Engaging voices – how to expand your business through strategic speaking
‘When someone is working for a greater mission, it fuels all of our work.’ In this episode of Sparks by Ignium, Phil Rose talks to strategic speaking expert Blair Bryant Nichols about ensuring our message is heard loud and clear.
It’s not just what we say that makes the magic, it’s how we purposefully connect it to our audience. We’re not all public speakers but we are all business owners so we need to get our message out there in a way that makes sense. How else are we going to achieve our aims or drive growth?
Whether speaking is part of your business model, a sideline or not even on your radar, this podcast is full of takeaways about authenticity, story and the uplifting power of communication.
Key points:
· Why speaking isn’t just a vocation, it’s an advocation. Purpose fuels success.
· Get over the butterflies by remembering you’re there to give your unique gift to the audience.
· The expansive nature of diverse voices – and not just when discussing diversity.
· The pitfalls of not rehearsing enough – and being over-scripted.
· Why speaking is an effective business tool you might not have thought of.
· How to convert from the spoken word to personal connections (and sales).
· Be aspirational but seek to close the gap between you and your audience.
· Authentic, personal, relatable stories build the strongest connections.
· Tips on how to use slides. Hint: don’t read them to your audience.
There are times when the pressure is on to speak to everyone in the room – and it doesn’t matter if we’re a keynote speaker at a conference or delivering a pitch to our peers. Then there are the times when we’re reaching out to our ideal clients and feel less than confident about it.
So there’s something for everyone here.
The Sparks by Ignium podcast is all about you, the listener. That’s why we love it when you get involved. So if there’s something you’d like us to cover, please get in touch – and remember to comment, like and subscribe so that we can help as many people as possible. Thank you.
About Blair
Strategic speaking expert Blair Bryant Nichols advocates for diverse and purposeful success in the speaking industry. He’s the founder of BBN Creative Management, developing speakers for corporate events, conferences and other opportunities so they can stand up and build engagement with their voices.
At the heart of his work is the strategy behind speaking events – in particular, how we leverage stories to engage the minds and hearts of the audience to transform them into clients. He loves new and distant places, reading, creating and being at home with his husband and Shepherd-mix Aspen.
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