As an executive, you’re often required to think of unique and unusual ways to get noticed and hired. You have to venture out to functions when others don’t have to. It’s recommended that you not only create your own professional blog, but also get on board with other blogs and write for them. Well, there’s one more thing to add to the list: making speeches.
Making a few public speeches can be a great way to develop your brand and get yourself noticed, and building name recognition is incredibly important for executives. If you’re not used to making professional presentations (which you should be at this point) then it’s time to learn how. Here are some tips to help you make speeches that could bulk up your resume.
Find Your Topic
Your first job when come up with a speech to give is to come up with your topic. Everybody’s an expert about something. You may be an expert at something related to your field or something that you simply know related to a personal hobby or skill.
Many organizations are looking for people to give insight on a number of topics, including how to invest in the stock market, how to teach yourself to use the computer and even how to save money. However, as an executive your best bet is to speak on topics that could help push your career, such as leadership, organization, and the like.
Get Your Audience
Your next step is to find the right audience for your topic. As mentioned previously, there are tons of organizations that are looking for leaders in the community to offer insight, advice and expertise on a wide variety of topics, so it’s great to start there.
However, you could also give speeches at your local library, many of which have events within in their walls on a regular basis. Also, you could be a very effective speaker for different companies. Some even find that their talent at motivational speeches can turn into a full time occupation.
Make Your Speech
Of course, once you’ve created your topic and found your audience, it’s time to actually make the speech. Again, you’re probably well aware of the basics of speech-making, so we don’t have to go over much. It helps to keep the basics in mind: a strong introduction, memorable material, and attention-getting tactics (such as eye contact and direct interaction with your audience) are all important–and most of all, have fun.
Add It to Your Resume
After you’ve completed all of your hard work to give your speech, it’s time to add it to your resume. Don’t list your speeches in the job listings part of your resume; create a new section if you’ve given several speeches, or simply add the experiences to one of the existing sections of the document. Consider a title such as “Speaking Engagements.” And if you’ve only given one and want to add to with other items, your title could be “Presentations, Guest Blogs, Special Events” – or whatever you would like to group together.
Executives undoubtedly benefit by getting out in front of people and making connections. Ask yourself: is there any real reason why you shouldn’t be out there giving speeches to develop your name?
