Good on you for looking for opportunities to share your knowl
Candace,

Good on you for looking for opportunities to share your knowledge. I've been speaking for over 20 years to ARMA chapters and other organizations. I had the good fortune to work for a boss long ago who was able to give me some starting opportunities at conferences where he controlled the program <grin>. If you don't have that option, get involved in your local ARMA Chapter. Getting to know folks who can make decisions about the program can provide you with opportunities. Look for calls for presentations at various conferences. While you might not have a speaking resume yet, you may find opportunities like panels or poster sessions to get your name out there. Some ARMA regions maintain speaker registries.

If anything, it is a little tougher to get those initial opportunities. Twenty years ago, we also had industry-specific groups that would meet and needed speakers. Those were good opportunities to broaden your base in a place where you could be with folks in your own industry.

ARMA sometimes looks for speakers for webinars. There may be an opportunity there if you have a hot topic in your back pocket. It might be necessary to make a "demo tape" using a webcam and software like Camtasia (I've seen this software available at steep discounts from time to time). If you use a commercial records center, they are sometimes looking for customers to partner with for education -- most aren't real heavy-handed about customer testimonials and really want the focus on education. Check your employer's ethics policies about that. As a final opportunity, you can look for for-profit seminar companies that are looking for people to present. I've had very mixed results there. They tend to like "names" and then want the speaker to recruit attendees. 


It's been my practice to only get reimbursed for my travel when I do a presentation. For folks who are consultants or are in demand, they may request an honorarium. Unless the opportunity is local, you really shouldn't completely give away your time or end up paying for the opportunity to speak.

Always check with your employer about speaking. I have had a variety of experiences there. Many will not let you use the company logos or speak specifically about company policies. Others want to review your slide decks. Others will ask you to take a vacation day. Others will be very liberal and will see it as a growth opportunity for you. But always make sure you know how the company, and more specifically, your direct boss, feel about this.


Be persistent and refine your ability.

 
Patrick Cunningham, CRM, CIP, FAI
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