Senior PR professionals are no strangers to the time-management challenges of day-to-day business. From client meetings and acquisitions to internal communications, press
release writing to crisis prevention, it's often hard enough to find time to hit the coffee machine, let alone broach a lofty new business proposition. So what's an executive to
do when duty calls for the ultimate time-drain: Speaking engagement/conference planning?
"Speaking engagements fall into the category of new business development," says Mike Paul, president of MPG & Associates PR in New York "For example, every week and
every month, my time is divided into managing senior counselors, managing clients, doing paperwork, attending meetings, and developing new business. To make it work time-wise,
[speaking engagements] have to be strategic, and you must have someone helping you as though you are the client."
The Time is Right
Carin Warner, president of Warner Communications in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, views public speaking as a key tenet of public relations.
"I treat a speaking engagement like any other appointment - I make time for it because it's important, both for the image and the growth of my business. Speaking engagements
give you an opportunity to reach people in a personal context. That personal contact makes all the difference when you are trying to build a relationship, whether it's with a
journalist, a potential client or a future employee."
When planning speaking engagements, don't forget to bring your basic promotional material. Have business cards and press kits available to pass out among the interested
members of your audience. If you receive business cards in return, don't just file them away - make sure you send a follow-up note of thanks to those who attended your
presentation.
Without public appearances at speaking engagements and conferences, PR professionals don't get the face-time needed to promote themselves as leaders in their field;
alternatively, overwhelming business needs can put these events on the backburner. When it comes to reconciling the challenges of both, executives are wise to divvy up
responsibilities to make time; after all, their business depends on it.
Contact: Mike Paul, 212-595-8500, [email protected]; Carin Warner, 978.526.1960, [email protected].