Building your brand in public speaking

By The NewsDay | Jul. 23, 2022 | 3 Min read

Public speakers are unique personalities that empower companies, and add value to individuals. You can increase your net worth as soon as your brand equity increases. Public speaking is one of the effective ways of communicating your brand.

BY Jonah Nyoni This is the last article on the public speaking series. Today, we tackle the power of building a formidable brand as a public speaker.

Improve your name A wise man once said, “A good name [earned by honourable behaviour, godly wisdom, moral courage, and personal integrity] is more desirable than great riches; And favour is better than silver and gold.” (Proverbs 22: 1 Amp).

Your name is the most important thing that you have and as such, it must be protected. Your name is the only thing that you will remain with when all other things disappear. Your name remains when you are dead. Build your name, and build your brand.

Love people To grow your brand as a speaker, be intentional and very personal. People yearn to be loved. Remember, your audience is what you are serving as a speaker, so focus on giving value to them. Build a rapport with people.

At times, the danger with public speaking is to let fame come to your head. The adage goes; people do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care. Be intentional on connecting with your audience before, during and after your talk.

Use social media to connect with people. Remember, people will always reach out. Also, it is not what you do that matters, but it is how you make people feel that will make you memorable.

Grow you networks Who you know will determine who invites you to speak. Create great relationships. Repeat business is hidden in how you deliver, but most importantly who you know and who knows you.

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The person that refers you to a client is someone who knows you. The moment you find means to grow your networks you will grow your brand equity. Learn principles of making new business relationships. Do not forget, your network determines your net worth.

Improve your stage energy Your energy on stage will determine how people feel after you speak. Speak and leave your audience energised to face life with a better mindset. Hone your public speaking craft.

Be better than yesterday. Remember, it is said champions are not made on stage, they are merely recognised there. Rehearse every time, and make it a habit to improve yourself.

Your everyday ritual becomes your real reality. Define and refine your personal brand. The people you see excelling on stage have put a lot of energy into becoming professional speakers.

Be an expert Companies engage experts. Do not be everything to everyone that wants a speaker. Choose a subject area, and invest in it and become a specialist in that area.

Reflect on yourself: Who are you? How do you want to be seen? What do you want to accomplish? Or what have you accomplished? Know the corner of the world you want to serve. Be knowledgeable, be informed and be a researcher in a particular topic.

Remember, generally experts are paid more than employees. Do not behave like an employee, but as a consultant. Make companies and people realise that they need your services. Be the best in your area.

Increase your digital footprints Your presence online is now your CV. Before companies engage you, they throw your name on the Google search engine. An executive from a non-governmental organisation wanted me to train their employees, and out of curiosity I asked how they got to know about me. To my surprise he said he googled experts around that specific thematic area and my name was on the list.

Create your own content Create your own content and let other experts cite you. Write articles, books, have content on radio and television. In coaching, there are tools that are used to empower people, create your own tools. Yes there are many tools out there, but also positioning yourself as an expert by creating your own tools.