Have you ever spoken in front of a large group without a script, not entirely sure of what you were going to say?
Were you expected to talk for 5 minutes? 15 minutes? Maybe an hour? What if you were asked to speak for five hours to a group of eighty people with widely different backgrounds, from all across Europe?
What would be the worst thing that could happen? Would you stutter? Would your content completely miss the point so you would see the audience fall asleep or boo you off stage? What if, instead, you didn’t provide enough material, wrapping up an hour and a half short?
That was the situation I was facing this week, when I got the opportunity to speak to a group of Ecademy members in London on utilizing social media for business and the changing world of blogging. I tried to prepare by creating a detailed PowerPoint slide deck, anticipating multiple social networking demos and a two-way conversation with the sharp audience – many of whom run their own businesses and are trying to take advantage of how the Web is evolving. While I have spoken at many events and panels over the last few years, the opportunity with Ecademy was new, and challenging.
So what made me think I could pull this off? The answer had little to do with the fantastic and wonderful things that Thomas Power has said about me on this site, as appreciated as they are. I knew that Thursday would be a rewarding day because of what we were there to discuss – things that are so near and dear to me, which I know are incredibly important, and growing ever more so, to us all.
I believe in these ten facts:
1. Social Media Is A Cost-Effective Way to Perform Market Analysis
2. Social Media Is A Cost-Effective Way to Spread the Corporate Message
3. Social Media Is The Fastest Way to Engage With Potential Customers
4. Blogging Can Be Your Personal or Company Brand
5. The World of Discovery and Publishing Is Speeding Up
6. Those Who Perform Social Media Well Will Gain Share Against the Competition
7. Those Who Act as Peers to Prospects Can Gain Trust, Credibility
8. You Can Differentiate With Quality
9. You Can Customize Your Content for Different Communities
10. You Can Separate Your Individual Nature from that of Your Company
Armed with these facts, and years of being embedded in Silicon Valley, where many of the companies featured in today’s Web were started and accelerated, I came face to face with dozens of inquisitive minds who wanted to not just listen about what I have seen, but to participate. Soon, the five hours melted away as we hit from topic to topic, site to site, idea to idea.
For the presentation, I leveraged Penny Power’s fantastic new book, “Know Me. Like Me. Follow Me.”, but tweaked the second portion to be something along the lines of “Be Like Me”. The truth is, you probably wouldn’t want to trade places outright, but in my work on the Web, I’ve found some tips and tricks that let me participate and discover quickly, and I was more than happy to share. If you haven’t read Penny’s book yourself yet, make sure you grab it on Amazon.
Somehow, be it through the right number of slides, the subject matter, or the discussions with all who attended, the proposed time seemed to flow by – with the last slide finishing only minutes before the deadline, when we had to give up the room for the day.
But even that didn’t make the day a success for me. What did make it a success was the feedback I gained face to face from those who were there, as well as the feedback on Twitter, and blogs that have been posted here on Ecademy since – including one from Vanessa Warwick and another from Rod Sloane. Although in comparison to many of you, I am an Ecademy newbie, I am excited about this platform’s capabilities, and in the community, many of whom I saw Thursday. The content would not have worked without a willing, participating, active, intelligent audience.
On Friday, after my very short stay in London, I took a Black Cab to Paddington Station, and a shuttle back to Heathrow, before making the 5,000+ mile journey back to the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley. The twins remembered who I was, and I no longer needed a power adapter to get my laptop going. Though the journey now resides in the past, the content was all about the future. If you missed it, I hope I will get the opportunity to see you all again. If you were there, then thank you for participating and helping me not fall short. I hope to hear from all of you in terms of what you liked and what could have been done better. I am always working hard to improve, and will need your help.
via ecademy