Barfield & McKinney's Podcast Experiment

Indie Business Club

Save the date: Our next LI live audio event is on Monday 15th April at 12 noon. Topic: BALANCE. We’ll send the link nearer the time. The “Millennial Pause” at the start of this video is magnificent. At least I didn’t laugh though. Ben and I spoke about how and why some freelancers and small business owners might like to get their voices out there. As always, we’ve recorded a little recap.

The benefits of public speaking are:

* affirmation and attention!

* it positions you as an expert

* maximises networking opportunities at real life events - as a speaker you tend to talk to more people during the breaks

* other opportunities can follow, like podcast appearances, being invited to deliver training, etc.

* when delivering live talks, the energy in the room is an excellent legal high

* you shorten the gap between you and your potential clients and your network

* it can increase your revenue streams e.g. being paid to speak and/or offering consultancy work on top of your “day job”

Things to be mindful of:

* you don’t necessarily get instant ROI

* maybe you don’t need slides?

* likely you’ll have to do it free of charge to begin with

* it takes brain space and takes time to create a decent talk

* most people are rooting for you, but if you get the odd hater you’ve made it

* the longer-term ROI isn’t just being paid to talk at stuff, it’s the broader rate increase, raised profile, wider audience, higher-quality clients, etc.

How to dip a toe in:

* put it out there that you want to speak at events and on pods (if you don’t ask…)

* listen to other people talking at events/podcasts/webinars (e.g. TMM) is a really useful way to learn how to do it well

* use Canva to record yourself (might be a pro feature, not sure) - the benefit is you can re-record each slide if you fluff up

* prep a short talk so if you get interest you have an oven-ready bio, talk description and theme

* talk in front of the mirror to build confidence

* get along to Keynote Club run by Max Hopkinson, Becca Lamb and Becki Wilson for a gentle, welcoming space

* record some videos to put out on LinkedIn, doesn’t need to be long (literally 30 seconds is fine)

* record your voice and listen back - get over that gross bit of hearing yourself

* no need for special equipment - send yourself a WhatsApp voicenote and listen to it on repeat as exposure therapy

Who to follow:

* Pascalle Bergmans for snackable videos about public speaking techniques

* Jackie Goddard for her “Speak Like A Speaker” series

* Bonnie Harrington for a 1:1 to improve your presentations

Shameless self-promo:

* Ben spoke at Copy Cabana when he was a baby copywriter

* Mel has a dedicated speaking page

And finally, a huge thank you to our paid supporters Ralph, Nikki, Lorna and Jen. It blows our minds a little and we’re so grateful.

Also, apologies for any nagging emails Substack sends about upgrading to paid - it has a mind of its own.

Speak soon,

Ben & Mel

Catch us in action…

Ben is speaking at Creator Day in Poole on 25th AprilMel is speaking at CopyCon in London on 8th November

PS: Mel wrote more speaker tips here.

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