MCLE Credits For My Speech. A Work In Progress
I'm putting the final touches on my Activity Approval Application with the State Bar of California in order to offer MCLE credits for my latest speech for legal professionals. This is a presentation that I've been working on for several months and it's almost there. You know that feeling you get when a big project or task -- one that has weighed you down for a long, long time -- when that project or task nears completion, how good it feels? The light is at the end of the tunnel for me to get this speech out there. Thank God!
Why Would A Court Reporter Be Giving A Speech To Legal Secretaries and Paralegals For MCLE Credits?
The title of my speech is M is for Marketing -- How To Market Yourself To Become Indispensable to your Law Firm. It is geared for legal secretaries and paralegals. But why exactly am I going to be talking about that subject? More importantly, what possibly could I as a court reporter and court reporting firm owner have to say about such things?
Good question.
#1 Reason for me to speak at legal associations.
It's fun. If it weren't fun to get up there and speak, I don't think I would do it. Period.
#2 Reason for me to give my speech in front of legal secretaries and paralegals.
It's good exposure for my company. Let's face it. What do you think is faster -- going around marketing my services to law firms door to door -- OR -- creating a valuable speech that law firm staffers will care about and deliver that speech at an association dinner? Yep, you guessed it. Door No. 1.
#3 Reason for me to public speak
It's a way of being helpful. And being helpful feels good. I know that the students to whom I've spoken to during my court reporting student speeches have all gotten at least something from hearing me speak. But -- and this is the kicker -- there has been no one more blessed by the experience than me. It feels very good to be helpful in this way. My hope and prayer during my upcoming legal secretary and paralegal speeches is that they will find the information I present useful and helpful. (As well as fun and at least a little entertaining!) (As well as earn MCLE credits!!)
Here is a description of my topic taken directly from my MCLE application:
The State Bar of California says it needs to, Improve communication with members about what products are available; broaden the array of products available; increase the perceived value and quality of the products. Thus, legal secretary associations and individual secretaries need to market themselves accordingly.
The main thrust of this presentation is to discuss ways in which legal secretaries can market themselves better to their law firms - in addition to - ways in which legal associations can market themselves better to their membership base.
For the purposes of this presentation, the term marketing is defined as: Showcasing your ability to solve the problems of the person who pays you. It is an important distinction to realize who the person who pays you is. We do an in-depth analysis on who exactly it is who pays you. Basically, the person who pays you is the client.Another principle is discussed. The principle that nothing stays the same. You are either growing or shrinking - as a person or as an association. Therefore it is critical to stay intentionally proactive. Thus marketing yourself is an on-going, never-ceasing task that everyone does all the time whether they realize it or not.
Next in the presentation is a discovery of the steps towards client problem solving. Several examples of ways to intuit where there is a problem are given. Practical and probing questions are asked in an effort to show people how to quickly discover where problem areas are. For example, the audience is asked to complete the following questions as related to their law firms, It would be smarter if my firm did ____. Or If this were my company, I would ____. The idea is to get people thinking about problem solving from a constructive standpoint rather than complaining.
Additionally, several examples of finding the itch and scratching it are given to spur further problem-solving.Once a problem has been identified, the next step is to actually solve it. The audience is encouraged to be resourceful as well as creative when finding solutions. Several examples of problems solved by Fortune 500 companies are discussed as illustrations. Finally, the third step is to showcase one's ability to problem solve. This idea of showcasing is really another term for marketing. This is shown to be the critical final step in a self-marketing plan and the one that makes legal professionals indispensable to their law firms.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
