At the start of 2022 I challenged myself to show up more and get in front of more people. My strategy was to use a combination of social media videos, podcast guest appearances and speaking at online summits.
My Big Hairy Awesome Goal (BHAG) was to stand up on stage and speak at a live event. But that felt a million miles away as generally no business events were running, let alone planned at the start of 2022.
My strategy was to utilise the power of other people’s audiences (OPA’s) as this is the quickest and most powerful method to amplify your message and reach new people.
Previously, I had tried some Facebook lives, but not with any consistency or engagement, so I was up for trying something new. I chose Instagram Reels because I was seeing other businesses get a lot of traction and engagement with these.
But, I am not a natural exhibitionist so doing trending dances was not on my list here! Even though I don’t mind acting and having fun with filters!
At the time, Reels gave you 30 seconds to get your message out in a way that stopped the scroll. Quite a challenge! Today that has been extended to 90 seconds which gives a lot more breathing space.
I needed to figure out how to use this format in a way that was aligned to me. It also needed to move me towards realising my Big Hairy Awesome Goal.
I have developed my Social Stream System, which I share with my coaching clients. This defines the core themes and pillars to talk about on social posts, in a way that engages and educates your clients. It’s a real treasure trove as you only need to do the work once, and it serves you for years.
Armed with this, I was able to set about creating reels. My first task was to overcome the tech. I had to learn how to add captions, make stickers appear at set times, slow down and speed up videos and much more! Within two weeks, I had the basics down.
Meanwhile, I was reaching out to podcast and summit hosts, placing my name in the hat to speak at online events.
A lot of these opportunities arose from being an active (not a lurker) member of different communities online and also out of paid mastermind groups where like-minded business owners gather.
At the start I was super nervous and had endless notes pre-written, but with time, I learnt to trust my expertise and that I knew my stuff!
I always like to serve, and with this mind, I was able to talk confidently, ensuring the audience always walked away with something they could put into practice in their business that day.
The result of this was that in 2022, I appeared on six podcasts and spoke at five online summits.
How did I get on this many shows?
Basically by saying “yes!” when anyone asked for guests and then I worked through any nerves after committing!
With the confidence I had gained from showing up on Reels and talking to audiences on podcasts and at online summits, I was now ready to step on stage.
In September, my BHAG was realised when I was invited to speak in front of 50 amazing coaches, consultants and healers at Blue Pool Network’s full day event. It was an honour and a privilege to support this group. I wrote more about this experience in this article where I share the secret ingredient to an effective presentation.
This simple technique will make your presentations pop and have people on their feet!Suddenly everyone was up on their feet and taking photos of my presentation. The impact was immediate and sent a ripple of recognition and understanding through the room. I smiled. I knew my talk would benefit the audience of coaches I was
Read MoreOver 2022 I have got far more comfortable with reels, in fact I can say I positively enjoy making them now as they are speedy to create and pack a punch in a short time frame. An example of a recent reel is below.
Moving forwards, I will be taking my talk on “The Power of Visual Frameworks” on tour across the UK in person and online. This talk will vary from 10-60 minutes depending on the time allocated as I will share my passion for visual frameworks with the audience. I have already got 2 on-stage speaking engagements booked and 4 online presentations
I’m not just speaking on other people’s stages, I also host my own in my Introvert Entrepreneurs Powerhouse where I run an “Expert Series” of talks to support entrepreneurs growing their business online. This is my way of supporting fellow business owners to step up and present their expertise in a friendly environment so they too can benefit this way as well. Speakers range from professional keynote presenters to absolute beginners and all have amazing value to share. Maybe you would like to come and speak on my stage?
The important element with speaking is to just start, whether it be in 30 second reels or a Facebook live, I challenge you to bring speaking into your business as the benefits compound as you reach more people.
My business would not have grown as it has over the last year, without saying yes to speaking up and showing up from reels to stages.
If you would like me to speak at your next event, please take a look at my speaker page and get in touch with me.
Written by Susanna Reay, 12/07/2022
Framework Thinking® helps coaches turn expertise into scalable frameworks that amplify results and authority.
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