Guess where I will be at 5am tomorrow morning (Wednesday, April 21st)? I’ll be attending the NAPO Virtual Conference.
I’m looking forward to connecting with colleagues all around the world and learning from other experts in organising and business. There’s even a 7am meeting of international (outside the USA) NAPO members. In the past I’ve attended a few NAPO conferences in person. What a blast! But nowadays the magic of the internet means I’ll get a good quality learning experience without having to travel to the US. A big time and money saver.
I look forward to hearing our very own Australian colleague, Amanda Lecaude from Organising Students, speak about her niche organising specialty. That’s another 5.30am start, but I’m sure it will be worth it. I know that when my Hoarding Home Solutions partner, Wendy Hanes, and I spoke at the 2019 NAPO Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, it really helped to have some friendly faces in the room. I’ll be one of Amanda’s friendly faces. (Can you spot a friendly face in the front row at NAPO 2019? Thanks Nicola!)
The next virtual conference I’ll be attending after NAPO is the APDO Conference on May 20th. Wendy and I were all set to fly to London last year to present in person at the APDO Conference, but you know, COVID happened. Then the theme was The Future is Organised. This year’s theme is The Future is Re-Organised. Smart move APDO! Wendy Hanes and I will be speaking this year too. The title of our presentation is Managing Hoarding in COVID Times. We’ll draw on what we learned in the past 12 months about supporting our own clients, as well as our work with DFFH (Dept Families, Fairness & Housing, formerly Dept Health & Human Services) through that time. If you want to know more about the presentation, you’ll just have to register for the APDO Conference. You can do that here.
Now I know exactly what some readers will be thinking. “There’s no way I’ll ever volunteer to speak in public.”
Believe me, I once thought the same. And believe me also, it’s worth getting comfortable with it.
Public speaking can range from speaking to a handful of friends at your local school, to a library full of interested strangers, to networking with business colleagues, to a radio interview beamed to millions, to a stage at an international conference.
At the Professional Organisers of Melbourne meetings, we love to learn from our colleagues. We regularly invite fellow members to present on their special subject. Not only does the audience learn something new, but the presenter gets to practice their material in front of a friendly, supportive crowd.
Confidently and comfortably speaking about yourself and your business is a skill to be embraced. When you let people hear about you and your business, your organising philosophy, and tips, they get to know you. And people buy from those they know, like and trust.
Last week I wrote about networking. I said, “If this little introvert can enjoy networking, so can you.” The same goes for public speaking.
That’s why my next webinar class is all about that topic. In fact, I’m going to share some of my worst public speaking moments to show that even when things go wrong, you can get your message out there to become known, liked and trusted. I’ll share anecdotes and tips for how to avoid some of my outtake clangers.
Whatever you do, don’t shy away from public speaking. Give it a go. What’s the worst that could happen?
Click here to find out more about my webinar class, Public Speaking Outtakes & How to Avoid Them.
