Here's how you can ensure your public speaking career thrives in an ever-changing industry.

Embrace tech but don’t forget the fundamentals. It’s easy to get swept away with the latest soft jr hardware. Good stories. Valuable insights. Authentic delivery. Keep your content relevant to the audiences challenges or aspirations. So long as your internet connection is strong, if you nail the basics you’ll never go out of fashion.

You should keep up with the latest commonly used technology, but think long and hard about whether you want to be known for your tech setup, or for your speaking. I see a lot of speakers playing around with new tech without having mastered the old ones – so until you have mastered your presentation software and your stage skills, don't try to dazzle your audiences with gadgets and e.g. AI trickery. Rather than buying a three-camera setup for virtual keynotes, make sure you have got basic lighting right…

Use AI as a presentation creation tool and take your time thinking deeply about the prompts. Then, personalize each slide with hooks such as: ➔ personal stories ➔ statistics ➔ facts ➔ quotes ➔ definitions ➔ etc You also want to clean up the AI presentation for cliches and overuse of expressions. But, embrace AI at the onset because sometimes getting started with a presentation draft is the hardest part.

Consider using presentation software with real-time audience engagement features, or explore interactive elements like polls, quizzes, and word clouds to boost audience participation and interactivity. This will not only keep your presentations fresh but also provide valuable data and insights you can use to tailor your content for future engagements.

To ensure a thriving public speaking career in a rapidly evolving industry, embracing tech is crucial. Use social media platforms to engage with a large audience, sharing clips of your talks to create a consistent online presence. Invest in high-quality audiovisual equipment for virtual talks, ensuring professional and polished delivery. Tailor your content by studying social media analytics to know what your audience connects with.. Stay adaptable and learn how to be tech-savvy, to maintain relevance and expand your reach in the world of public speaking.

As a speaker, you should always be able to adapt to new requirements. Right now, there's a trend for shorter keynotes, so you need to be able to adapt to that. I would predict that "the human touch" will be more and more of a trend, so you need to be able to show your human side in your speaking. This isn't really about trends, not really, but about your capacity to change your speaking so that it fits the event. Remember, you're not the star, the event is. Your job is to make the event the best it can be, and if that means following a trend, doing so is just professionalism.

Trends are good to be aware of but not always good to follow. Knowing what’s working right now isn’t an indicator of what might work tomorrow. Keep your finger on the pulse for market, industry or speaking specific trends. But only jump on them if it serves your brand or your audience. Timelessness is a quality worth chasing.

"Don't just know trends, anticipate them! Public speaking is a reflection of the current culture. By staying ahead of the curve on emerging social issues and technological advancements, you can craft presentations that resonate with your audience and position yourself as a thought leader."

Yup. It’s a relationship business. Just try not to over engineer it. Take your time. Be a human not a hustler. Support other speakers or event organisers but showing up to their events. Offer to add value, or go beyond what’s expected to showcase your genuine desire to be a member of the speaking community.

Don't just collect business cards! Cultivate genuine connections by following up after you meet someone. Offer to connect them with others in your network or share resources that might be helpful to them. Building strong relationships will not only lead to more speaking opportunities but also create a network of supporters who will champion your work and amplify your reach.

Não é possível desenvolver uma boa oratória sem que haja amplitude de vocabulário e condicionamento físico (sim, impostação de voz exige energia física). Para refinar as habilidades em oratória, leia muito e treine os músculos abdominais, assim como a respiração por diafragma.