Todays Women in Business

How to increase your chances of being a guest speaker

How do you enhance your chances of being selected as a speaker for conferences and events?

Well let me let you into some insider secrets from someone (me) who has organised hundreds of events with industry experts from across the globe.

Just yesterday I was speaking the event manager for a professional association who is planning the events for their UK organisation.

I'm heading up the Irish events team, and we were discussing how to ensure that we select great speakers for the forthcoming year. Even though we do not pay speakers, as it a not-for-profit and voluntary organisation, that does not mean that we don't want to hire engaging speakers with great content.

I was sharing with her the fact that this week I had been conducting podcast interviews for an organisation I am working with to help promote a forthcoming conference. One of the speakers who I interviewed for the podcast was so monotone and uninspiring in their deliver, that even though they have good content, I would not have hired them as a speaker if I had been the event organiser.

What I suggested to my colleague in the UK is that as part of  the selection process for the speakers for the professional association, that they include a telephone conference interview as part of the selection process. The event organiser in the UK particularly concerned about how the speaker would not only deliver content in terms of energy but also their ability to respond to questions live. Having a telephone conference would enable a number of people to be on the phone line and the speaker could then present and the panel ask questions.

If you are a speaker or want to build your personal brand as a professional speaker, adding a podcast, the recording of a teleseminar or a video of you speaking to your events page or media page on your website, if well executed, will enhance the chance of you being selected as a speaker.

You see you are taking away some of the risks and fears of the event organiser as they will have been able to "sample" your ability to engage with an audience just by listening to your audio or watching you on the video.

Interestingly, I was reading a post from David Meerman Scott who reported on the way that the team at the Business Software 2007 conference are selecting some of their speakers this year.

Business Software 2007 are inviting potential speakers to create a short video of themselves speaking on a topic that will inspire, and be relevant to, an audience of software executives. They are then inviting their newsletter subscribers to vote on the speakers they want to hear at the event.

That certainly takes event organising to a different level - with the engagement of the potential delegates for the conference deciding who they want to hear speak.

So if you are a professional speaker or an aspiring professional speaker, consider how you can show case your expertise through video and audio to showcase your personal brand as a speaker.

And if you are looking for additional guidance on building your reputation as a professional speaker, don't hesitate to register for our forthcoming no-cost teleseminar, "Speak your way to success" which takes place on the 13 August at 1pm ET.

PS - more on David Meerman Scott soon - I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of his new book "The New Rules of Marketing and PR" - it arrived in the post earlier this week so I'll be reading it and posting my reflections in the next week or so.

Build your personal brand through your profile

Whether you are in an organisation and developing your career or you are the leader of your own professional services practice, one thing you can be sure about....

.... at some stage in the next 12 months you are likely to be asked to present yourself on paper.

That could be for a proposal you are submitting, a job you are applying for or a profile you have to present as a speaker at a conference.

But when was the last time you reviewed your personal profile or CV? And does it accurately reflect your expertise and experience?

I was recently working with a professional association to support them building their brand on-line. They had developed a new web site which gave the members of the association the opportunity to add their details to the data base, providing them with increased visibility.

However, the quality of the personal profiles was so poor, they certainly were not likely to attract interest from potential clients or strategic joint venture partners.

I was also recently working with an executive who was looking for their next career move and we were working on developing their personal brand. However when we looked at their personal marketing materials - their CV - it certainly did not enhance their reputation.

I am frequently asked for a copy of my personal profile and what I have some to learn is that we need to have a core profile available at a moments notice so that we can adapt it to the needs of the audience requesting our profile.

You see it is much easier keeping your profile up to date and relevant than having to create it the first time.

So if your personal profile or CV is out of date, here are this weeks personal branding action steps to ensure that your profile projects your personal brand.

THIS WEEK'S PERSONAL BRAND ACTION STEPS

1. Print out a copy of your current personal profile and identify which elements are no longer current.
2. Update your profile - whether it is a CV or professional profile make sure that it does not exceed 2 pages.
3. If you are not sure if your profile accurately reflects your personal brand and expertise, ask a colleague or friend to review it and provide feedback.
4. If you need additional assistance consider the support of a resume writer or personal branding coach to help you create

TERMS OF REPRINT: You are welcome to publish this article in your own online ezine or news letter, providing the article is printed in its entirety and is left unedited and you include the copyright notice and the following statement:

©Krishna De, Oneocean Ltd 2007. All rights reserved. Reprinted from 'Biz Growth Express', a Oneocean Ltd publication for leaders in professional services practices, featuring inspiration, strategies and tips to build your brand, attract your ideal clients and enjoy greater success with less stress.  Subscribe today at http://www.bizgrowthlive.com and access free weekly teleconferences where we interview experts from across the globe on how to build your brand and expand your professional and personal success.

Networking Strategies Part 5: Women in Business, 27 June 2007: Evaluating Your Networking Plan

Networking strategies for success part 5 of 5 - get ready to take notes as we provide tips on how to evaluate your network.

In this show we cover how to evaluate the effectiveness of your network - be that online or offline - so you ensure that you achieve a return on networking investment (RONI).

Networking Strategies Part 5 Show Notes:                                       

00:58  How do we evaluate our networks and measure the benefits?
06:38  What you can do if you are not getting a perceived benefit from the networks you participate in?
12:19  How do you determine if you are "giving" too much to my network - how can you turn this around so that your network help you, or how should you disengage?
17:26  What if people are asking too much from you as a member of a network?
18:24  Conclusion

How To Leave Us Feedback

Do share your thoughts on this audio tutorial. Perhaps you have found some of the strategies and tips we share have worked for you or perhaps you have ideas and suggestions you would like to share with our listeners. You can choose one of 5 different ways to get in touch so why not:

1. post your feedback the comments section
2. leave comments at our media centre, you can call +1 214 615 6505ext 6842. As this is a US based number you make low cost calls from Ireland using AllFreeCalls.ie or from the UK using AllFreeCalls.co.uk
3. leave an audio comment on out site here at Todays Women in Business - just plug in your headset and micophone and you can leave a message
4. leave an audio comment on our Irish media centre at          086 8163096      
5. or send us an email at connect(at)todayswomeninbusiness.com

Missed opportunities for our personal brand online

I had to smile when I read an article by Roger Anderson, entrepreneur, consultant and author of "Maps for Modern Magellans, Charts for captains of commerce".

I also have to thank him for his honesty and disclosure from which we can all learn.

You see Roger (aka drrogera) had a great opportunity last week to connect with Seth Godin. Roger was attending a virtual event and Seth Godin gave him great recognition for the questions he was asking. Wow well done Roger.

The only problem was that Roger had not registered into the event with his real name - rather the name he uses online "drrogera".

This meant that he missed out on an opportunity for the marketing master that is Seth Godin to give him the recognition that he was due.

It did make me reflect on what opportunities do we miss out on when attending events online or in online fora.

We are often reticent about coming forward about our name at virtual events. Why is it that is never the case at a live in person event? We even wear a name badge or if you are Scott Ginsberg, you go as far as tatooing your name badge onto yourself.

Virtual events are great if you want to learn and lurk. But remember if we provide great insights or input of value, we are sure to be remembered and perhaps even "Googled" and other attendees at our event may search us out.

So the next time you register for an online chat, webinar or teleconference take a moment to consider are you ready to stand behind your real personal brand or company brand and therefore register with your name or company name, or are you happy to miss out on potential brand recognition.

Oh and if you would like to meet the real Dr Roger Anderson, be sure to register to join me for our "Biz Growth Live" interview on the 25 June at 1pm ET(6pm Dublin and London) when I will be in conversation with Dr Roger Anderson himself about building your personal brand online.

Blog comments and why we should encourage them

I am often asked by people looking at setting up the business blogs what I recommend in terms of blog comments and whether they should be left open or not.

The power of Web 2.0 is the building and nurturing of relationships and creating communities.

Leaving your blog comments open is one way that you are encouraging dialogue and feedback on your posts and articles that you write.

If you are the author of the business blog you still can manage the comments when leaving the comments open - most blogging platforms allow you to review posts and approve them before they are live on your business blog.

You can also put in place a policy about blog comments on your site.

I have found that my thinking and perspective on the subjects I write about in my articles has been enriched through the conversation and perspectives shared by people taking the time to comment on my blog posts.

Through commenting on a post we are engaging in the conversation, especially if we share our thoughts and resources we recommend.

You can be sure that this will attract the business bloggers attention and they will most likely take a look at the website or blog of the person making the comment.

I've actually found people have sought me out and started to read my business blog and subscribed to my news letter as a result of the comments I have made on someone elses blog.

If you have questions about business blogging to build buzz about your brand or perhaps you wondering how to get moving with your business blog, you can join me and my fellow "Podcast Sisters" for our Summer Teleseminar Series.

We will be holding 3 teleseminars delivered at no cost to you other than the cost of a call.

Where are the calls taking place: You can join us from ANYWHERE in the world if you have access to a telephone

When: 4:00pm Dublin/London (11am ET)for 60 minutes on the 18th June, 25th June and 2nd July

What will we be covering:

• 18th June: Session 1 – Creating your blogging strategy and how to measure success
• 25th June: Session 2 - How to use blogging as an employer branding tool
• 2nd July: Session 3 – How blogging can build your personal brand and expand your professional and personal success

You can find out all the details of how to join us here.

We look forward to connecting with you, live and uncut and guiding you into the world of building your brand through your business blog.

Women in Business, 14 March 2007: Hosted by Krishna De: How to build your employer brand

Building a strong and compelling corporate brand is critical to the success of your business. Take for example the brand equity that has been built in the global consumer brands of Nike, Disney, Apple, Starbucks to name only a few.

In today's fast paced world of work, if we are to attract and retain great talent to deliver our goals, it is insufficient to build only a strong corporate brand.

We have to consider three other aspects of building our brand:

1. our employer brand - how we differentiate ourselves as an employer of choice for the people we want to attract and retain to help us deliver our business vision and strategy
2. our team brand - building a team that has a strong sense of purpose and identity and one that other teams inside your business and outside your business want to do business with
3. our personal leadership brand - ensuring we stand out from the crowd as a business leader, not only to achieve the career success we desire but also to inspire our people to both deliver great performance but realise their own potential.

Over the next three weeks, I will be in conversation with my podcast partner here at TodaysWomenInBusiness.com, Ann Greene and we will be sharing tips on how to strengthen your employer brand, your team brand and your personal leadership brand.

Today we start with how to develop your employer brand.G et ready to take notes as we provide an overview of employer branding and three actions you can take to strengthen your employer brand.

Employer Brand Show Notes:

01.20  What is your employer brand?
01.40  Why is it important to build and leverage your employer brand?
05.00  Is developing your employer brand is only relevant to large corporates?
06.40  How we can express our employer brand?
12.30  How do you determine other people's perceptions of your employer brand?
16.00  Three actions you can take to further strengthen your employer brand

You can listen the Women in Business podcast by clicking the player above or you can download it to your PC by clicking the download MP3 link; or you can find us in iTunes.

Do share your thoughts on this audio tutorial by posting in the comments section and if you have found specific strategies that have worked for you in developing a strong employer brand I would love to hear from you.

Women in Business, 22 November 2006

On this weeks show we are dleighted to be joined by Aldagh McDonogh, co-founder of Alternatives, Ireland's leading resource for marketing talent.

The content from Aldagh is so good that we have an extended interview with her.

Alternatives were recent finalists in the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, 2006.

In this interview, Aldagh shares with the show host, Krishna De, insights into how to grow a professional services firm and also strategies for marketing your business.

Aldagh's advice is very practical and extremely valuable so we recommend this show as one you definately will want to listen to, time and again so make sure you download the MP3 recording.

Media note: The 'Women in Business' radio show is hosted by Krishna De, international author, broadcaster, speaker, business development and personal branding expert.  This live recording was originally broadcasted on Dublin City Annalivia FM 103.2.

The show features business women based in Ireland and provides inspiration, strategies and guidance on how to expand your professional and personal success, balancing the many challenges facing working women today. 

Women in Business, 15 November 2006: Hosted by Krishna De

Due to a problem with the transmission of last weeks show, we have re-broadcast the interview with Dr Cara Martin on the subject of cervical cancer and the launch of the new Irish research consortium, Cerviva.

Elaine Butler of Edge Design talks through design principles for your home office and the show host, Krishna De provides this week's business development and branding tip on article marketing, a follow on session from last weeks show.

Media note: The 'Women in Business' radio show is hosted by Krishna De, international author, broadcaster, speaker, business development and personal branding expert.  This live recording was originally broadcasted on Dublin City Annalivia FM 103.2.

The show features business women based in Ireland and provides inspiration, strategies and guidance on how to expand your professional and personal success, balancing the many challenges facing working women today. 

Women in Business, 8 November 2006: Hosted by Krishna De

On this weeks show we interview Dr Cara Martin about developments in screening for and prevention of cervical cancer and the launch of Cerviva a new research consortium whose vision is to advance high quality peer-reviewed research programmes that provide the best possible information and guidance in the delivery of cervical screening services to Irish women.

In the second part of the show, Krishna De talks about building your online brand through no-cost article marketing strategies.

Media note: The 'Women in Business' radio show is hosted by Krishna De, international author, broadcaster, speaker, business development and personal branding expert.  This live recording was originally broadcasted on Dublin City Annalivia FM 103.2.

The show features business women based in Ireland and provides inspiration, strategies and guidance on how to expand your professional and personal success, balancing the many challenges facing working women today. 

Women in Business, 1 November 2006: Hosted by Krishna De

On this weeks show, the shows host, Krishna De shares 4 key strategies for no cost and low cost to build your brand on line.

Elaine Butler, commercial designer talks about how effective design can translate into increased dollars for your business.

Media note: The 'Women in Business' radio show is hosted by Krishna De, international author, broadcaster, speaker, business development and personal branding expert.  This live recording was originally broadcasted on Dublin City Annalivia FM 103.2.