Speaking engagements are an excellent opportunity for dietitians to share their knowledge, network with other professionals, and build their reputation within the industry. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore various strategies that can help you land more speaking engagements as a dietitian and boost your career opportunities.

Establishing your expertise and niche

Before you can begin pitching yourself as a speaker, it's essential to establish your expertise and choose a niche or target audience. Consider your unique strengths, experiences, and areas of knowledge to find a specific focus that will resonate with event organizers and attendees. Building a personal brand around this niche will help you stand out in a competitive market.

Creating a compelling speaker profile or speaker sheet

A well-crafted speaker profile, or speaker sheet, is crucial for attracting the attention of event organizers. Start by writing an engaging biography that showcases your qualifications and past achievements, highlighting any previous speaking engagements or media appearances, even if these experiences were in your dietetic internship. Everything counts as experience!

Design a professional speaker one-sheet that includes your biography, headshot, and contact information. Don't forget to gather testimonials and endorsements from past event attendees and organizers to enhance your credibility.

Your speaker profile, or speaker sheet, can live on your website and on your LinkedIn profile.

Developing captivating presentations

To engage your audience, you'll need to develop captivating presentations that address trending topics within your niche. Create a compelling presentation structure that incorporates storytelling and audience engagement techniques to keep listeners interested.

Prepare visually appealing and informative slides to support your presentation and enhance its impact.

Building your speaking portfolio

Begin by participating in local events, workshops, and online webinars to gain experience and build your speaking portfolio. Record your presentations and create a highlight reel to showcase your speaking abilities. You can even record yourself when you give virtual presentations on Zoom. Establish a digital presence with a professional website, blog, and active social media profiles to reach a broader audience.

Networking and making connections

Attending industry conferences and events will help you connect with potential speaking opportunities. Join professional organizations and online communities where you can meet event organizers and other speakers. Collaborate with other dietitians and professionals to expand your network and increase your chances of landing speaking engagements.

Pitching yourself as a speaker

Research relevant conferences and events in your niche, and craft a tailored pitch to event organizers that highlights your expertise, presentation topics, and what value you can bring to their event. Follow up with event organizers regularly and stay persistent in your outreach efforts. Leverage your existing connections for introductions and referrals to potential speaking opportunities.

Maximizing visibility and promotion

Promote your speaking engagements on social media and engage with your audience before and after events. Work with event organizers to collaborate on marketing and promotion efforts, and ensure your speaking engagements receive maximum visibility. Repurpose your presentations into articles, blog posts, or videos to extend their reach and showcase your expertise.

Continually improving your speaking skills

Seek feedback from event attendees and organizers to identify areas for improvement in your speaking skills. Participate in public speaking courses and workshops to refine your abilities further. Watch and learn from other successful speakers to gather inspiration and new techniques. Adapt your presentations and speaking style to suit different audiences and environments.

My interview with Toni Toledo on How to Land More Virtual Speaking Engagements as a Dietitian

Stacey with NutritionJobs:

I am really excited to be able to talk about how to land more virtual speaking engagements. I have a really wonderful special guest with me today, Toni Marie Toledo, MPH, RDN, a seasoned podcast host, and a dietitian who has both a traditional job, a non-traditional job, and is known to be an amazing virtual speaker. So welcome, Toni.

Toni Marie Toledo, MPH, RDN:

Thank you. I'm, I mean, how great is this? I'm looking at this screen of the two of us next to each other and realizing just how the universe has conspired for this collaboration. So I'm thrilled. Thank you, Stacey.

Stacey with NutritionJobs:

You and I met several years ago at a local dietetic association in-person meeting. It was just before the global COVID-19 lockdown. I discovered the world of virtual speaking, but I watched you explode in the world of virtual speaking as a dietitian. You were on fire, and have been on fire since then.

I've listened to a lot of your talks and I find you to be very relaxing, engaging, full of brilliant words and information.

I would love for you to share how you got involved in virtual speaking as a dietitian.

Toni Marie Toledo, MPH, RDN:

My experience as a dietitian has been varied. I've lived in different parts of the country and traveled a lot internationally. And I think that has informed not just who I am, but how I show up as a professional. I think exposure to different places, people and different cultures drove me or pulled me into public health.

I've been working in public health off and on for over 30 years, in direct service in the research world at Stanford University and at University of Minnesota.

Then I did a lot of direct service in behavior change. I'm a behavior change junkie, so that plays into all of this as well. I have also done private practice, a lot of different areas in the world of nutrition, but mostly in that public health sphere.

And now I'm teaching at San Jose State.

I have the podcast, Path Positive Approaches to Health.

I also am working with the medically tailored meals program, Teen Kitchen Project, which is a brand new area for me.

Stacey with NutritionJobs:

I like that you said that it doesn't come easy, because I think listening to you give a presentation, it sounds easy, it's easy to listen to, and you have confidence and ease, and I think that's what makes you attractive to get speaking engagements.

How, how many speaking engagements would you say you are either asked to do or you are volunteering to do in maybe a span of a month?

Toni Marie Toledo, MPH, RDN:

I would say two to three speaking engagements per month in addition to my regular work at San Jose State, the Teen Kitchen Project, and the podcast (the passion project!). I also teach for the CDC Pediatric and Adult Weight Management Program, which threads into public speaking as well. And then as an ASCEND reviewer, I do some public speaking too.

Public speaking shows up in unique ways and then these talks sort of pepper in as they fit with my schedule and as interest allows, if that makes sense.

Stacey with NutritionJobs:

It sounds like you get a lot of practice just in your day-to-day work, which I think is true for a lot of dietitians as well. We are communicating a lot with our clients or peers, whether it is in a hospital setting or outside of that.

Could you speak about how you come up with the topics and what speaking niche you have found for yourself.

Toni Marie Toledo, MPH, RDN:

I would say first and foremost, this has come from trying to be very aware and connected to myself as a person and as a dietitian clinician professional. Because most of these topics have come from just natural interest or where my life has sort of been going over the years. Again, the pod has been a big catapult, but then I think from the pod we were just collaborating with so many people that it made sense to talk about collaborations and promote and enlist and, and shout from the rooftops because they feel so strongly about us as dietitians working together and lifting each other up. I listen to a lot of podcasts. I try to explore a lot of different perspectives and, you know, it might even be like things I'm reading.

Stacey with NutritionJobs:

I think being different is the definition of “niche.” What spawns your creativity?

Toni Marie Toledo, MPH, RDN:

Listening to podcasts, reading, projects at work, things that people ask me about. And oftentimes it's even those things that people will ask me about that I don't know much about and I think I better dig in here. It's a weak spot to fill out my experience or grow in some way. I try to just be very cognizant of the conversations out there.

Stacey with NutritionJobs:

How often are you out there reaching out to present versus how you're attracting speaking opportunities?

Toni Marie Toledo, MPH, RDN:.

A lot of speaking opportunities come organically. There's a passive way of this occurring and then there's an active way. So the passive for me is kind of the conversations, like I said, the people in my circle, my colleagues. You know, just mentioning that I do talks. And, and sometimes that turns into an invitation as well. Active for me is when I am looking at RFPs that are out there. I'm looking at webinars that are coming around on Instagram.

I follow a lot of dietetic associations just to see what people are doing, local and state. Sometimes there's a promotion and I toss my hat in the ring. I will go to the website and look at the request for a proposal, the speaking application.

Stacey with NutritionJobs:

What advice do you have for us when we show up on LinkedIn or other social media outlets to attract more virtual speaking engagements?

Toni Marie Toledo, MPH, RDN:

LinkedIn: I will just say that the LinkedIn presence and connections. I have received requests for being a keynote speaker as a result of my LinkedIn page.

Facebook: I know that that's a great resource for people.

Instagram: But even on Instagram, I only went on Instagram for our podcast before I had zero social media. And so I've just allowed myself the runway to learn it and get familiar with it, show up as myself and my co-host. I try to show our authentic personalities, who we are and what we believe in. And through Instagram, really so many relationships have developed. I have gotten connected to a myriad different people in different fields and disciplines.

Cold calls: And sometimes I make cold calls. Sometimes it's someone I've met at a conference or a webinar, and it's been a wonderful way, a great conduit for connection and therefore has led to quite a few speaking engagements for me.

Stacey with NutritionJobs:

Having that information about being a public speaker or virtual speaker in your bio, whether it's your LinkedIn Headline, your Instagram bio, Facebook bio, Twitter bio, and YouTube as well.

You can have a recording of your presentations. You can actually create a zoom recording of yourself, giving a talk and it could just be you and your slides. And that can go up onto your LinkedIn profile as an example.

Maybe some featured section at the featured section where you show what you do and how you are available as a virtual speaker. But the same goes for Facebook. You know, having that in your profile, having that in your bio, like who you are, your headline, whatever you wanna call it, saying that you're a speaker, that you're available for it, and this is how they can contact you.

What are some of your why's for virtual speaking? How do you like to serve your business or your career with your talks?

Toni Marie Toledo, MPH, RDN:

Connect. Connection is what courses through my veins.

Stacey with NutritionJobs:

Have you ever used a speaker info sheet?

Toni Marie Toledo, MPH, RDN:

That is so funny because my co-host and I both have been kind of tiptoeing around it because it felt like such a herculean effort to do it. And we just had some guests on our podcast that have a huge podcast, they're very famous, and they sent us a one-pager that was so succinct and clean, and it made both Jenny and I realize, oh my gosh, we can do this. So we're in the process right now of putting that together, and it's been on the list for years.

Stacey with NutritionJobs:

What's your craft for creating confidence? Or how do you prepare for a presentation, a virtual presentation, either the day of or, behind the scenes.

Toni Marie Toledo, MPH, RDN:

I realized in preparing for today that this term applies to my process of creating talks. And that is beautiful mess because it really is a beautiful mess trying to capture what the theme is, what I'm invited to speak about, or what I pres what I'm deciding to speak about. Again, whether or not it's something I've crafted. And then I need to personalize, customize for the audience, the new group, the the attendees. Or if it's something brand new, I have to allow for the mess because it is for me, just for me messy. I go through sort of my inspiration phase where I'm just like bringing things in, ideas, materials. I get a blank slide deck and I just sort of park things there for a while.

Stacey with NutritionJobs:

What is the future of virtual speaking engagements?

Toni Marie Toledo, MPH, RDN:

The future is bright and I think that virtual speaking is the future. And I see us showing up in some really, really creative ways.

I just love having virtual speaking as a skill and one of the dimensions of my career. And I think that it is such a safe way to get out there. The virtual format can be very forgiving. We have ways to engage and make these speaking engagements really interesting: whether it's Q and A, or polls or virtual conversations. The gold standard for me, because I'm a people person, will always be face-to-face, next to each other. But virtual speaking has been a delightful and cool way to have access to and to grow as a person and as a professional.

Stacey with NutritionJobs:

Our mutual dietitian friend Jessica Setnick, MS, RD, CEDRD-S, authored a really great book, The Dietitian's Guide To Professional Speaking. It's a really valuable resource. How can people connect with you?

Toni Marie Toledo, MPH, RDN:

Just do a search on LinkedIn, Instagram, and wherever you listen to podcasts, to find me and my work.

I also want to say that I realize we're all such different people with different characteristics and qualities and comfort levels when it comes to speaking. I think at the end of the day, anyone who goes into nutrition, dietitians in particular because of the training we have, is already a storyteller.

We tell stories through case studies and through counseling sessions. We have so many ways that we tell stories all the time. So if this feels like virtually speaking is something out of reach for you, I would look at what you do day to day and look at how that passion manifests and see if there's a way to link that toward virtual or any kind of speaking.

Stacey with NutritionJobs:

Dietitians are fantastic speakers, in-person or virtual, because we're really great at being able to communicate information, whether it's science to consumers or whether it's information to help other dietitians be more successful in their careers. I think dietitians are perfect for being able to provide speaking services.

Thank you, Toni, for the work that you're doing as a dietitian for our profession and for sharing your knowledge on virtual speaking.

Takeaways

Landing more speaking engagements as a dietitian requires a combination of strategies, including establishing your expertise, building a compelling speaker profile, developing captivating presentations, networking, and continually improving your speaking skills. By following the guidance provided in this comprehensive guide, you can increase your chances of securing speaking engagements and showcasing your expertise to a broader audience.