In our last blog, we touched on the first five steps you can take to establish yourself as an expert speaker and increase your demand as a presenter.

To continue to build on that momentum, follow the next steps below.

6. Start a blog and begin blogging about topics centered around and relevant to your area of expertise. You can create your own website for this, but you don’t have to.  Learn the basics of WordPress here https://learn.wordpress.com/ and how to promote your blog here https://www.hatchbuck.com/blog/6-simple-ways-get-mileage-blog-post/.

7. Open a Twitter account at Twitter.com and begin tweeting short statements (140 characters is the limit) relevant to your area of expertise, and retweet relevant topics from others.  Gain followers and follow others who are experts in your field. When possible, include a link to your next class or event on Lrngo.com or Meetup.com with each tweet leading up to the date of your next engagement.

8. Join LinkedIn and create a profile that emphasizes your current area of focus and expertise, then fill out your past history and work experience leading up to your current focus. Keep it real, but make sure what you say is what you would want the newpaper to print if they were doing an article on you. Post all of your blogs and speaking engagements as updates on your Linkedin profile.

9. Start an account on YouTube. Create short instructional videos around your topic of expertise and post them.  Link the videos back to your live classes on Lrngo.com.  If you have an instructional video that is long and helpful enough, create an ongoing online class on Lrngo.com and link to your instructional video.  Also have someone film your live speaking engagements and free class presentations and post them on your YouTube channel (in part or in whole). If you feel that posting an entire presentation will make your in-person presentations and classes less valuable, then post a partial presentation that includes some helpful information and makes reference to the additional valuable information that people will learn by seeing the rest of your presentation in person.

10. Write a book, and sell it on Amazon.  That’s right, I said it and I know what you’re thinking: how the #&@$ am I going to find time to write a book?  Well, according to Alicia Dunams, if you plan correctly you can do it in one weekend.  Of course extra research, editing and final publishing will take longer, but the idea is that the core of the book can be completed by isolating yourself and focusing on just writing it for two to three days.  Kami Watson Huyse, social media expert at Zoetica Media is using this technique to write her new book on a tight schedule, and speaks positively about the experience. Promoting your book will now go hand in hand with promoting your speaking engagements.

In the beginning as you create demand, try to present at least once or twice a month.  Remember, never turn down an opportunity to speak in front of a lot of people if you can help it, and always cross-promote with your writing.

Read part 1 Establish Yourself as an Expert Speaker in 10 Easy Steps (Part 1).

Are you an expert in something?  Do you have helpful information you would like to share, but lack an audience?  

Perhaps you would like to inform people about a topic you care about, or widen your experience and reputation as an instructor by speaking on a topic of expertise?  Here are a few steps you can take to get started, and a path you can follow to build up momentum and increase your demand and opportunities as a speaker.

1. If you have anxiety about speaking in public or don’t have much experience, join www.Toastmasters.org or other groups where they allow you to practice. Then join a professional group or go to Meetup.com and find a local group (or groups) that are relevant to your topic (or topics) of expertise.  There are a lot of hobby, professional and knowledge-based interest groups in most cities.  Start going to their group events, and get to know their members. (If there are no groups relevant to your expertise in your city, start one.)

2. Ask one of the Meetup.com groups if you can give a presentation at one of their events. You should have an idea of what you are going to talk about before you ask, and why the theme is relevant. You can start practicing with shorter presentations and hold a discussion, then get feedback from the members before you move up to longer times.

3. Learn to use Powerpoint, and put together a slide deck around your topic. Look at examples and get help if you’re not good at creating slides. Be sure to save some time for questions and answers (Q&A) at the end of the presentation. (A good rule of thumb is to allocate 2/3 of the total time for the actual presentation of the slides and 1/3 for the Q&A.)  It’s important to practice Q&A as well, so you can give helpful answers to questions from the audience and gain experience leading a discussion.

4. When you’re ready to give a 45 minute to one hour presentation (including Q&A), post your presentation as a free class on www.Lrngo.com. Once you have a date posted on the calendar of one of the Meetup groups to present, create a profile on www.Lrngo.com and then post a class with the same title and theme as your presentation.  Put a link from your Lrngo class to the Meetup group event listing, and let people know they have to sign up through the Meetup group to go. (If you are not using Meetup.com, you can have them sign up directly through Lrngo.)  Listing your presentation as a free class lets people know they should go because there is something they can learn from you.

5. Then post on Craigslist, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter and everywhere else you can find with a link back to your class on Lrngo.  Then create a Facebok page for the event with a link back to your Lrngo class or Lrngo profile. This kind of link building around an event is favored by Google, and will increase traffic to your event and help you build up an online history as a presenter.

After a few of these public speaking events, guess what?  You are a presenter with a track record both online and off, and with the links and traffic to prove it.  Our next blog will talk about the final five steps to solidify your position as an expert and increase your presence as a public speaker.

Read part 2 Establish Yourself as an Expert Speaker in 10 Easy Steps (Part 2).