August 31, 2021 | By Shannon DeConda, CPC, CEMC, CEMA, CPMA, CRTT
Had you asked me 18 years ago when I first started out as a consultant if I would ever be a public speaker on national speaking circuits, my resounding answer would have been “Haha, no way!”. Today, I am bestowed the honor of speaking at events all size and sorts on the regular, and often I am asked how others can pursue the skills and such speaking opportunities. It is NOT necessary to have formal speaking or coaching training unless you feel your skills need vast improvement, but I also wouldn’t suggest applying to speak to large audiences until you have some solid experience and feel 100% comfortable and confident in your topic. I found my comfort level with speaking by teaching a 6th-grade training class. Creating engagement to keep a group of 6th graders’ attention, getting them to be interactive, and rewording and refocusing educational topics not grasped on the first attempt provided a foundation built on training and not merely educating attendees. While I speak on a variety of topics related to auditing, coding, billing, and compliance, my formative years in speaking were strictly devoted to E&M because I made it my mission to learn it- inside and out, forward and backward- in every way possible. Find your passion- find your way of getting comfortable speaking and training others. Volunteer to speak at your local chapter events. Create a PowerPoint presentation, record yourself presenting your topic, and critique your work. There are many ways to develop your talent!
Catch Shannon speak at the 13th Annual NAMAS Auditing & Compliance Conference in-person and Live Stream from Clearwater Beach, Florida – December 6-8, 2021
