What 100+ speaking events have taught me about purpose, confidence, and appealing to your audience

I've been guesting on more podcasts recently (and after 5 years of talking about it, I’m soon to launch my own, probably). All this has got me thinking about how much I get from speaking.

I don’t mean financially (more often than not, I’m speaking for free). But the less tangible returns like brand building, challenging and shaping my perspective, and having a good time! 

Firms have something to gain from speaking events too. I’d really encourage leaders who have a natural aptitude for public speaking to go and try it out. 

Like how I find that speaking events bring me clarity on how I think and feel about a topic (discussing purpose as a founder, for example, or whether we’ll serve agentic clients in the future), firms can achieve the same. To be invited to speak on a topic, you typically need a clear opinion, perhaps even a provocative one. This is an opportunity to talk about your firm’s brand, mission, or purpose - what are you doing differently, why, and how does that benefit clients? Your thoughts will get clearer and tighter on this the more you discuss it.

Then there’s the exposure, of course. Speaking gets the firm’s name out there and in front of potential clients or investors.

But it requires a strategic approach: what opportunities you say yes to, when you say no, what you agree to speak on, what your motivation is, and what you hope to gain. 

Because speaking at events or on podcasts isn’t easy. It’s mentally taxing. It requires preparation. And it’s always a bit of a challenge, no matter how many events you’ve got under your belt.

I’ve lost track of how many speaking events I’ve done between conferences, panels, podcasts, and other interviews. Maybe 100+? And what I’ve learned is that it always goes better if you:

1. Define your purpose

2. Only speak on topics you’re confident discussing

3. Think about what the audience should take away

4. Just be human!

If you’re looking to speak publicly at your first event or want to ramp up your events activity, that’s what I’d focus on first.