Last week I was in Singapore to speak on the topic of ‘Maximising your PR Performance’ to an audience of local and expat public relations agency heads and executives.
As someone who spends (and loves) their life building the profiles, opportunities and business success of others, I was blown away by the invitation to speak at this international event. I must have read that email three or four times to make sure I got the details right and that it was me, not a client, that they were requesting. I admit to running around the office with a grin from ear to ear and colleagues thinking I had won lotto or a trip away.
Excitement aside, I started to think about how only three days earlier I had set myself two ‘self improvement’ goals for 2014, one of which was to get out there and be heard. By this I don’t mean outrageous behaviour and front page headlines. I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to step outside my comfort zone and seek opportunities where I could help others through various speaking events whilst developing my own personal skill set and brand.
Now when you work in the world of public relations and event management, in fact I don’t think it is just limited to these occupations, finding the balance for when you should be ‘self promoting’ can be tricky. Your paid job is to promote and develop the best interests of your clients, not your own or that of your business. However, within days of setting myself this goal, an opportunity came along to do just that, from overseas no less, a scary situation indeed. Like many people, I only do things when I have someone else keeping me accountable and that’s exactly what this was: a chance to set my goals in motion but with a real and fast approaching timeline.
My preparation included after hours conference calls and emails with the event organiser in Singapore. The organiser sent out feedback forms to those selected to attend, which I would highly recommend as a way to ensure your audience feel the value of the occasion. The weekend prior to the event my lounge-room floor was covered with blank paper and coloured marker pens used to scribble random thoughts and ideas. I find this approach highly effective for getting the creative juices flowing before you even touch keynote or powerpoint to develop your slides.
The event was held over a three course lunch and from all immediate feedback, a great success.
Soon after I visited Clarke Quay, to enjoy a beer and reflect on what the experience had taught me.
There, I came up with five key learnings from the experience that I wanted to share with Women’s Agenda.
- If you want something, go after it. Don’t let fear, inexperience or self doubt hold you back. I’ve stood on plenty of stages in my life – singing, dancing, presenting, instructing aerobics — yet the idea of speaking to an international audience totally freaked me out because it was new. I quickly had to overcome that voice in my head telling me that I wasn’t good enough or didn’t know enough, to put on a performance that wowed the audience. And it did.
- Be relevant and know your audience. There are plenty of cultural differences in the way we Australians do business compared with the rest of the world. For me presenting I needed to make sure I had done my research and found out the unique details of the local market. Don’t let this be any different when dealing with your current or future clients. Each client is unique and you must scope out their business and the environment in which they operate if you want to work together successfully, regardless of what industry or locality. As I mentioned earlier, having some pre event feedback was really useful for both myself and the people in the audience.
- Embrace self development and promotion. Too many of us are scared or feel like ‘show-offs’ if we dare to promote the great things we know and are doing. Don’t be afraid to speak up and be heard. Make the time to seek out new personal opportunities, the more daunting the better. Speaking in Singapore made me realise that I owe that not just to myself but to my clients. New experiences and challenges mean new ways of doing things and creating new networks. Your clients will ultimately benefit from this.
- Go international. Australia is full of brilliant innovation and talent. Competition is fierce and the lack of funding and resources for startups and young entrepreneurs is well documented. Don’t rule out overseas engagement. The event I spoke at was promoted as offering “fresh eyes, fresh ideas”. Consider this theme in terms of what you have to offer and how it can benefit your international colleagues. Who knows where you may end up. Based on the success of the Singapore event we are now discussing a 2015 “Asian Roadshow”.
- Make yourself available. This doesn’t mean dinner dates, weekends away or nights out drinking. You should however consider the value of new connections and view them as long term partnerships that require work and nurturing.
Samantha Dybac was invited by MicenetASIA with flights and 2 nights accommodation staying at Grand Park Orchard, Singapore.