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BRIAN AKRE & ASSOCIATES
WHAT'S YOUR PLAN?
Not all audiences are created equal
Quick question: Does your organization have a speaker plan? If not, it should!
Organizations too often treat executive speaking engagements as an afterthought. We find it ironic when companies known for analysing and planning everything just accept or deny speaking invitations with no substantial review, no strategy.
It's not uncommon for a CEO to accept a speaking engagement because a friend asked, only to find there was only a handful of people in the audience and no media coverage. We've seen cases where an event organizer promised a VP that she would get terrific exposure for her company, only to find herself on a panel with eight other speakers and minimal speaking time.
If you don't have a well-conceived speaker strategy, you're missing a tremendous opportunity to influence and engage your audiences. In today's targeted media environment, a well-timed, well-written speech can have tremendous reach, making it more powerful than ever.
For example, we persuaded one social-media-phobic CEO to post essays derived from his speeches on LinkedIn. To his delight, within 18 months he had nearly 1 million followers around the world. His speeches were getting exposure that far exceeded the comparatively small numbers in the initial audience.
A speech is an investment in time, expense and reputation. Approaching it in an ad hoc manner makes no sense. A plan is critical. We can help you develop one that provides the maximum return on that investment.