How to get started as a public speaker
Step into an exciting new role
If you want to make a name for yourself as an occupational health expert, start small. "Often, it is good to start with your peers," says Kay N. Campbell, EdD, RN-C, COHN-S, FAAOHN, president of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses in Pensacola, FL. "Offer to describe a program at a meeting of colleagues and get feedback. Write an article for the company newsletter."
Scott Gaddis, global safety capability leader for Kimberly-Clark Professional in Roswell, GA, suggests starting with training events internal to your own organization. "Then grow toward more demanding subjects and engagements," he says. "Knowledge and passion for the subject are absolutely essential for success."
Susan A. Randolph, MSN, RN, COHN-S, FAAOHN, clinical assistant professor of the Occupational Health Nursing Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, suggests contacting organizations such as Kiwanis International, Rotary, and the local chamber of commerce to offer your services as a guest speaker. "There are many issues that workers face at work that are also relevant at home," notes Randolph. Examples are noise exposure and protecting hearing; slips, trips, and falls at home; the importance of exercise; and appropriate use of medications.
To get started, here are three things you must do:
Join a local trade association for networking purposes. "Stay actively involved in national trade associations in an effort to keep current," says Gaddis.
Get some training. Gaddis says that he first completed a couple of classes on public and extemporaneous speaking for professionals and continued learning by taking classes on lesson planning and presentation techniques.
Pick a first topic. Gaddis says that some good choices are wellness programs, effective case management, workers' compensation management, ergonomics, employee assistance programs, and occupational hygiene.
Keep higher-ups in the loop. "The company may need to review what is being said and always wants to know who is being told what," says Campbell.
Any public communication, whether it is a written article or a presentation, should be cleared by management ahead of time if your work affiliation is cited, says Eileen Lukes, PhD, RN, COHN-S, CCM, FAAOHN, an occupational health manager at The Boeing Company in Mesa, AZ. "If the occupational health professional is linked to an employer in a public forum, others may assume that the individual speaks for the company and is presenting company-sanctioned information," says Lukes. "If this is not the case, avoid the perception that you are speaking or writing as a representative of the company."
Pitch a topic as a way to promote the company. Randolph gives this example: By implementing a certain wellness program, the company saved X amount of dollars, and X number of people are now under treatment for X disease that otherwise would not have been detected. "It is always good to inform others, both inside and outside the company, about outcomes and successes," says Randolph. "It puts a positive spin on the efforts of the occupational health manager and the employer."
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