Speaking at professional conferences is one of the most effective ways to stand out from the noise, support your organization, and improve how your organization and other professionals view you. There are a few ways to speak at a conference. You can talk as a keynote speaker, provide a workshop, or do so concurrently. A concurrent speaker is someone who speaks while other speakers are also presenting. From enhancing credibility to learning about industry trends, here are eight ways to use speaking engagements to help your career growth and advancement as a concurrent speaker.
1. Enhance Credibility And Build Authority
You’re perceived as a subject matter expert when you present at a professional conference. Whether you share best practices, new research, or insights from personal experience, standing on that stage signals to peers, leaders, and potential employers that you possess valuable expertise and insights. This credibility can open doors to new job opportunities, promotions, or consulting offers as others recognize your authority in the field. These relationships can be valuable, whether through collaboration opportunities, job referrals, mentorship, or simply expanding and improving your network with respected professionals in your industry.
2. Build Your Reputation
Speaking at a conference allows you to build a positive reputation. As you present your ideas, audience members associate your name with specific expertise. Over time, this repetition establishes a recognizable brand that can position you as a go-to resource in your industry, opening doors to career advancement opportunities.
3. Showcase Your Communication And Leadership Skills
You need more than technical knowledge to be effective at work. You must communicate effectively, inspire others, and help others learn more about complex issues. Your ability to organize ideas, present them clearly, and engage an audience showcases your leadership potential. When decision-makers see your ability to present well and connect with an audience, they will consider you as someone they can promote to lead teams, train others, and manage projects.
4. Builds Confidence With Public Speaking
Public speaking can be intimidating, but with every successful conference presentation, you build confidence in yourself and increase the confidence others feel about you to speak for them. Speaking to a large audience and conveying ideas is a highly valued skill, especially in leadership roles. By improving your public speaking, you can increase your comfort level with executive meetings, board presentations, and high-stakes communications, further positioning yourself as a confident leader. It also helps you to talk to your peers and to learn how to answer tough questions because you will get time to answer questions during or after you speak.
5. Share Knowledge With Industry Leaders
Presenting your work, ideas, or research allows you to test them in front of an audience and refine them based on feedback. The questions and comments you receive often offer fresh perspectives or highlight areas for improvement in both your topic and your delivery of the topic. By speaking at these events, you gain visibility by sharing your knowledge with industry leaders and hiring managers who are actively scouting for talent or looking to expand their teams.
6. Share And Gain Unique Insights
You can introduce innovative ideas or unique perspectives to your field as a speaker. You also get to find the same from all of the other presentations. Whether you’re presenting a new approach, highlighting recent findings, or sharing success stories, you’re contributing to the advancement of your industry.
7. Find Opportunities For Collaboration And Partnerships
Those who attend your talk often share similar interests and may be working on complementary projects. Speaking at conferences can lead to unexpected collaborations, partnerships, or research opportunities that would otherwise be difficult to find. These collaborative projects can diversify your organization’s portfolio, broaden your skillset, and increase your exposure within the industry, making you a more attractive candidate for future roles.
8. Get Informed On Industry Trends And Challenges
Being a conference speaker also means attending the event itself, giving you access to current industry trends, new technologies, and the latest research. Being informed on these topics can help you bring fresh insights back to your work and maintain relevance in your industry. It also allows you to engage with industry challenges in real time, positioning you as a proactive professional ready to address evolving needs in your field.
Now, Get Started As A Conference Speaker
There are specific requirements for speaking at a conference to get selected. While there are ways to get a networked opportunity, one standard method is to respond to a Call for Speakers (or Presentations) advertised by the conference committee. Some Call for Speakers have hard submission dates while others have rolling submission dates.
When submitting your Call for Speakers response, answer the questions within the stated character or word count. You may need to submit a short biography and a list of prior speaking events. Don’t worry if this is your first time speaking. Conferences are always looking for new speakers. You will likely be required to submit three to five actionable points that the audience will take away, but this is an excellent opportunity to increase your visibility even if you don’t get selected.
Most conferences offer speakers free registration with reduced registration fees for additional speakers. If your organization and your customer allow you to speak about one of the customer wins, your organization may support your speaking and pay your travel costs since this is free marketing for the organization. Just be ready to have a lot of eyes on your presentation and have it ready for approval at least two weeks before it is due to the conference committee.
Once you submit, the wait begins. You may not get a response, but most of the time, you will have a date to expect to know the status of your submission whether it’s accepted or declined. You may not get feedback if you are declined, but you can ask.
By becoming a regular conference speaker, you share your insights with others and set yourself apart as a dedicated, knowledgeable, and proactive professional. Consider taking the stage if you’re looking for ways to grow your career and increase your visibility.