5 Ways to Become a Social Media-Friendly Speaker

Yours truly speaking in front of bloggers and social media influencers
during the Intramuros Bloggers Challenge 2012.

What does it mean to be a social media-friendly speaker? 

To become a social media-friendly speaker means calibrating your presentations and speaking style to fit the social media-savvy crowd that you’ll be speaking to.

Why speakers should consider becoming social media-friendly? 

If you’ll be speaking in a big crowd, there is a fat chance that most of your audience has a Facebook, Twitter or blog account. There is also a fat chance that during or after your talk, some of them will post something about your presentation over social media.

How, then, can you proactively maximize this free exposure that these social media-savvy netizens are giving you? Is there really a way for you to prepare so that these special members of the audience will be able to get the most out of your talk?

Backed up with a few opportunities to speak in front of bloggers and social media influencers and also, numerous experiences in covering events as a blogger and listening to social media lecturers and speakers, here are some of the few tips that I have come up with, which may help you in preparing for your next talk.

1. Make a list of ideas that you want to share. (Think Buzzfeed) 

First, list down all your ideas about the topic that you’ll be talking about. Second, choose 5-10 ideas from your list for your 1-hour talk. You may add more to these if you’ll be speaking for more than an hour. Third and last, arrange the ideas for coherence.


2. Transform your ideas into impact statements. (Think Twitter) 

With Twitter’s 140-character limit in mind, create statements that are easy to remember and thought-provoking enough to create impact.

3. Place each impact statement on each slide and then add an image (optional), your Twitter handle and hashtag. (Think Call To Action) 

Help your audience find you on social media by placing your Twitter handle (or Facebook account/Page name) and hashtag on your slides. Don’t expect them to know about these important CTA details if you haven’t even shared it to them.

4. During your talk, use the impact statements as your talking points. (Think Talking Points) 

If there are 10 things that you need to remember before and during your talk, those are the 10 impact statements that you have placed on each slide. Use them as your talking points. Expound on each and allot time for each. Also during your talk, do your best to have a smooth transition from one talking point to another. Don’t just enumerate. Tell a story. 

5. Begin with a bang! End with a boom! (Think Fireworks) 

I’m not saying that you dance, sing or swallow fire in front of your audience unless, of course, you are willing and able to do so. What I am saying is, at the very least, be able to capture the attention of your audience. Creating your presentation and getting your audience to listen are two entirely different things. Most of the time, the second one is more difficult than the first.

As a speaker your job is not only to tap into the intellect of your audience. Your job is to capture their emotions too and to move them into action. These are the things that separate a good speaker from the regular ones.

Thank God there are so many helpful tips out there for good speakers-wannabe. Some say ask your audience to do a simple exercise. Some say play nice videos. Some say pose thought-provoking questions. 

Whatever you choose to do, aim to capture the mind, heart and will of your audience and at the end, leave them wanting to hear more. During your talk, help them bring you online by considering the 5 tips I shared to you.

-

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Delgado is a Certified Blog and Social Media Entrepreneur (CBSME) who is passionate about consultative works, creative writing, events management, ideation, startupreneurship, strategic marketing and training. He founded Mediactiv8, an independent social media marketing agency that advocates digital marketing education and entrepreneurship in the Philippines. To see more of his works, please check out www.facebook.com/Mediactiv8.