I used to dread going to trade shows. I viewed it as long days on my feet weaving through a crowded trade show floor. Sometimes I’d have to drag the added weight of a jacket with me to temper the cold meeting rooms. Then there was the hoarding. I picked up every cute piece of swag to take home to the kids so I could share my day with them. Our dog chewed up many branded squishy balls.
Now as a regular speaker at trade shows, I actually enjoy going. I’m on a NJ Transit train writing this as it burrow under the Hudson into NY Penn station. I’m headed to a cocktail hour at the Marriot Marquis in Times Square. In two days, I’m giving a talk on calculating the return on investment of social media marketing. The day after that, I’m giving a workshop for a few hours.
I enjoy meeting people and I always have. Public speaking gives me the opportunity to meet people, travel, and learn! Yes, I learn by teaching. I’ve found that the extra research and reading I do to give a well thought out presentation is a great way to expand my viewpoint. Sometimes that requires me to get updated statistics, alternative sources or research the opposite viewpoint. When I work on either shortening or lengthening a speech to fit a conference time slot, I have to work hard to make my point and economize my words.
This week I’m talking about a Harvard business review article I read and why I disagree with its sentiment. Reading that post and the surveys it cites helped me understand my clients and how lost they felt about their investment in social media marketing.
