There has been a ton of advice given on how to give a presentation, how to design your slides when giving a presentation, and what captures an audience’s attention. For Personal Branding, giving a presentation is like steroids for your career. When giving a presentation, you are the center of everyone’s attention. You have the ability to gain visibility and to educate people on your topic of expertise. Surprisingly, not many have addressed the power of follow-ups. How many times have you seen someone speak but have never seen or heard from them again? I not only want you to give people the “A-HA” moment, but to be able to guide them after the presentation when they are looking to take action.
The value from presenting doesn’t lie in the presentation itself, but what you do after in order to keep your brand visible and seen as a thought leader. The major theme around this relates to Salamon Rule of Personal Branding # 4, Being Accessible.
Accessibility and your speech
At the end of your speech, you should have an easy way for people to contact you. I suggest including your cell phone & email address on your last slide that way people can write it down during your Q&A. Also, having an online presence and a blog is very important. If you don’t have a blog today, you should. There is no easier way to start building a community around your brand and topic of expertise. It gives people a way to subscribe to YOU. Mention that you write and maintain a community around your subject, and if anybody is interested, you’d love to talk to them personally about it.
Now that you have given others the ability to reach you, you should encourage enthusiasts to let you contact them. These are people who are eager to hear and learn from you. Get their contact information and let them know about projects you have going on or new articles that your are writing. The follow-up is an art and just as important as the presentation itself. Master the follow-up and watch your ROI multiply!
