Listen on: Apple Music & Spotify

Today’s guest is a speech coach named Heather Sager who works with business owners in the online space. She started her business in 2018 after spending years traveling and speaking on stages all across the U.S. Heather emphasizes the importance of visuals in branding and provides practical advice for optimizing brand shoots for speaking engagements.

Keynote Speaking:

Heather suggests, “You want those power pieces and then the headshots to go with keynote-worthy stuff.” To capture the essence of a keynote speaker, consider wearing a power outfit and standing in a way that exudes authority. Additionally, having headshots that align with the keynote style will enhance the overall professional look. Heather emphasizes the importance of showcasing professionalism while maintaining a touch of personality in the visuals. By focusing on capturing the keynote speaker persona, you can convey a sense of expertise and credibility to your audience.

Workshop Presenting:

For workshop visuals, Heather recommends, “Could you have a friend join you in the shoot or a couple other people where you could be presenting to a small group?” It’s essential to create a setting that reflects an interactive workshop environment, such as using whiteboards or flip charts. By incorporating elements like collaborative discussions and visual aids, you can showcase your ability to facilitate engaging workshops. Heather suggests capturing images of you actively participating in workshop-style activities to convey your expertise in delivering hands-on learning experiences

Virtual Speaking:

Heather advises, “This is where you’re going to pull out your laptop, a webcam, a tripod, your phone, get all of these things of you saying, look at me. I speak virtually all the time.” To create visuals for virtual speaking, focus on showcasing your comfort and professionalism in online settings. Utilize equipment like webcams and microphones to simulate a virtual speaking environment during the shoot. By capturing images of you engaging with virtual tools, you can demonstrate your proficiency in delivering impactful presentations in a digital format.

Podcast Hosting:

When preparing for podcast visuals, Heather suggests, “Get some of those headphones. That seems to make it look like we’re professional.” Incorporating podcast equipment like headphones and microphones can enhance the authenticity of your podcast hosting visuals. Consider renting or borrowing podcast equipment to create a realistic podcasting setup during the shoot. By including elements like headphones and microphones in the visuals, you can convey a professional and experienced podcast host persona to your audience.

Overall Strategy:

Heather emphasizes the importance of aligning visuals with the type of speaking engagements you aim to pursue, stating, “If you had visuals for all four of those, you now look like a legit speaker.” By diversifying your shot list to include keynote, workshop, virtual, and podcast visuals, you can showcase versatility and readiness for various speaking opportunities. It’s crucial to practice and refine your speaking skills to complement the professional visuals and convey expertise effectively. By incorporating a range of visuals tailored to different speaking contexts, you can establish a strong and credible speaker presence across various platforms.

Heather’s Advice to Future & Current WorkPlay Members:

“If you want people to see you as a speaker, you have to show people that you’re a speaker.” –Heather Sager