Getting Engineering Speaking Gigs

Have you ever attended a conference or other industry event, seen someone you know on the schedule, and thought, "It should be my name on this program -- I know more about the subject than that person."

There's something magic about public speaking, and even being able to casually drop into conversations, "In my presentation at the XYZ conference last month, this is one of the points I made..."

Co-blogger (Is that a word? It is now) Eric Culverson mentioned in a recent post that public speaking skills are important to an engineer's career development. I agree. So here are some of my thoughts on how to get those speaking engagements.

To see how this works, let's imagine you're an engineer with a strong level of expertise in the field of high-level residential design. You want to get onto the podium at some conferences of property developers to show you have what it takes to make their properties into stars.

Do your research: First, you need to research what conferences and meetings are available. If you're not an experienced speaker with a track record showing good audience feedback, I suggest you start with finding small, local groups -- maybe an industry luncheon -- to build credibility and experience.

Find whom to approach : Then you need to approach the organizers of the event by means of an e-mail. It's vital that you find the right person to approach.

Many organizations are staffed by volunteers, and these may change yearly or even more often. So it's best to call first and ask to whom you'd send a presentation idea. If it's a well-run organization, this will be far from an annoyance to them -- they need to fill a speaker schedule, and are always looking for people to give relevant presentations.

Prepare a query letter: A "query letter," to borrow a term freelance writers use, is a mini-proposal for your presentation. It doesn't need to be long; about a single screen in e-mail. It should contain four points:

• What's your proposed topic? A brief summary, two or three sentences, is all you need. In this case, maybe, "How dazzling design can make your property THE address to have!" Don't try to cover too much in your proposed speech; you'll likely have between 30 and 60 minutes, that's all.
• Why would attendees be interested? Show your understanding of the issues the audience is facing -- maybe a softening market, a need to manage costs so they can't go all-out for amenities like they used to, and how sheer show-biz pizzazz can make a development successful
• What are some of the points you'll cover in your speech? Four or five bullet points, just to demonstrate that you have thought through your topic, is all that is needed.
• Why are you the right person to do this presentation? The organizers will want to be sure that you're a good presenter, but more to the point, do you know what you're talking about? List your qualifications and experience, plus any speaking experience you've had.

Don't give up! Persist! You may need to send the query more than once, and to more than one person. Follow up with phone calls, maybe more than once. Send them evidence of your expertise -- such as articles you've written, other presentations, your blog. Getting speaking engagements can be frustrating, and most people give up too easily. Persistence is key to getting onto that podium.

To learn more about how to present yourself as a thought-leader in technical areas, visit www.carlfriesen.com.