Seize the Opportunity! Showcase Public Relations Expertise Through Speaking Engagements

April 8, 2025

Eric Kalis

Even the most seasoned public speakers can feel anxious about getting on stage in front of large crowds who are ready to be educated and entertained. The opportunity to demonstrate expertise and thought leadership far outweighs the uneasiness, however. For public relations and communications professionals, public speaking is a chance to build your brand and further distinguish yourself in an intensely competitive industry.

Public speaking does not necessarily require spending hours writing a speech. It can be as straightforward as lending your expertise as a moderator or panelist during a business or industry conference.

I was fortunate to be invited by influential commercial real estate media organization Bisnow to moderate a panel discussion during its April 2, 2025 event in Wynwood – a Miami neighborhood that has received national attention for its growth, development activity and unique character over the last decade-plus. I did not hesitate to say yes, knowing that sharing the stage with five prominent Miami real estate developers would result in incredible exposure for BoardroomPR’s South Florida Public Relations pros and Social Media and content managment teams. Our lively discussion focused on major new luxury residential real estate projects coming to Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood, which is east of Wynwood and immediately north of downtown Miami.

The many benefits of boldly embracing public speaking opportunities include:

Credibility is currency: You cannot put a price tag on how effectively communicating your expertise and knowledge to a large audience of current and potential clients – and media members – enhances your credibility. This is absolutely vital to an agency’s reputation.
Amplify key messages: Public speaking offers a chance to reinforce important messaging points about your organization’s capabilities to a captive audience of industry leaders. Make sure to develop clear and compelling messaging points in advance of the speaking engagement. This should not be overly challenging to PR professionals responsible for doing exactly that on behalf of clients every day.
Grow your network: Regularly attending business events and conferences is a valuable way to form new relationships with industry professionals while strengthening existing relationships through face time. Make it a habit to invite any new connections via LinkedIn immediately after meeting. Public speaking at such events exponentially increases your chances of impressing potential new clients and making other important contacts. With the latter, you do not have to tell them about what you know – you already showed them!
Hone your skills: Public speaking strengthens all of the core communications skills PR professionals need to utilize in their day jobs. It forces you to tap into your verbal and nonverbal communication abilities, employ active listening (especially when moderating a panel discussion) and articulate your thoughts clearly.

After detailing all of these benefits, the prospect of speaking publicly is much less daunting – isn’t it! When we are not speaking publicly ourselves, we source speaking opportunities for our diverse roster of distinguished Florida-based and out-of-state real estate companies. Call us at (954) 370-8999 if you want to be recognized as an industry thought leader.