1. Confidence calms nerves! If you can speak to a room of five hundred, then being thrust into a panel interview of ten people won’t throw you!
2. Networking Contacts Galore! At most networking events you attend, you be speaking to individuals one at a time. But if you were the “featured speaker” at that same event, you would be in front of everyone in the room at once, maximizing your connection ability! Not to mention that most attendees will at least come thank you for your talk, leaving a much more comfortable “opening” to start a conversation afterwards.
3. Expert Status! Giving a great presentation and having several speaking engagements under your belt can give you an informal “subject matter expert” status within your industry. And that’s not a bad title to add to your professional reputation!
4.More Successful Interviews! Many of the same skills you practice and perfect during preparation for your presentations are then same skills utilized in interviews. And often, presentations or proposals are used as additional steps in the interview process.
Speaking at conferences, teaching workshops for local organizations, or giving online webinars can do wonders for your reputation and career portfolio. Start out by conducting a search for related associations, organizations, and consortia in your state and beyond. Pitch them a workshop or special-interest group talk. Soon organizers will be inviting you to speak at their events!
