Break into speaking

Here’s how one dental hygienist expanded her career options by hitting the podium.

by Karen Davis, RDH, BSDH

I’ve recently returned from the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting, where I lectured on “Creating the Ultimate Doctor-Patient Hygiene Exam,” and provided an all-day course on advanced concepts for comprehensive and profitable hygiene. Soon, I’ll be off to San Diego for the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration, which I will attend as a student, so to speak, because there are always so many outstanding speakers there. This is what it’s like to be a professional speaker in dentistry and dental hygiene: you’re constantly traveling, learning and meeting interesting people.

The greatest benefit to speaking is meeting people. If you enjoy people, public speaking is an amazing platform because you really do have a chance to touch lives and make a difference. In turn, people touch your life with the feedback they provide and the stories they share.

I’ve been speaking for about 20 years and I usually address 30 to 35 audiences a year. I first became attracted to public speaking when I attended a meeting of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association in Dallas, during my first year out of dental hygiene school. The topic was dental insurance, but I distinctly remember listening to the speaker and thinking, “Wow, she’s got a fun job.”

About six years later, when I joined the practice of Dr. Tom McDougal in Richardson, Texas, I was invited to speak to hygienists when they attended Dr. McDougal’s seminars. And I thought, “What a terrific opportunity.” Well, from there people would hear my presentations, mention them to others and the invitations to speak at more meetings started to grow. In 1999, I decided to pursue public speaking  as my primary career.

Anyone interested in dental speaking, whether as a career or a side endeavor to clinical practice, would benefit by listening to and learning from other speakers. All of them made their way into this profession from different avenues and you can learn a lot from their experiences. I also advise people to find a niche, a subject that captivates you, one that you’re willing to spend a great deal of time learning about, and then understanding how best to communicate your knowledge.

I also recommend working with a marketing firm to develop a presentation packet of information that looks very professional and marketable. Most of us need input to help guide that process.
It’s also a good idea to write articles for publications. This helps get your message and name out there. Finally, you should be willing to do a lot of writing and speaking for minimal or no fee. This helped me improve my delivery, increase my confidence and develop a repertoire of referrals and testimonials.  And with those, I would have people say, “Yes, we had her. Great information. Very passionate! You’ve gotta have her, too.”  

Karen Davis, RDH, is founder of Cutting Edge Concepts. She can be reached at karen@karendavis.net.