Exactly four weeks from today I will be on a plane bound (eventually) for Los Angeles, and Blog World Expo. I’ve already started getting ready for this trip, and we’ll be doing a Live #Blogchat there on Saturday the 5th. As I’ve been prepping for this trip, I realized that for some of you, this might be the first social media event you’ve ever spoken at. Don’t fret, the first Social Media conference I ever spoke at was South By Southwest in 2008, and I survived! So I wanted to write this post to give you some pointers (along with lessons learned) to help you ace your first presentation at a social media conference.
1 – Get started early. If you’re reading this and thinking “Hey that’s right, I guess I do need to get started on my deck for Blog World!”, then we’ve hit our first Red Flag. There is no substitute for prep time. If I am creating a brand new deck for a presentation, I start working on it 6-8 weeks before the event, 4 weeks if it’s a session I have already delivered before.
2 – Devote half your time to creating the deck, half your time to rehearsing your delivery and always give yourself at LEAST two weeks for each. That sounds like a ton of time, but it isn’t. And when I am working on my delivery, I spend the first week delivering the presentation from a script. I make an outline of the presentation, and make sure to know the main points I want to hit on. That’s in the first week of rehearsing, for the second week, I lose the script. After a week of rehearsing, you’ll have a general understanding of what you want to talk about, but you won’t have the exact words memorized. Which is ok, because when you lose the script, it will force you to talk about WHAT you know, versus simply reciting. You don’t want to give a speech, you want to share your knowledge. Spend the second week talking through the deck with no script, and you’ll be ready!
3 – As far as actual deck creation, I start out by making myself an outline. It helps to do this to give yourself a sense of direction. Write down the main points you want to hit, and it always helps if you can work this into the start of your presentation. Within the first few minutes of the presentation, I like to tell the audience what we’ll be covering, so they know how the presentation will flow.
4 – Start connecting with and getting a feel for your audience BEFORE the event starts. If you will be presenting at Blog World for the first time (or even if this is old hat to you), you should be following the #BWELA hashtag on Twitter. That’s where you will find Blog World attendees discussing the event, and you can talk to them about their expectations. And it is especially beneficial to follow this hashtag AFTER the event starts! I always do this because I can get feedback from attendees on both the sessions, and the speakers. It gives you an idea of what speakers are doing right and wrong, so you can adjust and improve your session!
5 – Figure out where exactly your session will be beforehand. When I arrive at the convention center for Blog World, one of the first things I will do is go find the area where we’ll have the Live #Blogchat. You should do the same thing figure out what room your session will be in, so you can become familiar with it. You’ll want to know how big it is, what the setup is, will you be presenting from a stage, a podium, or can you move around? Being familiar with the space where you will be presenting will make you more comfortable, and that will make your session go more smoothly.
6 – When you delivering your presentation, remember two things. The first is talk slowly. Nothing screams ‘I am nervous!!!’ more than talking too fast. Plus, it makes it harder for your audience to understand you and your points. The second is that the audience does NOT know what you are about to say. So if you flub up and make a mistake, there is a 99% chance they will have no idea that you did. Just relax, collect yourself, and move on.
7 – THANK everyone for coming! Seriously, it is a gift to have people listen to you speak, especially at an event like Blog World Expo, which has several tracks going at once. And keep in touch with them after the event, that will only help generate positive word of mouth for the NEXT time you speak!
But in closing, prepare, prepare, prepare. If you have a solid and engaging delivery, your presentation will go SO much better and be much better received by your audience.
PS: If you want a great post on attending a social media event, check out Lisa Petrilli’s introvert’s guide to attending conferences.
I did Speech and Debate for 4 years, and coached it for another two, and I can totally tell you that #6 is spot on, Mack. If you have this problem, my suggestion is to get a Twizzler, stick of beef jerky, or any sterile pole, stick it in your mouth such that both ends are sticking out, and give your presentation.
And for the love of the presentation gods….YOUR POWERPOINT IS NOT YOUR PRESENTATION. You need to design it such that in the event of failure, you don’t need it as bad to deliver your presentation.
I’ll readily help anyone who wants it at BWEChat, btw. I’m trying to break into public speaking consulting, so I can help coach/deliver your speech.
Thanks for this post Mack! These are great tips. I’m not presenting at something as huge as Blog World (phew! *wipes sweat off forehead*), but I am on my first panel for a PRSA event and am pretty nervous!! These will come in handy for me 🙂
Those were some great tips. I found some I had never heard of here too:http://www.daveramsey.com/article/toss-your-note-cards/lifeandmoney_business/
I wish I had all this info when I took speech in college; I might have actually learned how to do a great speech!
Thanks Mack! Good tips for anybody getting ready to give a presentation. Practice makes perfect and the timeline you recommend is my favorite point: A good reminder that putting a presentation together is WORK!
I don’t see too much of a social media- conference-specific angle here beyond following the hashtag for the conference (which I would do with any speech)? What about using social media to stay in touch post-speech, or offering teasers pre-speech on Twitter, Facebook, etc.? Other ideas?
@JTDabbagian JT that’s a great point about Powerpoint, it is there to enhance your presentation, but if anyone can look at your slides and understand everything that your presentation was about, you’ve failed as a speaker, IMO. The more decks I make, the more I move toward fewer words on the slides, more visual aides only.
@Cision You’ll do fine, just remember that you are the expert and that’s why people are coming to hear you speak! Just speak about what you know, and don’t be too scripted. Preparation is your friend 😉
Excellent post @MackCollier . I am starting to prepare for my first in a series of small seminars for dentists that will begin in February or March and this list couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. I am excited about this new experience and I know I will be nervous but, I am hoping that the nervous energy can be tamed to be my friend 😉
Thank you Mack,
Claudia
@SFuhrmann Hi there! Those are good tips for offering teasers, the entire week leading up to #SMIATL, I had 5 posts previewing what my Think Like a Rockstar talk there would be about, and I really think that helped build interest in the session!
And this advice works for speaking for the first time at any event, you are right. I just know that a lot of my readers attend and speak at social media conferences, so I wanted to address that angle.
@SocialMediaDDS Good luck Claudia, and thanks for commenting 😉
I like your recommendation to practice with a script the first week and then lose the script the second week. I presented at my first social media conference in July – your tips would have come in handy back in May/June. 🙂
Thanks Mack! I’ve spoken at several conferences but this is my first time at BWE (the BIG conference :). What do you think of using a ‘theme’ to make it (hopefully!) more fun, engaging? (Like football terminology)
Thanks! Debba / Girlfriendology.com / @Girlfriendology
(Speaking on Building Online Communities Nov 4, 4pm – & just cause I have Girlfriendology.com doesn’t mean it’s just a talk for females! 🙂
@debba@girlfriendology Debba I think themes are fine as long as they help the audience better understand your core ideas, and engage them. As long as it can do those two things, go for it! And good luck!