I speak at conferences. I often see other speakers arrive for their session, give a professional presentation and then leave. They look busy and important. Maybe they have urgent engagements they must attend to. Or maybe they just cannot be bothered to sit through the other sessions and meet the delegates. They may be making the wrong choice. My preference is to stay for the day and to listen to the other speakers. There are several advantages to this:
1. You get the mood of the conference. As you listen to earlier sessions and talk to delegates you pick up issues, trends and concerns for the community. You can use these snippets to change the emphasis in your talk to make it more relevant and useful to the audience.
2. You can refer to earlier speakers and build on some of their ideas. After you listen to earlier speakers you can key into some of their themes by referring to them by name in your talk and making a link to your point. This shows that you have listened and adapted your talk. It demonstrates a level of respect to the audience and to the prior speakers. Also you learn from other speakers when you listen; you do not learn when you speak.
3. It can help you avoid blunders. I spoke at a conference and opened with a joke. A later speaker, who had not listened to my talk, used the same joke and it fell flat. Similar things can happen with quotes, stories and examples. The only way to ensure that your talk does not repeat or conflict with an earlier speaker is to listen to them.
4. You can network. Some of the people who listened to your talk may want a follow-up discussion and did not get chance to ask a question. Their comments and feedback can help you to improve your talk. Also there may be potential future customers in the audience and the best time to talk with them is while your presentation is fresh in their mind.
5. Close the loop with your client. If you get chance, speak to the person who booked you at the end of the event. Thank them and ask for any feedback. It shows you care.
So go for the whole day. Before your talk listen to others so that you can learn and adapt. After your talk network, swap business cards and be on the lookout for leads. Show your commitment and respect for the client and their event by giving them your time.
More great tips in this book:
You could not have summarised my exact thoughts better. I see it time and time again – important people rushing in, delivering some canned speech or presentation, then rushing out. Of course, everyone is busy, but everyone stands to learn as well. I always try to stay for the whole thing. And tweet!
Paul you are totally right. The speaker that arrives and then leaves after their presentation looses all respect, in my opinion, irrespective if it is a VIP or not. People come to listen and engage, to network and form relationships, to seek out speakers and ask opinions. Far more value is given to those that are prepared to listen as well as speak
Regards
Paul