Getting hired as an executive is tough, and you often need to think of out-of-the-norm ways to get noticed. You have to venture out to functions when others don’t have to. It’s recommended that you not only create your own professional blog, but also get on board with other blogs and write for them. Public speeches are another great way to get noticed, though the value of a public speech is often neglected by many executives.
For executives, developing a brand and getting one’s name recognized is very important, and public speeches are very good opportunities to develop one’s image. If you’re not used to making professional presentations (which you should be at this point) then it’s time to learn how. Here are some tips to help you make speeches that could bulk up your resume.
Find Your Topic
Your first job when come up with a speech to give is to come up with your topic. Every person has expertise in some subject. Of course, you should consider that you might be an expert in your field of work, but you might have other expertises, such as hobbies or skills that you’ve developed over the years.
Many organizations are looking for people to give insight on a number of topics, including how to invest in the stock market, how to teach yourself to use the computer and even how to save money. However, as an executive your best bet is to speak on topics that could help push your career, such as leadership, organization, and the like.
Get Your Audience
Your next step is to find the right audience for your topic. As mentioned previously, there are tons of organizations that are looking for leaders in the community to offer insight, advice and expertise on a wide variety of topics, so it’s great to start there.
However, you could also give speeches at your local library, many of which have events within in their walls on a regular basis. Also, you could be a very effective speaker for different companies. If fact, some find that they’re so talented at giving motivational speeches to companies that this becomes their full-time job.
Make Your Speech
Of course, once you’ve created your topic and found your audience, it’s time to actually make the speech. Again, you’re probably well aware of the basics of speech-making, so we don’t have to go over much. Just keep your mind focused on the speech, and remember the basics, including a strong introduction, various methods of audience interaction, and memorable material.
Add It to Your Resume
After you’ve completed all of your hard work to give your speech, it’s time to add it to your resume. Since it was not completed for a job, you could create either add to another section or create a special section for it (if you’ve done more than one). The title for the new section should be something like “Public Speaking Engagements.” And if you’ve only given one and want to add to with other items, your title could be “Presentations, Guest Blogs, Special Events” – or whatever you would like to group together.
Getting in front of people and making any sort of connection undoubtedly improves every candidate’s chances of landing an executive level job. So if you haven’t yet, why not consider giving speeches as an option?