every component of our lives; I consider it an honor to help people find work they really enjoy and make a positive impact.
How to talk about yourself without bragging! | CareerEnlightenment.net
12 Ways to get a speaking Gig
So how do you get a speaking gig at a trade show or industry event?
Here are 12 ways.
1. Give yourself plenty of time. Program planning for many events and conferences begins up to a year in advance, says Helena Bouchez of Helena B Communications. But at the events I’ve helped organize, the day registration opens is often the day speakers often come out of the woodwork seeking to participate. It doesn’t work like that: Seek out the events you’d like to attend well in advance, and reach out to the organizers, Helena adds. Which brings me to my next point…
2. Contact organizers how they ask to be contacted. Sometimes, event organizers have a web-based speaker proposal form. Other times, they want to hear from you via email. I suppose some event organizers are okay being contacted by telephone. But in general, I’d discourage it, because most organizers are inundated with proposals, and a telephone call will only annoy them.
3. Suggest how you fit in. “Don’t make the event producer find the fit,” says Alison Murdock of Next Round Communications “When you suggest a speaker, tell them how and where they should go in the program. It will also show you cared enough to understand their program.”
4. Reach out personally. It’s always better to contact and organizer yourself, rather than rely on your PR agency to do it for you. Unless you are Malcolm Gladwell, it’s better to reach out to program organizers personally.
5. Have some social cred. You show up in Google. Your profile on LinkedIn is robust, and you blog and/or Twitter about relevant industry trends and topics. Conference organizers like to tap people who have some street credibility on the topic they want to present on. In part, they want to know you are passionate about the topic and involved in your industry. What’s more, it can help them discern your point of view.
6. Write a great session proposal. Writing a great session title and description is a bit of an art form: You want to accurately portray what you’ll speak about, but also convey a sense of the personality and energy you’ll bring to it. Think of the session title as the compelling, intriguing headline, and liven up the description to include specific takeaways (what’s in it for the audience?) and lively language. Warning: Don’t be boring! Even if your topic is dead-serious, you want to convey that you know how to present it with energy and passion.
7. Bring a client. Some events prefer to use client-side speakers rather than vendors or consultants. One way around that is to invite a client or customer to present alongside you. Can’t get the client to show? Try presenting a case study on their behalf. Doing so can greatly improve your chances to get the gig as well as build your credibility with the audience. (Of course, it doesn’t hurt to deepen your relationship with your client, either.)
8. Start small. If you aren’t getting any traction with the bigger events, approach smaller events: Local chamber events, networking breakfasts, association gatherings are all great places to start building your speaking resume.
9. Create a speaking page. Dedicate a page on your Web site or blog to your public speaking efforts. Give an overview of who you are and what topics you regularly speak about (or can). Include a photo. List where you’ve been and where you are going. Also…
10. Solicit testimonials and post them on your speaking page. Ask for testimonials from conference organizers, association coordinators, or whomever you worked with on a specific event.
11. Include a video, too. A video demonstrating your speaking skills is a nice touch. Seeing you in action gives conference organizers a clear picture of how you present. Don’t have a copy of a live event? Shoot yourself with a Flip video camera or similar – even a shorter introduction is a helpful touch.
12. Keep in touch. Winning a speaking gig is a lot like nurturing a long-term business lead. It takes time and patience. So keep in touch with conference organizers, attend their events and meet them, and continue to offer yourself as a resource.
What else would you say? Any advice for others? How have you won a speaking gig?
Thanks to Helena Bouchez of Helena B Communications for the inspiration for this post.
*****
Ann Handley if the Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs. Follow her on Twitter @marketingprofs.
Photo credit: jonny goldstein
The 2% Difference - RecruitingBlogs.com
I have consistently contended that executives who tolerate “B” and “C” players on their teams give up a lot. Let me now quantify it:
Let’s say you are a CEO with 5 key management team reports, running a $50 million (revenue) company. Let’s say that you project 10% revenue growth next year, but you have a “B” player on your team that might hold you back a bit. If you achieve only 8% growth, you just gave up $1 million in revenue. Would hitting 8% instead of 10% be regarded as a failure by your board or parent company? Probably not. You probably still get your bonus.
If you run this company for 5 years, and you tolerate 2 “B” players rotating in and out of your management team, it might cut your annual average growth to 7%. Over 5 years time, you give up $7.5 million in revenue. If you have a $200 million company, you gave up $30 million in growth. This could erode equity by an equivalent amount when the company is sold.
In January I wrote about the 18-Month Factor – that it takes 18 months from discovering a sub-par performer before most companies have a fully effective person in that role. What if you established a zero tolerance policy for anything other than “A” players in every management position? Each time that you quickly replace a “B” or “C” person with an “A”, you could gain 2% in growth. Would the 2% difference be worth it to you?
Do you "KIS" with your candidate's resume? - RecruitingBlogs.com
I have been around the business for a long time. Early on and being far less intelligent, something debated to this day I might add, I was quick to use the resume given to me by candidates to present them to my clients. I did little to nothing to change anything on the resume.
I have gotten smarter over the years. Resumes have become very fluid over the years. Candidates, in their infinite wisdom, have put together their resume as best they could with advice from every expert in the industry. Some are told that function resumes are the best, others the chronological is best. For each expert you ask advice from on resume writing you could almost bet on getting a different answer. It often would appear that the expert would suggest it be fluffed up here, dressed up there and made prettier to attract the right attention. Did anyone ever ask what the audience, the Hiring Manager, was looking to see? Not very often.
Now, many times, we do not know the Hiring Manager as well as we would like to. Seldom can we read their mind. We should know what they are looking for in a candidate though. That, in and of itself, still should give us a good idea of how the resume should look. As an introduction to a candidate, the resume being a marketing or sales tool, should be able to grab attention quickly, concisely and completely. After all, we do want the Hiring Manager to be drawn into and read the resume, do we not?
I will not get into all the philosophy of resume writing here, such as the OBJECTIVE, what it should say and how it should be said, etc, but I do want to address the KIS. I get resumes in all shapes, sizes and fashion. Many times they are not focused, have too much irrelevant information and say things they should not. They just do not look right for presentation and need working over, and in many cases, dramatic working over. Here are suggestions I give my candidates on the most common elements I see that need reworking to create the KIS resume:
ONE: Functional, chronological, functional, chronological, that is the question.
* there is no absolute right way here but you should have one or the other that is factual, informative and straight to the point.
* I prefer chronological because my experience is that more and more employers want to see where you worked, when you worked there (more and more want month and year), and what you did when you were there. Chronological does that and I have never had anyone object on a chronological resume. I have, however, had Hiring Managers request a functional resume be replaced with chronological resumes.
* I find that technical positions and technical Hiring Managers tend to prefer chronological resumes because they can be more fact based and to the point as many technical people are.
* if a candidate is going to use a functional resume I suggest using it for non-technical positions.
TWO: The application that the resume is written in is important in that most resume databases employers use today accept only word doc resumes and/or work easier with word docs.
* PDF, TEXT and others are generally not as user friendly as the old standby Word Doc, so, to me, KIS with a word doc resume.
* I suggest not using some of the formatted resume templates that are out there for writing resumes because they also can be problematic with some databases, simply type out the resume on a Word Doc.
* I would not expect someone in HR to try an reformat your resume to fit it into their database if need be, it likely will not happen and if it does, it will not be the first thing they do.
THREE: Put “ALL” contact information on the resume and not in a header or footer.
* many resumes are looked at on a computer and no one I know wants to go to print preview to see the contact information; if the resume is not presented in hard copy, this becomes an unfriendly step that does not win friends or influence people.
FOUR: Paragraph format versus bullets.
* scope of responsibility for each employment is what Hiring Managers look for, chronological resumes usually are or should be laid out this way.
* paragraph format is usually hard to read and the reader has to generally figure out what is being said and has to search for what they are looking for, not something they want to take time doing.
* I find that bullets make for a quick and easy read and believe you can never go wrong with a bullet format, particularly for a technical resume; so, I recommend bullets, direct and to the point, they get quick attention and the reader can quickly identify what it is they either are or are not looking for in a background.
FIVE: Pictures, personal information, fancy resume borders.
* although the picture may be pretty and personal information interesting, it is likely that it is not relevant and Hiring Managers really don’t care; they are mostly interested in what you can do for them.
* an exception could be a sales, marketing or some sort of position where a person would have to be in front of others to do business, however, it should not be a qualifier and I would not go there; you can not go wrong by not having picture or personal information on a resume.
* fancy resume borders can not address a candidates qualifications for a job and usually come across as unimpressive; would not do this.
There is more to the resume that gets the attention of the Hiring Manager than I have brought up here. If the resume is not an easy read and does not get attention early in the read, nothing else will probably matter. Aside from these tips I give candidates I always suggest they keep in mind their audience and what the position is they are applying for. The resume should speak to both and attempt to sell the Hiring Manager on setting up an interview. If they do not get to the interview they will not be getting anywhere.
I do not want to imply here that I let the resume do all the talking when I present a candidate to a client. That may work but I believe that is not the best first impression and I do want to make the best first impression I can for my candidate. I do an oral and written presentation of all my candidates. What I am suggesting though is that I help the candidate with suggestions on what constitutes a great resume for presentation and I put the responsibility of a quality resume for me to work with on the candidate. When I do not get a chance to do an oral presentation I find having a quality resume, with presentation, KIS’d as described above, gives me a much greater chance to move my candidate forward to an interview. When the candidate and I KIS with the resume we can more readily expect to KIS our way through to the interview.
KPI's are bad for recruitment... - RecruitingBlogs.com
Thinking about that the other day made me realise that actually, KPI's, far from sorting out and highlighting the good recruiters from the bad, actually muddies the waters and can throw up a smokescreen behind which people who are not cut out for recruitment can hide. KPI's, just like Government statistics, seem so easily corruptible and therefore, are actually counter-productive.
From the mind of a recruiter...
Why You should be Blogging
Blogging gives you the best return on investment when promoting your company, your message, your ideas online. Bar None. Anyone not running a Blog on their site is fundamentally at a disadvantage compared to someone who is.
The visual above gives some indication into the time it takes to do each of the four primary text-based online content types. Press Releases typically take days to organise, especially if there are 3rd parties involved. News stories typically take half a day to organise since the content has to be extremely precise and fairly formal. Sourcing good media can also take considerable time. Status Updates / Tweets / Micro-blogs are much faster to create but they typically link to external blogs or articles, and do not generate any inbound links of their own.
Blog Posts on the other hand are easy to create and sit at the heart of the world wide web. The beauty of blog posts is that they can be informal, have personality, be rich in opinion or simple statements of facts. They are easy to create so you can create them much more frequently than traditional corporate communications. They are also something that people can follow.
The Blog itself is simply the start. The way the web works today facilitates the distribution of your Blog posts. Affino offers a number of great tools to leverage the posts so that they become the heart of your corporate message:
Search Engines / SEO
Search Engines love frequently updated pages. You can leverage your Blog content throughout your site to provide fresh on-topic content through using highlights design elements.
RSS Feeds / Syndication
All your Blog content can be syndicated. You should use the outbound feeds to seed key sites throughout the web. Users can also follow your latest updates using Google Reader and similar tools.
Newsletters / Content Subscriptions
All Blog content can be dynamically included in automated weekly newsletters or sent out in real-time content subscriptions.
Social Media
Blogs can be instantly promoted on the leading Social Media portals such as Facebook and Twitter. The Social Campaigns in Affino allow you to do this real-time.
Topic Channels
You can create aggregation pages which pull in all the on-topic news for specific topics. Blog content should be at the heart of this since few things come close in terms of the return on time invested.
Wrap-up
Affino allows you to easily create and leverage your Blog, and if your aim is to reach a wider or more targeted audience and to get your message out more effectively then this is the place to start
Why You should be Blogging
Blogging gives you the best return on investment when promoting your company, your message, your ideas online. Bar None. Anyone not running a Blog on their site is fundamentally at a disadvantage compared to someone who is.
The visual above gives some indication into the time it takes to do each of the four primary text-based online content types. Press Releases typically take days to organise, especially if there are 3rd parties involved. News stories typically take half a day to organise since the content has to be extremely precise and fairly formal. Sourcing good media can also take considerable time. Status Updates / Tweets / Micro-blogs are much faster to create but they typically link to external blogs or articles, and do not generate any inbound links of their own.
Blog Posts on the other hand are easy to create and sit at the heart of the world wide web. The beauty of blog posts is that they can be informal, have personality, be rich in opinion or simple statements of facts. They are easy to create so you can create them much more frequently than traditional corporate communications. They are also something that people can follow.
The Blog itself is simply the start. The way the web works today facilitates the distribution of your Blog posts. Affino offers a number of great tools to leverage the posts so that they become the heart of your corporate message:
Search Engines / SEO
Search Engines love frequently updated pages. You can leverage your Blog content throughout your site to provide fresh on-topic content through using highlights design elements.
RSS Feeds / Syndication
All your Blog content can be syndicated. You should use the outbound feeds to seed key sites throughout the web. Users can also follow your latest updates using Google Reader and similar tools.
Newsletters / Content Subscriptions
All Blog content can be dynamically included in automated weekly newsletters or sent out in real-time content subscriptions.
Social Media
Blogs can be instantly promoted on the leading Social Media portals such as Facebook and Twitter. The Social Campaigns in Affino allow you to do this real-time.
Topic Channels
You can create aggregation pages which pull in all the on-topic news for specific topics. Blog content should be at the heart of this since few things come close in terms of the return on time invested.
Wrap-up
Affino allows you to easily create and leverage your Blog, and if your aim is to reach a wider or more targeted audience and to get your message out more effectively then this is the place to start
