“Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes

If you’ve ever been responsible for finding an event speaker, you know that anxious feeling that can creep in. Will. They. Bomb. And to be honest, I was going to use a different word there but I’m trying to be nice. 😀 I have relatives who are in high visibility careers who HATE public speaking to and have very specific coping strategies and physical routines to help them calm their nerves before taking the stage. My mom actually gets sweaty just thinking about ME getting up and speaking, not because she’s worried about me, but because the very idea of standing in front of a crowd practically gives her hives.

How about you? Are you a hell yes or a hell no when it comes to public speaking?

You’re likely not surprised that I absolutely LOVE getting to train, speak to, motivate, and engage with an audience and I don’t care if there are 5 people or 500! I remember being an RA in undergrad (Student Affairs folks are not surprised) and meeting my residents in August was so much fun. From making their door tags so they felt welcomed to pulling (dragging?) them together for our hall meetings, finding things for us to do as a community was my jam. I loved being up there talking to a room of what some would call strangers, but they were never that to me.

So when I began speaking at conferences and later giving keynote addresses, I felt absolutely lit up inside. When I open a talk with, “Hi friends!” I mean it. I look at all of us there to learn, to grow, to share, and to inspire each other with our stories and experiences and I practically buzz with energy (I hope you see what I did there). I feel fortunate to share that survey feedback confirms my audience does, too.

All this to say, selecting the right speaker for your event is criticalley important, and here are a few reasons why. A dynamic and engaging speaker:

• Captures and hold your audience’s attention

• Creates a memorable experience that lasts beyond the event

• Gives your event greater credibility and impact

• Drives engagement and participation

• Inspires action and application

• Supports event promotion and attendance

• Sets the tone and energy for the entire event

If you or your organization are looking for a speaker, I hope you’ll use those points as a checklist to vet the best person for your event. And if you’d like to discuss the possibility of me being that person, I’d love to learn more about what you’d like to achieve.