Communicating for a Cause

Knowing what to say can make a world of difference

  • Home
  • Archives
  • Profile
  • Subscribe
  • AspireOne
  • Jarbyco

Ten Stages of Speaking at Events

1227584935 copy

The following dramatization may or may not fully represent the cycle some (*cough*) speakers go through before, during and after an event.


Stage One
Oh wow--this sounds like such a fantastic event! Love the concept. Love the audience. Topic is right in my sweet spot. So honored to be invited. I can't wait.

Stage Two
Bio & headshot? I hate writing bios. Can I send what I've been using for the past decade? Yes, a lot has changed but did I mention how much I hate writing my own bio? Can I successfully extract a decent headshot from this family photo?

Stage Three
Description of my talk? It seems so incredibly far away. (Brainstorm cool title, scratch, rewrite, repeat until the very last moment it needs to be submitted. Scribble description that's compelling, yet vague enough to change the content direction at least 9 million times)

Stage Four
Holy smokes! It's when?!?? What did the description I sent say again? WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?? I'm such an idiot.

Stage Five
Cancel all extracurricular activities. Hole up in office. Stare at blank sheets of paper. Re-read Presentation Zen, Confessions of a Public Speaker and an unhealthy amount of blogs on successful presentations. Why did I sign up for this again? I hate speaking. (Write blog post about the insanity of preparing to speak)

Stage Six
**And then a miracle occurs** (Light bulbs go off. Heavenly choirs can be heard) This is going to be so cool. I can't believe I get to do this as my job. I love speaking. The audience is going to love this. I'm so excited. (Much enthusiasm now around building slides)

Stage Seven
(Day before event) This sounds so stupid. They're going to hate me. I'm tired of hearing the sound of my own voice. Why did I think this is cool? I hope no one shows up.. and all recording devices break so there's no evidence of my ineptness. I wonder how bad it'd be if I left the country for a few days.

Stage Eight
(15 mins before event) I don't believe I should drink anymore Red Bull. Or eat anymore candy, lest I go into a sugar-induced coma. Or talk at a billion mph. What if no one comes? What is the sound of one hand clapping? What if that one hand doesn't even clap? Why isn't Keynote working right???

Stage Nine
(Immediately post-talk) That sucked. I suck. I can't believe people were interested in that. I'm such a poser. The people who followed up were probably just being nice. I should go poke my own eyes out now.

Stage Ten
(After talk) Wow--I can't believe all the great feedback I keep hearing. Maybe it went better than I thought? It sounds like it really helped a lot of people. They want me to come back? Really? Wow. That is so cool. I love my job. 

**Any others we should add?**


Posted at 05:16 PM in Conferences, Quickies, Random Stuff | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

Tags: presentations, public speaking

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Is This the Question?

Sometimes it seems organizations spend so much time thinking about who they are when we really need to be asking who they're not. What are the things we're NOT going to do. What are the things that keep us focused on what we're truly good at.

To be and not to be...

Posted at 11:02 AM in Quickies | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

About

My Photo

Additional Resources

  • Church Marketing Sucks
  • Things the Puppy Ate
    A public service for all of those considering a lab puppy
  • And furthermore ...
    Musings longer than 140 characters

Archives

  • July 2012
  • April 2012
  • November 2011
  • April 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010

More...

Recent Posts

  • Why Do I Work with Churches?
  • What Does Mickey Mouse Have to do with Ministry?
  • RFP Questions To Ask
  • Uncomfortable in the Quiet
  • What Image Are We Reflecting?
  • Easter Opportunities
  • Pick up the Phone
  • M2LIVE :: 5 Quick Ways Social Media Can Kill Your Brand
  • Catalyst Atlanta
  • ECHO Conference

Recent Comments

  • Blog BeatOfYourLife on Why Do I Work with Churches?
  • Top non profit organizations on What Does Mickey Mouse Have to do with Ministry?
  • Dawn Nicole Baldwin on RFP Questions To Ask
  • flash game index on RFP Questions To Ask
  • épilation au laser paris on ECHO Conference
  • Dawn Nicole Baldwin on Uncomfortable in the Quiet
  • Jim Gray on Uncomfortable in the Quiet
  • Pandora Charm Beads on At a Loss for Words
  • skottydog on What Image Are We Reflecting?
  • Moncler France Boutique on Hurdles or Open Doors?

Categories

  • Books (9)
  • Brand & Marketing (16)
  • Business in Ministry (18)
  • Conferences (34)
  • Culture (3)
  • Family (1)
  • Food and Drink (1)
  • Guest Post (1)
  • Important Things to Know (7)
  • Innovation & Entrepreneurs (3)
  • Leadership Development (7)
  • Quickies (2)
  • Random Stuff (12)
  • Religion (2)
  • Social Justice (2)
  • Word of Mouth (3)
See More
Subscribe to this blog's feed