Category Archives: Speaking

Shira Lotzar

I recently had the pleasure of hosting Janet for a speaking engagement with my community service program, BoomerWorks.org. Janet delivered a highly informative and immensely practical presentation on networking best practices for virtual and in-person events. Her thoughtful, methodical approach was clear and on point. Most importantly, participants walked away with an actionable roadmap that can immediately level up their business development efforts. Sincere thanks to Janet for sharing her pearls with our 50+ small business community!

Lorraine Ball

I really enjoyed my podcast conversation with Janet Falk. She discussed her innovative approach to understanding the buyer’s journey, diverging from the traditional perspectives. Janet challenges the common belief that the buyer’s journey is a passive process. She proposes an alternative idea she dubs “the confirmation process”. Through this lens, the buyer undertakes a more active role, seeking to validate the identity, skills, and credibility of the professional or vendor they consider: confirming the identity of the vendor, the adequacy of their skills and experience, and social proof from others.

Janet further explores how professionals can facilitate these steps, increasing their chances of positively influencing the buyer’s journey. Moreover, this approach emphasizes the crucial role of client-focused content and the science of online presence in creating an effective buyer’s journey. Janet neatly ties these concepts together, outlining a roadmap that optimizes both the vendor’s showcase of expertise and the buyer’s needs.

Irina Krasnyanskaya

Janet Falk spoke about Networking to 40 women professionals and members of “Risky Women.” Her presentation was excellent. She gave practical tips and step-by-step guidance on how to prepare BEFORE attending a networking event, how to interact with people there and how to follow-up afterwards. There was a lively Q&A and everyone was fully engaged in the discussion. I highly recommend Janet as a speaker for your organization.

Jason Castillo

I had the great opportunity to create a CLE course with Janet focusing on the best ethical practices when communicating with the media and public. Our attorney clients raved about the highly practical and incredibly informative points Janet provided that can easily be deployed in their practices. As one attorney stated, “It was the best CLE presentation I heard in 50 years of practice.”

Patricia Kakalec

Janet spoke at the fall conference of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) New York chapter on the topic of working with the press, a discussion that I organized. Janet’s participation was enthusiastically received by this group of plaintiff-side employment lawyers, and several participants commented to me that the presentation was very helpful.

Janet’s recommendations for best practices when working with the media, her sample media profile and sample press release, and her on-point response to questions gave us all a lot to think about and work with. I know I have put several of Janet’s recommendations into use already in my practice.

Laura T. Schnaidt

We worked with Janet on a presentation that she gave to Women in Funds. Following the event, there was immediate feedback from at least half the people who attended – all of whom had glowing reviews. It was unanimously positive and people found it very helpful. We would love to do this event again with Janet and will refer members looking for advice to her as well. We met Janet thanks to Women in Funds Board member Jane Abitanta, who suggested that Janet speak to the group. Janet worked together with our organization to specifically tailor the presentation to the members of Women in Funds. Janet is Fabulous!

Make It a Double

If one is good, two is better.

Congratulations on your recent speaking engagement!

It was terrific.

- You were on a podcast.
- You gave a webinar, perhaps with other speakers.
- You conducted a workshop.
- You presented at a conference or were a panelist.

Don’t stop there. Make it a double.

Here’s how the time you spent on research, writing and rehearsal will truly pay off: Find a new venue where you can repeat your performance.

After your podcast appearance, look for other programs where you can talk about the same theme. Search the directories of the major podcast distributors: Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube. Select general categories or specific areas of interest.

You can also review these directories of podcasts:

Conduct an online search for the Top 10 Podcasts in your industry.

Finally, you can perform reverse engineering. Look on the website Owltail.com for topics and speakers aligned with your subject.

When you have compiled a list of podcasts of interest, contact the hosts and introduce yourself as someone with valuable insights for their listeners. Your recent podcast appearance is a plus. Use the sample letter of How YOU Can Be a Podcast Guest in your outreach to podcast hosts.

Webinars are easily duplicated. When there are multiple webinar providers serving your audience, reach out to each of them with your idea for a timely presentation. For example, providers in the accounting sector include CPA Academy and My CPE.

Connect with the other panelists and propose a reprise of the topic with a different webinar host. Perhaps a webinar producer who previously presented one speaker will find your topic relevant and will schedule a program with the group.

Take that workshop to a group where you are a member or might be a guest speaker:

- a professional membership organization
- an industry association
- a local chamber of commerce
- an incubator for start-up businesses.

Conferences may be local, regional or national. If you spoke at a state conference, look to a national event. And vice versa.

Host your own event for clients and referral sources, and perhaps even vendors. You will bring everyone up to date on trends and issues, plus they will appreciate networking with your contacts.

Consider giving your repeat performance on a different platform. The webinar I presented on 25 Tips to Prepare for Your Next Conference has been the focus of four podcasts, plus a few more are on my calendar.

Remember, it’s not one and done.

This Month’s Tip

Broaden your audience; two can speak together. Consider teaming up with a client, or referral source, to tap into the market of their peers. Podcast hosts, webinar producers and conference organizers will view your co-presenter as someone who has their finger on the pulse of what’s happening in their industry or their profession, giving you additional credibility as a speaker.

Contact

It’s time to double up on your speaking engagements. Let’s review your recent podcast appearances and presentations to see where you might book another. Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com, set an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770. Let’s make your latest speaking engagement a two-fer or even a three-fer.

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In memory of my mother, Sue Falk, who passed away July 30, 2023. She often bought two colors of the same blouse, because, If one is good, two is better.

Image credit: Nearme Cafe

Adrienne B. Koch

Janet gave a terrific workshop at my firm, to a group of women attorneys from various walks of the profession, on how best to position oneself as a resource for the press. At my request, she tailored her presentation to that audience, so that her comments and suggestions were specific and relevant; she was also responsive to the group, and made a point of making sure she answered everybody’s questions. As a result, the audience was highly engaged and the presentation was very well-received.

But of equal importance, Janet spent time informally with the group before and after the presentation, sharing her insightful thoughts and ideas in smaller, more individual conversations. This made the evening doubly enriching. I highly recommend both Janet’s workshops and Janet as a workshop leader.

Jose Almanzar

If you’re an attorney looking for press coverage, Janet can show you the various tools that will help you to get ‘in’ with reporters and journalists. It’s a no brainer for private practitioners, regardless of the substantive area of law they handle. Trust her, she knows what she’s talking about.

Sandra Holtzman

Janet graciously guest speaks in my NYU graduate class in Marketing. Her presentations are thoughtfully put together and demonstrate numerous points with clearly articulated case histories from different sectors. She presents a wealth of expertise and is very generous with her time and patient with student questions. Janet also speaks at my FastTrac New Venture classes and her presentations there are equally excellent.

Audrey Winkler

Janet gave a wonderful interactive presentation on Best Practices in Board Communication and Media Relations to nonprofit professionals at the Board Leadership Workshop for the Nonprofit Sector Resource Institute. It was outstanding and participants commented afterwards that they had learned a great deal from her. The fact that Janet prepared it on an extremely tight deadline made the presentation all the more impressive.

Paul Konigstein

Janet gave an excellent presentation to the Financial Executives Networking Group (FENG) not for profit special interest group on networking. Her approach focused on making connections with the leaders of organizations hosting networking events and was a refreshing change from the usual networking strategies. Janet is a very engaging speaker. I would recommend her to present to any group.

Sharyn O’ Mara

Janet Falk was a wonderful guest lecturer at our Farmingdale State College Public Relations class. Janet shared a wealth of knowledge about a variety of public relations topics. Prior to the class, we discussed what had been taught already and she tailored her presentation to expand on their PR knowledge base. Janet covered a vast landscape while keeping things interesting and organized. Janet contributed an educational presentation to our class!

Geri Stengel

Getting in the media is a great way for a small business to establish and grow its credibility, and generate interest in its products and services. Janet provided practical and easy to implement tips that any small business can follow. My NYC Small Business FastTrac students found these tips invaluable.

Why You Should Co-Lead a Workshop with a Colleague

Collaboration yields up-to-the-minute content and conversation.

Speaking is one of the five best ways to attract new business. In a workshop setting, for example, you and your colleague demonstrate mastery of the subject matter and analyze successful projects. Your presentation also entices attendees to hire you, so they might achieve similar results for their organization.

Plus, it’s beneficial when your co-leader is a client, who will attest to the value and impact of your services.

Consider teaming up with a colleague in an allied field, or someone whose business aligns with that of the session’s participants.

Co-presenting offers several advantages to a solo session:

Speakers of different professions attract a wider audience; attendees may connect better with the person who shares their background.
Collaborating lightens the burden of developing and giving the entire presentation.
You will gain access to timely knowledge and insights of another profession, while preparing the material.
You will capitalize on the co-presenter’s existing relationship with the event host, or further ingratiate yourself if you are the connector.

Recently, I collaborated on two different workshops to groups of attorneys; my partners were networking contacts.

One session was a reprise of a webinar on media relations that patent attorney Patricia Werschulz and I had developed. After I proposed the topic to the webinar producer, I invited Werschulz, whom I had met at a networking event, to co-lead the presentation. In my segments, I explained the nuts and bolts of professionally introducing oneself to reporters and the how-tos of press releases. in her sections, Werschulz discussed ethics and the Rules of Professional Conduct that applied to interaction with the media. Her remarks qualified the presentation for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits, a magnet for attorneys who must log CLE credits every two years. Following that webinar, Werschulz and I have given the presentation as an in-person workshop three more times.

The second workshop, which I had previously led four times for professionals at financial, public relations and start-up companies, focused on networking. When customizing this speaking engagement for attorneys, I recruited Kimberly Rice, editor of the monthly publication Marketing the Law Firm, to which I have contributed articles for five years. I presented a unique pre-event marketing strategy for attendees at networking events. Rice covered ethics and the Rules of Professional Conduct relevant to networking, again for CLE. In addition, she shared best practices in marketing of particular interest to attorneys from a small law firm or with a solo practice.

Here’s why Werschulz and Rice agreed to co-present:

Werschulz: “I wanted to learn more about the subject matter of ethics and media relations, so I had to research my part of the presentation. I also had the opportunity to learn from my co-presenter. Every time I present or teach, my network expands with new potential sources of referrals.”

Rice: “I enjoy presenting to different audiences of qualified, targeted prospects whose interests align with my expertise. I was curious about New York City lawyers and found they were a bit more engaged than audiences in other parts of the country. Working with the New York County Lawyers Association will perhaps open the door for future speaking opportunities.“

Collaborating on a speaking engagement is a win-win all the way around. You and your colleague gain mastery of new material as you promote your respective expertise and services. Both of you also access new markets of potential clients and referral sources, as well as an organization to host subsequent programs. Your audience receives proven tips, best practices and up-to-date insights on industry trends.