During a coffee meetup with a new connection, I heard a great compliment about one of the speakers on our directory.
My coffee companion told me how impactful the speaker’s presentation was. “I could have listened to her all day,” she mused. “And when her talk ended, I was craving more.”
I explained that, depending on their contract/agreement with the event planner, speakers may not be able to sell from the stage. That means they are not permitted to sell courses, books, merchandise, or other commercial items.
So what can speakers do to give eager participants more? First, it’s important to check with the event planner to ensure policies aren’t violated. Second, ask the planner what is acceptable. Here are some ideas:
- Invite participants to contact you with follow-up questions.
- Offer something free for participants that is relevant to your talk. It may be a link to a longer talk that you’ve posted online. It may be a downloadable journal. It may be a list of resources to learn more.
- Use a handout with more information.
- On your closing slide, tell participants where you will appear next.
- Mingle with the audience before and after your presentation to give them the opportunity to ask questions.
- If you have a podcast or YouTube channel, include that on your narrative bio and final slide.
- Announce an informal meetup with you immediately after the event concludes.
It’s important to engage with participants and answer their questions, and it’s also important to respect the policies of the event where you’re speaking. Ask what your options are, and be creative!
Photo credit: Image by Canva
