Last updated October 12, 2018
Without a doubt, the most effective way to market your organisation is by talking with people face-to-face. Whether it’s an interview with a single company director or a presentation to a crowd of 300, having the opportunity to share your message personally makes all the difference.
Public speaking engagements are a great way to raise the profile of your organisation because:
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The audience can see, hear and feel your passion. Excitement builds excitement. Commitment builds commitment.
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People start to relate the organisation or cause to a single person. It makes the organisation ‘human’ and therefore easier to support.
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There is an opportunity for people to ask questions and discover personal connections to your organisation.
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You can start to build a relationship and rapport with the audience which you can’t get through newsletters or advertising.
When making a public presentation about your organisation, consider these points:
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By all means use power point as a tool, but use it to HIGHLIGHT points – not make them. Avoid simply reading from the screen and instead tell your story, then use technology to emphasis it. Video is a great way to do this and you don’t need to be super-tech-savvy to create a meaningful clip. One tool that is good to use is Animoto – it’s great online software that allows you to make short clips by cutting and pasting your own photos and videos. There are a range of templates to choose from, and a whole heap of music to help set the scene.
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People may be interested in facts and figures, but it is the real-life stories that will touch their hearts. If you must share statistics, be creative in how you do so. Info-graphics are a good way to sum up the important points in a visual format. You can make these fairly easily (and for free!) by using sites such as www.piktochart.com, www.venngage.com or www.canva.com.
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People will not remember everything you say. If there is something vital you want them to remember, have a flyer or handout available for them to take away.
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Know what you are trying to achieve. It’s one thing for people to hear about your organisation, but what do you want them to do as a result? Give your audience a call to action.
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Start strong and finish strong. That’s the two bits people will remember most.
You don’t need to stand on the street corner to have your message heard. In every community there are plenty of opportunities to speak about your organisation. Start by addressing business networking groups or local service clubs like Lions or Rotary. You can find contact details for your local groups on the following websites:
Lions Clubs
Rotary www.rotary.org.nz
Round Table New Zealand www.roundtable.co.nz
Zonta New Zealand www.zonta.org.nz
Kiwanis International www.kiwanis.org.nz/distehp.htm
Who will you tell your story to today?
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