Personal Branding for Public Speakers – Differentiation

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Seven Part Personal Branding Series:

1. The Importance of Branding
2. Personal Brand Building: Niche
3. Personal Brand Building: Differentiation
4. Personal Brand Building: Branding
5. Personal Brand Building: Affiliation
6. Personal Branding Case Study: Garr Reynolds
7. Personal Branding Litmus Test

Differentiation is possibly the most important aspect of brand creation, because it is intrinsic to forming a memorable brand. If your brand blends in with all of the others in your field, your audience will have no way of remembering it.

If somebody is asked if they have ever seen you speak, there should be one strong thing they can pick out about your presentations – so they can say “is he the guy who uses funny cat pictures?” or “yeah, she’s always going on about boats isn’t she?”.

You have two choices in this respect: apply a different angle to your presentations; or present in a different way.

Apply a different angle to your presentations

Applying another interest or expertise you have to your presentation subject will add value and interest, so long as what you say is relevant and helpful. Metaphors and similes help people to understand and remember information. The expertise doesn’t have to be directly related – but introducing it must be beneficial to your message.

Themes are great. Consistent themes across all of your presentations (and any other public communications) are even better, because they make you memorable.

Present in a Different Way

You can make your presentation stand out by it’s method, rather than its content. Break the mould of the typical corporate presentation, and people will take more notice of you while you’re on stage. They’ll be more likely to discuss your presentation afterwards. And they’ll remember you more easily a week or month later.

There are hundreds of ways to give a presentation which shatters the expectations your audience had (in a good way). Here are a few:

–          Incorporate audience involvement

–          Ditch the slides and simply talk

–          Use an unexpected prop

You don’t need some unique insight or expertise to differentiate yourself from other speakers. You might simply be a great story teller; have a natural ability to make your audience laugh; or be canny at explaining complex ideas in the simplest way ever. Simply identify which you’re already good at, and hone your skills.

Seven Part Personal Branding Series:

1. The Importance of Branding
2. Personal Brand Building: Niche
3. Personal Brand Building: Differentiation
4. Personal Brand Building: Branding
5. Personal Brand Building: Affiliation
6. Personal Branding Case Study: Garr Reynolds
7. Personal Branding Litmus Test