I’m often asked how I wound up speaking at the United Nations during the Commission on the Status of Women. The answer is simple—a graduate of my Your Spotlight Talk program recommended me.
One of my juiciest corporate speaking and consulting contracts came from another alum of that same program.
Curious about how I get interviewed on CNN with a self-published book? I bet you guessed it. Someone recommended me. In this case, a colleague (and dear friend) made the intro to a segment producer.
One of my favorite parts about speaker mentorship and coaching is connecting my clients to opportunities I know they would be great for. In the last year alone, I’ve been able to recommend and support women in the Spotlight Speakers Collective to speak at a variety of venues, including:
- INBOUND
- TEDx
- Jonathan Fields’ Camp GLP
- A national HR conference (in the keynote spot!)
- Multiple podcasts
I used to be terrified to ask people in my network to open doors for me.
Now, I know that one of the payoffs of having influence is being able to use it to create opportunities for others—and I have gotten much more comfortable asking for appropriate recommendations on my own behalf.
Are you using your voice, your network, and your resources to create opportunities for others?
And are you asking your network, your clients, and your raving fans to recommend you for the opportunities you seek?
Here are four classy, compelling ways to put Speaking Truth Bomb 3 (Use Your Voice to Create Opportunities for Others) to work.
- Connect an event organizer for a conference, company, association, or community group where you have spoken to a client or colleague who you think would make a great speaker for one of his/her events.
- Repeat number one, and replace “event organizer” with “podcast host”.
- Provide an unsolicited testimonial to a speaker who wowed you. (No speaker can have enough of these for her website, speaker one-sheet, or media kit.)
- And of course, let your tribe help you out. Think about an opportunity that someone you are close with is connected to. Maybe one of your clients sits on the board of an association that has a prestigious national conference. Or, maybe one of your business besties has a mastermind group you could speak live or virtually to. Get clear on the value you can offer this person’s audience, and reach out and ask for the opportunity—unapologetically.
Are you new to my Speaking Truth Bomb Series? Check-out Speaking Truth Bombs 1 and 2.
