????親愛的安妮：我在一家大公司任中高層管理職務，就像你在最近的一篇專欄文章中所寫，我真地感到自己被困在這里了。我認為，我應當到其他地方尋找更好的機會，或許在一家小一點的公司。如果我能憑借一己之長獲得高端獵頭關注的話就更好了，他們也許正在物色像我這樣的人。

????我常常聽說，要將自己打造成某一特定領域內的“專家型人才”，一個辦法就是在會議或其他行業集會中發表演講。但我的問題是，如何能獲得這樣的機會？難道會議組織者尋找的不都是有經驗的演講嘉賓嗎——（這是一個經典的第二十條軍規），如果你沒有演講的經驗，如何才能獲得這樣的機會呢？——“閑不住”

????親愛的“閑不住”：獵頭們參加會議物色人才，這當然是真的（這也是為什么積極參加會議是一個聰明的做法，就算東家不給你埋單也沒關系）。但“如果認為沒有發言經驗，就不可能作為發言人參加全國性的活動，那就犯了一個常見的錯誤，”麗薩?卡爾霍恩說?！皩嶋H情況遠非如此。”

????卡爾霍恩是亞特蘭大專門組織各類會議的傳播公司Write2Market的CEO。她說：“會議組織者們最缺的就是發言人，知名的、不知名的都可以，只要他們在特定主題領域有實踐的專家級知識技能?！?/p>

????對于如何獲得大型活動的演講機會，她給出了三步建議。首先，“整理一份清單，列出所有你能讓與會者深受教益會議?？梢詤⒄杖ツ陼h安排，研究這些機會?！笨柣舳髡f。第二步，“找出自己獨一無二的地方，這樣你提議的演講內容才能脫穎而出。”

????第三步，給安排發言人的負責人發一封簡明的郵件?！按_定并列出與會者將會學到的三項具體內容，最好用要點來簡要列明。然后，用一兩句話說明為什么你格外適合討論這些話題，”卡爾霍恩說?！敖涍^精心調研、切實可行的提議擁有異常高的接受率?！?/p>

????可能不會第一次就成為主題演講人，她補充說，但沒關系。在適合的會議中進行一次分會討論，可以在較小范圍的聽眾群體中建立聲望，他們對你的看法至關重要，因此“不要看輕分組討論。積極申請，”卡爾霍恩建議說?！霸跁h上發言時，請一個朋友拍下演講的過程，下次就可以用這段視頻來申請新的發言機會了?！?/p>

????Dear Annie: I'm in upper-middle management at a big company where, as you wrote about in your recent column, I really feel stuck. I think I'd have a better shot at moving up somewhere else, maybe at a smaller company, especially if I can leverage my expertise in my field to get the attention of executive recruiters who might be searching for someone like me.

????I've heard over and over again that one way to establish a reputation as a "go-to" person in a specialized area of knowledge is to give speeches at conferences and other industry gatherings, but my question is, how does one break into that? Don't conference organizers usually look for experienced speakers -- and (a classic Catch-22), if you don't have speaking experience, how are you supposed to get it? — Restless

????Dear Restless: It's certainly true that recruiters scout conferences for talent (which is one reason why it's smart to go to them, even if your employer won't foot the bill). But "it's a common misperception that, if you have no speaking experience, you can't break in to national events as a speaker," says Lisa Calhoun. "Nothing could be further from the truth."

????Calhoun is CEO of Write2Market, an Atlanta-based communications firm that organizes conferences. "What conference organizers are dying for is speakers, unknown or not, who have practical, expert know-how in a given subject area," she says.

????She recommends three steps for getting a spot on the program at a big event. First, "make a list of all the conferences where you think attendees would have a lot to learn from you. Research those opportunities by looking at the program from last year's conference," Calhoun says. Second, "figure out what makes you unique, so that your proposed session will stand out."

????And third, send a succinct email to the person in charge of lining up speakers. "Be sure and identify three specific items that session attendees will learn, preferably in a short list of bullet points. Then write a sentence or two on why you are particularly qualified to address these topics," Calhoun says. "Well-researched, practical proposals have a tremendously high acceptance rate."

????You probably won't be a keynote speaker your first time out, she adds, but that's okay. A breakout session at the right conference can actually establish your reputation among the smaller subset of attendees whose opinion of you matters most, so "don't discount breakout sessions. Apply for them diligently," Calhoun advises. "And when you do address one, get a friend to videotape your presentation, so you can use the video in your next round of speaking submissions."