Top Tips for your Next Corporate Citizenship Speaking Engagement

Nov 5, 2014 10:30 AM ET

It is two hours before I speak to the National Hispanic Corporate Council on how to connect citizenship to corporate communications - and I'm sick to my stomach. There is no need for alarm. I speak in public often, and for better or for worse, this always seems to happen. Apparently, it's just nerves. No amount of preparation seems to calm my nerves, but it did get me thinking, what am I doing that is working? What could I do to improve my public speaking? I'm not the only one speaking more and more in public. Increasingly, corporate citizenship professionals are being asked to make the case for the work they do in boardrooms, town halls, and break rooms. Inside your company, much of the "low-hanging fruit" has been picked and the "usual" programs and campaigns are being squeezed or cut completely. In the community, your stakeholders are becoming increasingly knowledgeable, connected and demanding more transparency and accountability. When you present your corporate citizenship initiatives to executives and colleagues, how do you secure support?

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