Nick Gold is the MD of Speakers Corner and current Chairman of the European Association of Speaker Bureaus (EASB). His clients include corporations willing to spend significant fees on the right speaker and Nick knows what makes a great personal brand. His top tips are
Don’t reinvent the wheel
Bloggers often think they need shock value and a really strong opinion to differentiate yourself. But those with the strongest personal brands don’t necessarily have different opinions, it is more about clear opinions and thought-processes. Don’t worry if the message isn’t unique, clarity is more important.
Speak on behalf of your audience
You don’t have to put out new and crazy ideas. You have to put out ideas that make your audience think ‘That is exactly what I think and I wish I could articulate it like that.’
Strong personal brands include warts and all
Think of your experience watching Olympic 100m finalists. If you just watch the race, the emotion and connection you feel is limited. If you hear that person tell you how they had to drag themselves out of bed on a cold winter morning having not seen their kids for a month, but they did it because of what they wanted to achieve, your connection is more powerful. Success stories used to be about your success story. Now it is about your real story. Your audience wants to see your whole journey. You don’t have to hide behind the facade of success. People like other people to be real and transparent.
Don’t be typically British
Don’t be all British and think you have to put your best foot forward all the time, and likewise don’t be all British and think you have to downplay your success.
You don’t have to know all the answers
We live in a world where people crave information and we have a huge surplus of information and opinion. Even if you are a huge expert at what you do, don’t pretend to know it all. By being an expert, what you are doing is saying, ‘I’m giving you the information that I understand and I have credibility and you can choose what to conclude and how to use it.’
Find out more about Nick by visiting https://www.speakerscorner.co.uk/
