Breaking Into Public Speaking
The iconic Diane von Furstenberg… way up there, on stage at the Women in Product Conference
Someday, I’ll be up there. I’ll be an expert. I’ll have a fancy title. I’ll have the grand idea. And when those things happen, people will notice it and invite me to speak. Right?
Wrong. Two people showed me that these were just limiting beliefs. They don’t even know that they inspired me, but their actions had a huge impact on me.
She wasn’t any more qualified than me. She didn’t have a bigger title or more experience. Yet, she was getting booked at conferences and featured in media publications.
He just asked to do it. And even though he didn’t get a speaking opportunity that time, nothing bad happened to him for asking. He was considered for a minute, which was one minute more than he would not have been if he hadn’t asked.
I realized that if I wanted to start speaking, all I needed was courage. I identified some conferences that I was interested in speaking at and depending on how formal their process was, either raised my hand or applied to speak. I’d have to make the first move.
One of those conferences that I threw my name in the ring for was the Women in Product Conference. I applied and I didn't get selected. But, I was invited to apply for a speaker development program called Product Speaker Idol. I wouldn’t have had that opportunity if I hadn’t applied to speak at the Women in Product Conference.
And then, I almost didn’t apply to Product Speaker Idol. There were other things going on at the time and I didn’t know upfront if I’d be able to make all the sessions, there was a small fee to participate in the program, and so on. Do these excuses sound familiar? In the end, I decided to invest in myself, entered, and ended up winning the contest. As my prize, I landed a spot to speak at the Women in Product Conference.
Our cohort at Product Speaker Idol. Photo credit: https://www.productleadersummit.com/product-speaker-idol
Beyond getting me on-stage at Women in Product, I’m so glad that I participated in Product Speaker Idol program because I got to know others who were interested in speaking, and that has led to opportunities for us to form panels together or recommend each other for speaking opportunities. Find your tribe! Once I had a few conferences under my belt, then I have started getting inbound contacts about speaking, but I also still apply to conferences that I’m interested in speaking at. I’m excited to be speaking at the INDUSTRY Virtual and Women Transforming Technology Conferences this spring.
I didn’t make it onto the Women in Product Conference stage on my first try. It took the courage to keep asking, trying, and practicing. And if you summon your courage to ask, try, and practice, you’ll be on the main stage one day too. Speaker applications are open for the Women in Product Conference until 2/8.
If you apply (and I hope you do!), here are a few tips and tricks to guide you as you prepare your submission:
Craft your pitch by thinking about who the audience for the conference is, and why your topic will be interesting to them. It can even be helpful to workshop your ideas with some friends that might be representative of the audience.
Think ahead to your audience and make sure that they will walk away from your talk with 3-5 key takeaways.
Brainstorm your stories. Reflect on your past experiences to come up with stories that will make your topic come to life. Make your talk even stronger by combining stories with data points that support your story.
Practice, practice, practice. Use an app that counts your um’s and ah’s. Say it all the way through. Practice just the intro, or just the conclusion. Time yourself. Watch yourself in a mirror or on screen.
Create videos of yourself speaking. If you have videos from past talks that you've given, that’s great, but even if you don’t, no sweat. Your video can be as simple as recording yourself using a Zoom meeting. The organizer is looking for your speaking ability - poise, presence, and ability to engage the audience.
Taking the stage at the Women in Product Conference
