Erik Vos (LinkedIn profile) has worked and presented in 91 countries and counting. In this interview he talks a bit about speaking at conferences, and gives some tips to other speakers.

As you’ll hear, he’s a big supporter of preparing a lot (a man after our own hearts!), and of the value of a conference speech being in the increased confidence that it gives to the speaker, and how business development follows that, not the other way around.

He also discusses the importance of a good introduction, an important detail many speakers (and their introducers) don’t give the focus it deserves.

One of the main threads flowing through the second half of Erik’s interview was the importance of understanding your audience. In the interview, Erik gives some great tips about how to do that when you are speaking to people you don’t know personally.

By the way, in our pre-interview chat, we discussed, in depth, tailoring your words to your audience. It’s an art in and of itself, and it can take years of experience to know how to do it like a professional. So enjoy the tips Erik gives in this interview, but know that behind the words you hear from Erik here, is an impressively deep understanding of the nuances behind the tips.