Marsha Redmon

Adding value often means starting with what the most important issues are - based on what impact they will likely have on the audience - soon which also satisfies the need for urgency. This need to add value and point to urgency must be balanced against being reasonable. Being alarmist is often a sure way to lose one’s credibility as a thought leader. Grounding your speech or presentation by using practical examples and descriptions of likely outcomes can be a very effective and safe way to communicate both value and urgency.

One way to add data to your thought leadership presentations is to add information about the impact of the issues or problems you are addressing. This is the most important data your clients need. They need to understand how much the problem, or the new regulation, could cost them in time, money, or other resources. They will want to know as much as possible about the possible impact: which industries, regions, roles could be affected. These data always interest the media too. Being able to articulate “How bad this could be” will always attract the attention of your audience. And you will serve their best interests by providing this data.

Storytelling may sound uncomfortable to many thought leaders. I suggest you think of the stories as examples of the problems you solve. Organize the story with a beginning, a middle and an ending. Your audience will be interested in hearing how you achieved the result. A good way to start the story is to focus on the gap between where the client started and where they ended up - with your help. Be sure to practice your stories out loud. That’s the best way refine them - reducing the number of details. Tell your stories to someone “like” your audience - to make sure they can be easily understood by someone without your expertise.

Every speech or presentation for thought leadership should have two goals: 1- What is the most impactful topic and advice you can share with this specific audience at this time? 2- What do you want the audience to do as a result of your speech or presentation? Would you like them to set a meeting, get on your mailing list or submit a question? Responding to questions one on one after an event is over, can be very effective for lawyers and other professionals. This works especially well after a virtual event. You can email or call them to answer the questions you did not have time for during the virtual event.

Two things matter to engage your audience with your thought leadership. 1- Actually know what matters to them because you are staying within your zone of expertise. Ensure that the audience your content will be shared with is the right audience. 2- Articulate your expertise and share your knowledge with your audience in a way that: A- Gives them value through relevant examples designed to further their understanding of important issues for them specifically. Include “how to avoid this” tips too. B- Helps them to diagnose the existence of a problem or issue in advance. This also helps them to understand when they need to seek your help. Including these elements in your presentations will engage an audience and establish goodwill.

Give thought to how your clients or customers PREFER to do business. Can they see your calendar, book their own appointments, send you project information? How can you make it as easy as possible for them to: -hire you -get pricing -complete an entire transaction -gather information -provide information to your company so that you make every interaction with your company (and website) as easy, fast and convenient for them as possible. After all, your website is probably a prospective customer or client's first impression of what it would be like to do business with your company. You want to send a message that you aim to delight every customer and make every interaction as seamless as possible.