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Shut Up and Speak
As you read this, I will be making my final preparations for my next public speaking event – at no less than the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas!
Yes, yours truly was invited to speak at the Accounting Today Accounting Firm Growth and Profitability Summit, being held between October 25 and 27, 2011. It’s quite an honour to be asked to present at such a prestigious event. It is a great opportunity for me to speak to thousands of practitioners and, off stage, network with many ‘movers and shakers’ of the profession. And it’s even sweeter because I know that some of my clients are coming out to see my presentation.
I will be speaking on 27th on the topic of ‘Let’s Make A Deal – An Insider’s Guide to Getting It Right’ for those who are interested.
I am not trying to blow my own horn here. I am mentioning this to introduce the importance of acquiring a very useful skill – speaking in public.
Many surveys have shown – and I’m sure you’ve heard this before – that many people would rather die than have to speak in public!
Here are the results of one survey I found on the internet about people’s worst fears. (Source: http://www.speech-topics-help.com/fear-of-public-speaking-statistics.html)
1. Fear of public speaking (Glossophobia)
2. Fear of death (Necrophobia)
3. Fear of spiders (Arachnophobia)
4. Fear of darkness (Achluophobia, Scotophobia or Myctophobia)
5. Fear of heights (Acrophobia)
6. Fear of people or social situations (Sociophobia)
7. Fear of flying (Aerophobia)
8. Fear of open spaces (Agoraphobia)
9. Fear of thunder and lightning (Brontophobia)
10. Fear of confined spaces (Claustrophobia)
Yes, speaking in public is the number one fear among business professionals, feared more than death itself. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Jerry Seinfeld got a big laugh when he joked about a survey that found that the fear of public speaking ranks higher in most people's minds than the fear of death. "In other words," he deadpanned, "at a funeral, the average person would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy."
Being able to stand in front of an audience and deliver a smooth speech is a priceless business development tool.
In this September’s sold-out Partner Bootcamp event I held, speaking in public was one skill that I informed delegates that they should try to acquire en-route to Partnership. Why?
Well, I will keep it brief in the interest of keeping to my column’s space allocation, but here’s another list for you:
- Leverage Your Time –Get your message out to 30, 40 or more prospective clients in an hour
- Targeted Marketing – Usually those attending your presentation are interested in the topic matter, and thus are well qualified prospects
- Mix ‘N’ Mingle After – Get to speak one on one with delegates and talk about their issues, gather intelligence on them and follow up after to generate new business
- Educate – Invite existing clients along to hear a talk you are giving, and get them to bring a friend along (preferably one who is also in business)
- Turn the Event into a Money-Making Product – Have someone from your firm video-tape the whole event (or outsource it) and turn it into a DVD for sale! I often do this myself and it is a great way to offer others an opportunity to hear your message if they could not attend the original event.
When you consider all of the above benefits that accrue to the public speaker, it just makes good business sense to get involved in the world of seminars and public speaking.
So, what are the first steps to take? Start small. Get some training. There are many great resources out there such as Toast Masters, Dale Carnegie, Zig Ziglar & Brian Tracy for starters, and most have DVDs or CDs to sell you which will get you started.
Try a Rotary after dinner segment for 20 minutes in the lead up to tax season, or just after the budget to give your views on the Government’s tax policies. These are 2 easy areas to get you on your way – talking for a brief period on a topic you know well.
When you’re more confident, you might want to approach a Law firm or Bank and look at co-presenting with them on a wide array of topics, but let’s not get carried away just yet. I’ll write more on this topic in a future column.
To conclude, let me tell you a short story from my recruiting activities. A few weeks ago I met a young lady who had earned her CA designation 2 years ago and was looking to move firms. On paper, she had some good experience, but what you cannot tell from a resume, is how candidates interact with other people face to face.
When she shook my hand and we walked into my office, I knew I had a winner. Sure enough, she had taken some presentation training, and even sat across the desk from me, the skills she had acquired shone through. She was confident, but not cocky. She was decisive, but not aggressive, and she articulated very well when answering some tough questions. The bottom line? She was presented for her ideal job and was made an offer at the end of the first interview with my client’s managing partner.
This is just another reason why anyone serious about developing their public accounting career should shut up wining about talking in public and stand up and speak – after some training, of course!
© 2003-2011,
Steve McIntyre-Smith. All Rights Reserved. |
