I’ve been thoroughly enjoying working with my wonderful one to one clients alongside my corporate work recently. Much of this work has focused on supporting them in writing a signature talk and formulating a strategy to get it out there in 2023.
What is a signature talk?
It’s your own personal keynote, focusing on a key area of expertise that your industry and niche audience need to hear in the next 6-12 months. It provides inspiration and value, opens doors and gives people a deep understanding of what you excel at. It’s also something to pull out of your toolbox with confidence and use at a moment’s notice.
The key ingredients of a signature talk
It contains elements of your core story.
If you are a business owner or entrepreneur, your signature talk will draw on key elements of your core story (the story that is the backbone of who you are today and how you got here, helping people the way you do.) It might be that your signature talk IS your story, however, there must always be a message, purpose and valuable takeaways for the audience.
If you deliver work in the corporate space or are a corporate leader, your signature talk will most likely focus on transferable areas of thought leadership, with nods to your core story.
It showcases your expertise.
A signature talk enables you to demonstrate that you are the go-to expert in your subject area. This is usually demonstrated through solving a big problem that the audience are most likely facing but don’t have an immediate solution. It will utilise bigger concepts trends and themes, case studies, data, storytelling and valuable tips that the audience can take action on straight away.
Think about where you’d be sharing this talk. Are they corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, consumers, or people within specific industries? Speaking to your ideal client audience is a great focus for your signature talk and will help drive where you pitch or are invited to speak.
It showcases your thought leadership
Signature talks are perfect for showcasing methods, frameworks, research and ideas that you have formulated through your professional (and personal) experience. Forming the talk around your findings and methods and presenting ideas and solutions really puts the signature stamp on your words. This creates traction in sharing your ideas, reaching more people and being recommended to give more talks to different audiences. Your signature talk can also be used to go deeper into your topic, if you are an author of a book that covers the same method or findings.
It solves ‘hot right now’ problems
A signature talk will focus on a theme, idea or problem that will be relevant to that audience for the next 6-12 months and beyond. Keeping your signature talk fresh and relevant will also open the door to more opportunity and keep you in tune with what your audience needs to hear at any given time.
It provides transformation and value
A signature talk should command a fee, because of the level of value and transformation it provides. Rather than just view it as a one hour keynote where you go in and out, there should also be an element of utility or blended learning included, pre, during and post event. This will not only show how invested you are in sharing your ideas, but also for the value they bring and the levels of transformation they achieve for the audience. If you are a coach, consultant or trainer, think of it as another piece of learning.
It is a great door opener for your other services
Because the signature talk encompasses your greatest area of knowledge and expertise, it provides a great opportunity to lead to your other services. You may have coaching programmes, workshops or other services that align directly to the talk and provide a higher level of impact for the audience. I have given many talks that have led to ongoing work inside an organisation or body. It’s very rewarding and builds strong relationships with all concerned.
It is versatile.
The beauty of a signature talk is that it can be used for many different things. You could condense it down into a 15-minute livestream or extend it out to a 2 hour interactive virtual workshop or a day programme. You can speak to an audience where there is no pitching allowed, or tweak it so that you are selling from the stage in an authentic and genuine way and turning those audience members into wonderful clients. Or it can be used as a platform to showcase your expertise and cut to the core of how you serve people whilst giving value and transformation in the moment too.
Is 2023 the year you will write and deliver your signature talk?
If you haven’t yet crafted your signature talk, it might be the perfect time to start collecting ideas. The xmas period can open up creative pathways in your mind and fuel you with inspo.
If you would like help shaping your signature talk, my stand out and speak intensive has been designed to help you do just this.
I am taking on a set number of one to one clients in 2023, so if you are interested hit reply, or book in a time to talk about your needs and goals.
The prices for the intensive will be going up on 1st January 2023.
Got any questions? I’m here to help, just fill out the form below.
Much love
Helen
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