From Posts to Podiums Using LinkedIn To Get Speaking Opportunities with Bobby Umar

TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Michelle J Raymond: Welcome everybody to the Social Media for B2B Growth Show. I'm your host, Michelle J Raymond, and today we are gonna be talking about how do you go from posts to podiums? Are you looking to use LinkedIn to get more speaking opportunities? If the answer is yes, I've invited the best person in the world that I know that can help you get there.

[00:00:19] Michelle J Raymond: So Bobby Umar, welcome to the show.

[00:00:21] Bobby Umar: Thanks Michelle. Happy to be here.

[00:00:23] Michelle J Raymond: It is exciting and it's a little bit overdue and I did confess to you before the show that this was one that was sparked by an idea that I had, that I wanted to share with people, how I went from posting on LinkedIn to being able to get to speak on, stages like Social Media Marketing World, which is coming up soon.

[00:00:40] Michelle J Raymond: And then I thought, why do this by myself? Why not get Bobby in and have this conversation? So it's a little overdue, but I appreciate you making it. But I'm gonna start with a question Bobby.

[00:00:51] Michelle J Raymond: Why do you think LinkedIn is the place to be for speakers? Either those that are experienced or those that are just getting started? Why does LinkedIn need to be a piece of the puzzle?

[00:01:01] Bobby Umar: LinkedIn is the biggest professional networking platform in the world, and when it comes to speaking, that's part of my professional brand out there. But it's also a big part of it comes through networking.

[00:01:10] Bobby Umar: So having done, a thousand keynotes across the world over the last 20 years, across four continents, you have to build that up through the people. And so LinkedIn is a great place for that.

[00:01:19] Bobby Umar: And I can tell you that a lot of my speaking gigs have come from people that I've met on this platform or have seen me. They've seen my content, they've seen my brand. And for sure, where else would you wanna build something?

[00:01:29] Michelle J Raymond: We, I think originally met via Clubhouse, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure it was Clubhouse. And then we come across to LinkedIn and you've got the Thought Leadership Branding Club, which I'll put all the details of that into the show notes.

[00:01:42] Michelle J Raymond: So if people wanna check it out I highly encourage them to do so, but you also work with people to land TEDx talks. Can you tell me a little bit about that before we, I ask you a few more LinkedIn specific questions.

[00:01:54] Bobby Umar: Yeah, so before the pandemic I was helping people, having spoken, helping people get speaking gigs.

[00:01:59] Bobby Umar: So I did a paid speaking kind of program and then the pandemic happened, everything fell apart. And then as we started coming back out of it, putting in things like storytelling and thought leadership, which were my main focus during the clubhouse and pandemic days, I started thinking, let me start doing paid speaking and TEDx talks, but then people really like the TEDx piece.

[00:02:16] Bobby Umar: They felt TEDx were transformative. And I started to say, you know what, TEDx can be a great vehicle for building a personal brand, building a thought leadership, getting more paid speaking, charging higher fees for your business. So I was like, you know what? Let me go all in.

[00:02:26] Bobby Umar: So now, this year in 2024, I'm fully into helping people land a TEDx talk, which of course can lead to paid speaking stuff. It's not like I don't help them with that, but the TEDx thing is the flagship that I'm helping people with and it's a lot of fun to do and I even guarantee it with my methodology and I love it. It fits everything I have storytelling, public speaking, thought leadership, personal branding, all in one thing.

[00:02:47] Bobby Umar: Yeah, count me in.

[00:02:48] Michelle J Raymond: It is bang, both barrels. You have got that one. And that's the thing that I want to talk about because there is so many different ways that, public speaking shows up. It could be from as basic as creating content to being on these stages, like TEDx, like you said.

[00:03:03] Michelle J Raymond: And I've gotta say, my business mentor said to me a couple of years back, Michelle, have you ever considered, becoming a speaker or a keynote speaker? And I just looked at her with this blank stare and thought. You have got to be joking. Why would I ever wanna be on a stage? Why would I ever wanna do this?

[00:03:20] Michelle J Raymond: And why would anyone want me is where I was, not that long ago. I'll give you the handy tip. And then fast forward and now I've got two opportunities to be an international speaker this year, which again is mind blowing.

[00:03:32] Michelle J Raymond: For me, I think it started with originally guesting on somebody else's podcast. That's where it all started, being invited to come and speak on my topic, which as you know, is Company Pages.

[00:03:43] Michelle J Raymond: And then I'm so grateful for my time on Clubhouse especially the rooms that we ran together with our friend Brenda. But I'm so grateful because I got to practice, articulating things and knowing what I stood for and what I didn't stand for.

[00:03:58] Michelle J Raymond: So it's just been so much fun to realize lots of little actions over time have added up to get me to where I am now much more confident, I have to say, in my place on these stages. And it's gonna be another challenge for me to go from presenting online to presenting face-to-face in that kind of, bigger scenario.

[00:04:15] Bobby Umar: One thing I'll add too is that, as we become seasoned professionals we become more accustomed to sharing our knowledge, sharing expertise sharing stories about, our experiences of wins and failures and all that kind of stuff.

[00:04:25] Bobby Umar: And as we get quite seasoned and as executives, as leaders, it's just natural for us to actually become speakers. I think all of us can actually become a speaker and put our knowledge out there on panels and in keynotes and all around the world. I think that this is something that you're finding out and we all should be doing this.

[00:04:42] Michelle J Raymond: Yeah, absolutely. So what advice would you give to people who are either speakers or wannabe speakers about updating their LinkedIn profile to get more speaking opportunities?

[00:04:52] Michelle J Raymond: How can they use it as a tool to get there?

[00:04:55] Bobby Umar: I think the first thing I would say is that make sure you're really clear on what kind of speaker you are and what brand, what is your personal brand? What's your brand story as a speaker? What are you focusing on? Because that, that, just like starting your own LinkedIn profile strategy, what exactly is your target audience, your objective, who you're trying to be? So that's the first thing.

[00:05:10] Bobby Umar: Then once you have that, now we can put together a profile that features you exactly as, okay, here's what I do I speak about you know networking. I speak a personal brand, I speak of thought leadership, be to be really clear on what your brand is. Then you optimize your profile.

[00:05:24] Bobby Umar: So first part is optimize profile to make it look like you're a speaker and you speak and you make that really clear. You have video footage of you. You have images on your banner of this and me speaking on stage.

[00:05:34] Bobby Umar: And then the second piece again, is creating a content strategy around that. Put videos up there, talk about your expertise, let people know.

[00:05:40] Bobby Umar: And then the third piece of course, is outreach. Reaching out to people, building relationships, networking with folks. Finding what events are out there, finding who's organizing events, and then letting people know, Hey, listen, this is what I do for a living. This is what I speak about. And those relationships will also help you get there.

[00:05:54] Bobby Umar: So to me it's like the profile, it's the content, the outreach, as a speaker. And one of the things I'll say too is that, when I first started as a speaker, I was always pitching myself as I'm a speaker. But eventually I started pitching myself more as an expert in a certain area.

[00:06:06] Bobby Umar: So what I would say, look, 'cause because then what happens is if I'm an expert in TEDx talks or personal branding or networking. Then I also have a book, I have a program, I do coaching. I also speak and do keynotes and workshops. So that became where I focused as opposed to just being a speaker.

[00:06:21] Bobby Umar: 'Cause you know, you see tons of profiles that say I'm a speaker. Oh, are you? Okay, great. Like half of 'em are not. Let's be real about that. It doesn't mean that just because I spoke once at the Rotary Club or just because I spoke at my kids' high school, or just because I do a couple videos, I'm a speaker.

[00:06:35] Bobby Umar: No professional paid speaker is a different thing. And make sure you're really clear on that so that people can see you and they realize that you are a speaker and they wanna hire you.

[00:06:44] Michelle J Raymond: This is something that I'm about to go through that shift. So the things that you spoke about, having an image somewhere on the profile, whether it's in your banner, maybe the featured section.

[00:06:53] Bobby Umar: Yeah.

[00:06:53] Michelle J Raymond: Having images of you speaking, that is something that I need to work on and that's what I can't wait to get to Social Media Marketing World and take those photos. Because making that transition for me, and I think I'm gonna take your advice that you just shared and say, I'm not just a speaker because there's a million speakers. But there's only one of me.

[00:07:14] Bobby Umar: Right?

[00:07:14] Michelle J Raymond: And there's really only one person that specializes in my case on talking about LinkedIn Company Pages. And I think if I just move to say I'm a speaker as opposed to I'm an expert on this and can speak on these kinds of things, it really distinguishes the two.

[00:07:29] Michelle J Raymond: But I think there's other areas for me. I was a bit reluctant at first to say I was a speaker. As much as I have my own podcasts, I have two of them. I have my own YouTube channel.

[00:07:41] Bobby Umar: Do you speak on those, Michelle?

[00:07:42] Michelle J Raymond: Yeah, I know, right? So this is the craziness of it. I was almost waiting for that permission to come from somebody else or for someone else to anoint me as a speaker.

[00:07:52] Michelle J Raymond: And we spoke about that on our LinkedIn live recently on thought leadership, and so it's another step for me to grow. That's what's going on for me right now. I feel like it's, this year in 2024, it's time to level up again, but going back to looking back, it's just all these little things.

[00:08:10] Michelle J Raymond: I wasn't prepared to put it on my LinkedIn profile. Now I share my 50 guest podcast episodes that I've done, or maybe a little bit more than that now. There's lots of different ways that you can incorporate that, but, and build up that social proof, which I think is important because Bobby, I see it too many times, people on LinkedIn, they're underselling how awesome they are and their LinkedIn profiles often don't reflect it.

[00:08:34] Michelle J Raymond: So that's why I wanted to bring that one up right at the beginning. But a question for you. What types of content do you think speakers should be focusing on when they're creating on LinkedIn?

[00:08:46] Bobby Umar: I think there's probably two main types you wanna focus on as a speaker. Number one is showing you speaking on stage.

[00:08:52] Bobby Umar: Hey, this is me at, in Dallas or Atlanta or San Diego. And you take people on the journey of, the prep, being there, meeting people, the speech itself, the afterwards, the testimonials, all that. So talk about the brand of you being a speaker is one thing that you wanna talk about.

[00:09:09] Bobby Umar: The second piece is talk about your expertise. And Ideally, you do it in video format for the most part, but showing yourself, talking about the things you care about. So I would be talking about TEDx talks and personal branding and thought leadership and networking. That's what I, I wanna be hired as a speaker.

[00:09:25] Bobby Umar: And so you have to be putting yourself out there all the time saying, this is what I talk about. This is what I believe in. Take a stand for things, and get opinionated. Be willing to share an opinion that may not be something everyone agrees with, but taking a stand on something definitely helps you stand out as a speaker.

[00:09:40] Bobby Umar: Because one of the things about hiring speakers is they're looking for people who have a little bit of pizzazz personality. People wanna stand for something. People who have a message for the world. I think that goes a long way. So I would say those three things are the most important pieces.

[00:09:52] Michelle J Raymond: Being known for that one thing is something that our mutual friend Michelle Griffin used to say to me when I first started out on LinkedIn and we became friends and Company Pages was my thing. And at the time I was like, why is no one else talking about this?

[00:10:08] Michelle J Raymond: And then you know, I got a lot of pushback. You're a little bit crazy. But then over time it's become the thing that made me different to everybody else.

[00:10:16] Bobby Umar: Yeah.

[00:10:16] Michelle J Raymond: And being able to stand up for that, and call out things that I don't agree with again, was something took me a little bit of time, but as I built that confidence, I was like no. I know my stuff. This is where I'm at.

[00:10:27] Michelle J Raymond: So I'm so glad you called that out because if I think about what kind of speaker I want, I want a speaker that's gonna challenge me personally. I want a speaker that's gonna teach me something new, help me to grow in whatever way that is. It doesn't always have to be contrarian, but I just think if someone helps me expand how I think about a topic, then that for me is what's gonna make a really great speaker.

[00:10:49] Michelle J Raymond: What else do you think makes a great speaker?

[00:10:51] Bobby Umar: There's lots of things you can do, but I think for me personally, this is what I do to try to be a great speaker. Number one is storytelling. So always be working on your ability to tell stories from every aspect of your life. The wins, the failures, all the stuff. Be willing to be vulnerable.

[00:11:05] Bobby Umar: For me, being able to do that and tell those stories from every walk of my life, I have a large collection of stories that I use all the time, and I think that is what separates me from other speakers. The second thing I do is I try to relate, I try to be accessible to people.

[00:11:19] Bobby Umar: One of the things I don't like about speakers are ones who they just seem too cool on stage and they don't make themselves accessible. So what I do is I go in before the speech and I intermingle with people, Hey, how's it going? Whatever. And I often refer to them in my talk while I'm on stage.

[00:11:32] Bobby Umar: And then when I'm done, I don't whisk away in my helicopter. I stay, I talk to people, I hang out with people, I answer the questions and I think the organizers like that too. They like people who are like that. I'm also using my social media profile to, use my influence and I'm promoting, I'm doing stories and videos, and I'm sharing this content.

[00:11:49] Bobby Umar: Organizers love that kind of stuff. Oh, here's a guy who's gonna come on stage who's gonna be accessible to my attendees, and he's gonna promote my event everywhere. They love that. So one is about supporting the organization, the other one is about making sure you're supporting the attendees that are there.

[00:12:04] Bobby Umar: And to me, make myself accessible, creating really deep, powerful stories that resonate. I think those are things that really make a big difference. And then the last thing I'll say is constantly work on honing your craft to get better as a speaker. I certainly have pitched myself as a world-class speaker, and that's my brand.

[00:12:21] Bobby Umar: And however, you know, I've had to change certain things like adding dynamics, like for example, the virtual thing to the pandemic. I had to do all the virtual tricks and now when I go on stage, I'll actually have polls. I'll do the interactive poll because the technology's there and people like that kind of stuff.

[00:12:35] Bobby Umar: So you have to evolve as a speaker and get better and better.

[00:12:37] Michelle J Raymond: Absolutely. Now, one of the places I think you can get better if we are thinking about LinkedIn and the types of content you could do is LinkedIn audio rooms.

[00:12:46] Bobby Umar: Sure.

[00:12:46] Michelle J Raymond: Because you can lead a conversation, be involved in a conversation, and when you are getting questions fired back at you and you have to answer on the spot. That for me, was my favorite part of Clubhouse. That was the learning how to think on my feet and answer it and be seen as that position of authority.

[00:13:02] Michelle J Raymond: Can you tell me like LinkedIn audio rooms, I know you host like quite a few. Can you tell people why they should be considering them if they want to be a speaker?

[00:13:11] Bobby Umar: Yeah. So what's interesting is that a lot of people will think that because I'm a speaker, I should be doing more live streams. The truth is I host two audio rooms per week on Tuesday and on Thursday, and I host another Twitter space audio room on Mondays, on Twitter, and I only do one live stream a month.

[00:13:27] Bobby Umar: So it's like why are you doing so few live streams? The reason is because first off, speaking audio versus speaking on stage. It's very similar to the same thing. My personality shows up in the audio rooms as well. It's a little bit different sometimes when I'm on online, they're like, Bobby, you're so chill.

[00:13:41] Bobby Umar: Just so today we're gonna talk about a personal branding as opposed to, alright, personal branding, let's do this. Who, like it's a little bit different on stage, but you're still honing your articulation your diction your communication, your active listening, all that kind of stuff.

[00:13:55] Bobby Umar: The reason why audio rooms are so great is because there's something about audio rooms that makes it far more connective, as a speaker, but also as an expert, which I said you have to relate the speaker-ness to the expertise-ness as well. So they have to go together. So you go in an audio room and I'm talking about personal branding, and people go on stage and we're talking to each other.

[00:14:14] Bobby Umar: We're having a really deep conversation. I find the authentic, audible voice really is a great way to, to deepen the connection. Because at the end of the day, as a speaker, you want people to know and trust you and value what you bring to the table. So they're gonna hire you as a speaker. So I find audios are powerful for that, for creating and deepening that connection.

[00:14:31] Bobby Umar: Whereas a live stream, it's us pushing out to many there's less interaction. I mean, Yeah, there's comments, but in audio room you come up on stage and you're basically all sitting on a sofa or around a table talking to each other, hearing each other out. That is fantastic. I found far greater connection in one audio room than I have in maybe even 10 videos that I've put out.

[00:14:51] Bobby Umar: So for me, audio is the place to build that trust. Build that connection and and people keep come coming back. They'll remember you and they're gonna hire you for those speaking gigs. So I'm a big believer in the audio rooms for sure.

[00:15:04] Michelle J Raymond: I was on the fence about audio rooms. They're not something that I incorporate as part of my own content preparations or content schedule.

[00:15:13] Michelle J Raymond: It is something that I was doing one The Trifecta Talks with Michelle Griffin and Brenda Meller, and then I found I actually missed the camera. And so this is the interesting part about this is I think you should try all the different kinds of content that LinkedIn gives us, whether it's short form video clips that you update, whether it's, YouTube videos that you wanna bring across, whether it is, I know something fun that you created for TikTok style videos. LinkedIn audio rooms.

[00:15:41] Michelle J Raymond: We have so many different ways that speakers can use this. Do you think as a speaker there is showing you as a speaker, but you've mentioned, things like thought leadership and storytelling. I think I see speakers as doing that as well, backing it up with written options. Do you recommend that for your clients that you're working with?

[00:16:02] Bobby Umar: Yeah. So when it comes to thought leadership, that comes in many forms. So yeah, you can do a series of videos. You can also write articles and newsletters and all this kind of stuff. So thought leadership pieces, you know, think pieces where you're sharing ideas and you're pushing the conversation pushing the envelope is gonna come in all types of forms.

[00:16:18] Bobby Umar: And I think that one of the reasons why every single person in the World is a speaker, and I put speaking under the brand of thought leadership. If you wanna become a thought leader, do speaking, but that speaking also includes your message out there in all types of formats because you don't know what's gonna resonate with who.

[00:16:33] Bobby Umar: Every single type of thing. My newsletter, my audio room, my TikTok type videos and my longer form videos. They all have different people who like it in different ways. A really good example is the written piece. So when I do a newsletter or let's say I do a white paper. I did a white paper recently on personal branding.

[00:16:48] Bobby Umar: People who are, let's say, quieter, read that thing, and they still wanna hire me not knowing about my bombastic personality. And they're okay with that because then I adjust for that. And that's okay. It attracts them in a certain way. Other people are attracted to my personality on the TikTok style video, and they hire me for that.

[00:17:07] Bobby Umar: So I think it's really important for any person that wants to build their speaker expertise and become an authority in their field to have all different forms of content that will actually set them apart. So I'm really big on all them. Although you must have video content because again, if you're a speaker that's what they wanna see.

[00:17:24] Bobby Umar: They wanna see how you are in video for sure, because that's the closest to being live. But having the diverse ones are far better.

[00:17:30] Michelle J Raymond: If I was to think about this, I was just thinking before when you mentioned white paper, my eyes lit up. I love to read and learn, so I'd be like straight there. But then if I just did that, then all of my fabulous podcast listeners who are listening to this or watching it over on YouTube would miss out, because I'd just be doing things my way.

[00:17:52] Michelle J Raymond: So I think it's a really important point that you note that everybody learns different. Everybody's attracted to different styles of content, at different times. It might change. Some days I might not have time to read a white paper, but I can give you 30 seconds for your short clip of videos.

[00:18:07] Michelle J Raymond: So this is what I want to kind of say to people. Explore the different kinds of content that are out there too. Sometimes it's really nice to expand your thoughts and write long, or at least I find it that way. And other times I'm like, you know what? I've got so many things going on, I've just gotta get something done and I make it much shorter.

[00:18:24] Michelle J Raymond: So I think mixing it up, mixing up the styles is definitely great advice.

 When we started speaking earlier, you mentioned about networking as being, part of what you think speakers should be using LinkedIn for. How can speakers use LinkedIn to discover speaking opportunities and maybe other collaborations?

[00:18:43] Bobby Umar: The first easiest thing to do is to I actually target and target hashtags and target people. There are certain people out there, for example, event planners who are putting events out there all the time.

[00:18:52] Bobby Umar: So you start to see what's out there and what people are organizing. And so you can start commenting on them and engaging them and having that conversation. There's other people who do posts on LinkedIn, but also other platforms too. They'll use hashtags. They'll have conference event, things like that.

[00:19:07] Bobby Umar: And when you find them, you'll find people as you post about these events on LinkedIn and you start talking to them and start engaging, Hey, this is really interesting. Tell me more about this event. And I think that works really well to start getting people's attention. So you can find people who are organizers or event specialists, but also people who are posting about it, whether they spoke at the event or they attended the event, or they're actually organizing the event.

[00:19:27] Bobby Umar: People will share this content on LinkedIn and other platforms, and you can leverage that by engaging them in a really positive way while sharing expertise and starting a conversation, which then leads to potential opportunities.

[00:19:39] Michelle J Raymond: Absolutely. I agree with all of that and I think that's been one of the things.

[00:19:44] Michelle J Raymond: I haven't proactively been doing that 'cause speaking isn't my main focus, but that's the way that I have been able to guest on so many different podcasts. For people that want that to start off with. It's an easy way to just use the search bar or have a look around in the newsfeed and see what pops up and get involved in those conversations.

[00:20:04] Michelle J Raymond: I don't think speaking gigs go to people who sit on the sidelines and hide in the grandstands while everyone else is playing the game. So it's time to get out and about. You also, mentioned something about in the lead up to events, as you're getting ready speaking at the event and after the event and sharing content around that.

[00:20:23] Michelle J Raymond: Can you speak to that a little bit more about the types of things that you do and, does that get speakers invited more places?

[00:20:31] Bobby Umar: Yeah, because it's not just about that one post, but doing multiple posts. For example, when I arrive and let's say I'm gonna stay in a hotel, I'm here at the hotel guys and I'm about to speak tomorrow or later today.

[00:20:42] Bobby Umar: Really grateful for them, for bringing me in here today. It's gonna be an awesome show. And that's one post. Then, okay, a post of photos of me on stage and here's what I talked about. It was really amazing. So much thanks to the organizers. And then later on I'm at the network event. Guys, this is really great, the buzz, the energy.

[00:20:57] Bobby Umar: This is so great. I got my phone, the buzz energy is so great guys and I, who's here with me and all that stuff. Doing it multiple times and in telling like Instagram stories and all the LinkedIn posts I'll do over several days. People love that. And then the other thing I'll do is I'll actually post about it, in reflection.

[00:21:11] Bobby Umar: Oh man, I, I remember that thing I did a month ago. Here's a video that I forgot to share, right? Purposely forgot to share. And this is really great. And they like that because they like, oh, maybe we'll bring Bobby back because he's just so positive on our event and he's really promoting us. Because they love that, they love it when you promote their event, but if you do it multiple times with multiple pieces of content.

[00:21:29] Bobby Umar: You are also taking people to the journey of sharing the behind the scenes. Sometimes they even share I'm prepping, like I'm prepping my speech. Here's a snapshot of what I'm doing.

[00:21:37] Bobby Umar: Again it's a great way to take people on the journey with you so that they're more likely to engage with you.

[00:21:42] Michelle J Raymond: I think that's the thing as I begin to get closer to, heading over to the U.S to speak, that's what I need to start doing now. 'Cause I'm super excited, that I can guarantee you. I know that my audience is excited for me and I think you can feel that excitement.

[00:22:01] Michelle J Raymond: When you put that kind of genuine content out there and being authentic and saying. Maybe I'm nervous, maybe I'm excited, maybe I'm everywhere in between depending on the day that you ask me. But ultimately, I think that there is such a massive opportunity for speakers to be seen, be heard, get opportunities if they're just active on the platform and working towards that goal.

[00:22:24] Bobby Umar: Let me add one more thing too, which is, if you're international speaking or if you're traveling. Sharing the sites of where you're traveling to is really helpful. For example, I've been to like Dubai and Tunisia and India, and I'm sharing the sites of where I'm at. People love that. People love the travel stuff. It's really powerful.

[00:22:41] Bobby Umar: So sharing those moments too, like I'm here at this really cool place. That goes a long way too. For international travel, like sharing that stuff, sharing that adventure. That sense of adventure, that feeling of FOMO. People love that too. And they love good stories.

[00:22:52] Bobby Umar: They love being happy for you. I'm happy for you and I'm gonna celebrate being happy for you, and I can't wait to see the journey. So share that, celebrate it, and all of us are rooting for you big time.

[00:23:03] Michelle J Raymond: Thank you. I am gonna take that one personally because I am super excited, and I'm also, it depends on the moment, not gonna lie.

[00:23:11] Michelle J Raymond: There's parts of me that freak out and think, not because the room's gonna be full, but in my mind I'm like. What if no one comes, which is just crazy, but just to keep it real for people out there. I'm a human just like everybody else, but I intend to show up and bring it and deliver every piece of value that I've got.

[00:23:28] Michelle J Raymond: But Bobby, every single show, I ask my amazing experts for One last actionable tip. What would you like to leave today for speakers who might be contemplating whether LinkedIn is the right place for them or not?

[00:23:40] Bobby Umar: So my one last tip. I always like to tell people that I think every person particularly wants to be a speaker. You should put together a three-minute personal branded life story.

[00:23:48] Bobby Umar: And what that means is it is usually between three to five minutes long, but you're basically sharing your story, your brand, a little bit of your life, and what your purpose is as a person, as a leader, and as a speaker. And you put that in a three to five minute video and you put that on LinkedIn and it's there in my featured section.

[00:24:04] Bobby Umar: It's called Everyone has a story, purpose, and legacy. And that's my story for the world I recorded a few years ago. But I think everyone should do that. It's such a great tool that can actually lead to speaking gigs. It can lead to people being inspired by your message and knowing exactly who you are and what you do and getting clients.

[00:24:21] Bobby Umar: But most importantly, it can also lead to getting a TED talk because the snippet you put for three to five minutes to me can be a keynote. It can be a TED talk. It can be something that attracts audiences. And if you have that, put that on LinkedIn, put in the featured section and make sure it's fantastic and well produced.

[00:24:37] Michelle J Raymond: That is amazing advice. Now, Bobby Umar, I am going to put all of your contact details into the show notes. I encourage all of the listeners to come across to your profile. Top right-hand corner, underneath the banner is a bell. You are going to want to ring that so that you don't miss Bobby's content, especially if it is you that is trying to get a TEDx talk.

[00:24:57] Michelle J Raymond: There is no one better that can help you. So Bobby, thank you so much for coming on the show. Thank you for everything that you've shared. Thank you as always for being a massive supporter of mine. I appreciate you more than I probably let you know I should do a better job of that, but this is my shout out to the whole, community that Bobby, you're the real deal.

[00:25:16] Michelle J Raymond: You are such a cheerleader for everybody else's success and I appreciate you and I just want you to know that while I've got you here.

[00:25:22] Bobby Umar: Thank you Michelle, I appreciate that.

[00:25:24] Bobby Umar: Speakers we're all in a "co-opetition" we're cooperative and it's competitive, but it's cooperative. I think that's a really important piece.

[00:25:30] Michelle J Raymond: Yeah, absolutely. And you are the shining star for that. So thank you.

[00:25:34] Michelle J Raymond: Until next week listeners. Cheers.