I am speaking this week at an Associated General Contractors 2010 Highway and Utility Contractors Conference. My subject this time is Social Media. When I practiced law I spoke at this meeting every year. How did I get that opportunity? In a nutshell:
- Pick the most important legal topic facing the industry
- Write about the topic first
- Get what you have written as widely distributed as possible
First and foremost you want to pick a topic that industry members will find valuable. I have shared with you that your clients don’t care about what you do. They care about their problems, opportunities, internal and external changes.
Second, write about the topic. Chris Brogan recently posted a blog titled: Build a Stage for Public Speaking. I urge you to read the post. He says that if you are not blogging, no one knows what you are going to say on their stage. I agree. I tell lawyers I coach that writing articles or blog posts leads to speaking opportunities.
Third, get what you have written as widely distributed as possible. Here is an example of a letter I sent to Construction Industry association executives, who I knew personally, when innovative contracting and financing methods were first introduced in the highway construction industry.
Mr. John Smith