This week in the world’s #1 newsletter on leadership communication:
- How to Speak at Your Dream Conference
- On the Show: Clarity in Seconds
- Book Recommendation: Thank You for Arguing
How to Speak at Your Dream Conference
Imagine speaking at TEDx or the biggest conference in your industry? What would that do to your credibility? What opportunities could arise from it?
It’s more achievable than you think.
This year, I spoke at TEDx and have helped dozens of leaders land keynotes, TEDx slots, and major industry speaking opportunities.
Here’s the exact roadmap we followed.
(I did a webinar on this recently, you can watch it on my YouTube channel.)
1 – Set an Ambitious, Strategic Goal
Choose 3-4 dream stages such as TEDx, Web Summit or SXSW. The more shots on goal you take, the higher your odds.
2 – Plan 4–6 Months Ahead
Organizers fill their speaker line-up months in advance. For TEDx, TED.com lists upcoming events by location and date. Use ChatGPT or Google for industry-specific events.
3 – Find the Organizers
Look on the event’s website or LinkedIn page. You’ll usually find names listed. Focus on event curators or program leads, not marketing folks trying to sell sponsorships.
Don’t overthink it. These people want great speakers.
4 – Reach Out Directly
A short, respectful email or LinkedIn message is often the most effective way to start the conversation.
If you have a mutual contact, even better: ask for a warm introduction.
5 – Craft an Unignorable Pitch
Think in headlines. Your talk title should sound like it belongs on the event agenda.
What would make an organizer say, “We need this on our stage”?
6 – Share a Speaker Reel
Organizers want to see you in action. If you don’t have a reel, get creative. You can rent the event space of a co-working space for 1h, deliver your talk, and capture it on video.
They need to believe you can deliver on stage.
7 – Close the Deal
Once they bite, offer a short call to connect and refine the fit. Make it easy for them to say yes. Commit to promote the event through your own channels.
Speaking at your dream conference requires being on your A-game when it comes to presentation skills. I’m hosting an October Webinar Series of three webinars (it's free).
Join me for:
ON THE SHOW
Clarity In Seconds
I do a weekly show to help you become a top 1% communicator. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or Youtube.
Have you ever struggled to explain what you do, or find it hard to cut through?
And no, it’s not about refining your elevator pitch or polishing your LinkedIn bio. It’s about making one crucial decision: what are you not?
Because in a noisy world, people don’t remember nuance. They remember contrast.
Global brand and positioning strategist Laura Ries argues that the clearest way to stand out as a leader or a company is to pick the right fight. Not out of anger. Out of clarity.
She’s spent decades advising global brands. In her new book Pick the Right Fight, she shows why there is power in saying “I’m Not That”.
She breaks it down:
- Why people don’t follow or buy “better” – they buy “different”.
- How to become instantly memorable by positioning against something.
- Why trying to “stay open” often keeps you invisible.
You’ll leave this episode asking a powerful question: What am I not – and what fight am I really here for?
Listen to the full episode here:
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
Thank You for Arguing
Feel free to skip this section if you love losing arguments :)
Ok, you’re probably not in the market for a 400-page book on classical rhetoric.
“Thank You for Arguing” by Jay Heinrichs is what happens when Aristotle meets stand-up comedy, minus the toga.
It’s surprisingly fun, highly practical, and smarter than most business books on rhetoric out there.
Heinrichs shows you how to get people on your side, without shouting, apologising, or sounding like a politician.
Three things I will use:
1) Why apologies often don’t work: “The problem with an apology is that it belittles you without enlarging your audience.” Instead, own up to falling short of your own expectations to emphasise your high standards: “You know what a detail person I usually am. In this instance, I didn’t live up to my own standards.”
2) A smart technique for talks and presentations: Make it a journey of discovery. He studies hundreds of TED Talks and found that most use this approach.
3) I had no clue: The ancients started their students on memory drills when there were small children so that they could deliver speeches as adults. Today we use PowerPoint. That's why I coach speakers to use structures so they don't have to remember every word or rely on a deck.
Bonus: If you have kids, you’ll finally understand why they win every argument.
Have an inspired weekend,
Oliver
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