Present Yourself

Chapter 3. Events and Public Speaking

They didn’t come to your presentation to see you. They came to find out what you can do for them. Success means giving them a reason for taking their time, providing content that resonates, and ensuring it’s clear what they are to do.

Slide:ology

— —NANCY DUARTE

WHETHER YOU’RE A BUSINESS owner or a professional at a company, live events and public speaking play a key role in demonstrating your thought leadership. You can use SlideShare in all stages of event planning and execution, and even after the event, to gain more visibility.

If you’re new to public speaking, and nervous at the idea of presenting to an audience, try starting small. Offer to report on an interesting topic at work, to an organization where you volunteer, or to a local professional group. Create a short slide presentation to accompany your talk. This gives you great practice in creating slides and practicing your talk while moving through the slides.

As you become more comfortable over time, try creating longer presentations. There are many informal groups where you can practice speaking using slides. From Tweetups (where like-minded Twitter users gather at an agreed-upon place and time) to Toastmasters (a nonprofit organization focused on helping you develop public speaking and leadership skills through practice and feedback), you’ll find local opportunities to practice.

The proliferation of groups organized via online services like Meetup.com and Eventbrite provides further topics ...