An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Be clear on key points you want to deliver (tell the audience what you’re going to tell them, tell them the key points, summarize the key takeaways)
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Lindsey Carnett.
Lindsey Carnett is the CEO and President of Marketing Maven. She founded Marketing Maven in 2009, after leading integrated communications campaigns for firms and private industries across the world. With over two decades of experience, Lindsey founded Marketing Maven to elevate the public relations and marketing objectives of clients and provide tangible results.
Named one of the Most Entrepreneurial Companies in America and one of the Fastest Growing Companies in America, Marketing Maven is a bicoastal lifestyle and consumer marketing agency. The agency specializes in international and domestic public relations, social media, reputation management, direct response marketing, U.S. product launches, SEO, event PR, and Spanish media. The team also executes research for clients, identifying growth opportunities for businesses through MavenMapping, a market research and competitive analysis to provide a marketing roadmap for B2C, B2B, or B2G companies.
Working with clients in the health, nutrition, hospitality, beauty, fashion, lifestyle, and consumer spaces, Marketing Maven also pitches and books media coverage on national TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, and online. Additional services include media tours, media training, byline articles, SEO, press releases, crisis communications, event marketing, media training, retail support, Hispanic marketing, nationally recognized PR stunts, booking speaking opportunities, and tradeshow support. Lindsey is a trusted public relations advisor to national and international organizations and has been named an Enterprising Women Award Winner, Top Woman in Public Relations by PR News, a Top Woman in Media, and featured in the Forbes Most Powerful Women Business Leader issue. She also has offered expert insight via news outlets like TheStreet.com, National Public Radio (NPR), The Doctors, The Jeff Probst Show, Telemundo, USA Today, PR Week, Forbes Woman, Medium, Gizmodo, and Thrive Global.
She believes in giving back and has sat on the Board of Directors for Women in Sports in Events serving as their Co–VP of Marketing, served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Los Angeles Chapter, Electronic Retailing Association, and The Victory Club for California Lutheran University and is a member of the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce where she was 2021 40 Under Forty Honoree, VISTAGE, W Source, and Women Presidents’ Organization.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in a suburban neighborhood in Southern California as the daughter of an elementary school teacher and a psychologist. When I was eight, my mom, dad, brother and I moved to Washington State. I went from doing tap, Jazz and ballet to doing Tae-Kwon-Do, raising sheep on a small farm, playing soccer, volleyball, softball, basketball and competing in gymnastics. At 16 years old, I had the opportunity to represent Washington State in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China playing soccer through the Washington Cultural Exchange Program with my best friends. We spent Y2K in Hong Kong! I graduated early from high school and lived in Cuernavaca, Mexico for a month where I lived with a host family and spent my hard-earned money from summer jobs on a total immersion language program for myself. For college, I decided to return to sunny Southern California and attended California Lutheran University. I played NCAA Division 3 Women’s Soccer for all four years and was the captain during my junior and senior year. I graduated with two majors: Spanish and Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations and Advertising.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
In high school, I originally planned to study biochemistry in college. I wanted to find a cure for cancer, and that’s one of the reasons I attended California Lutheran University, since many of the graduates work for Amgen. I changed career paths when I had the opportunity to intern at a public relations firm in Los Angeles. During college, the pay was very good to write press releases and I was pleasantly surprised that I could work while traveling. I would arrange media interviews for clients while traveling to soccer games. I scored my first Wall Street Journal article at age 20. It was on the front page, above the fold on a Monday morning. Securing that piece of coverage felt like scoring the winning soccer goal in a championship game! I was hooked. I would continue to represent clients at red carpet events, the largest awards shows, and enjoyed the challenge of securing earned media coverage for a variety of personalities in a variety of industries!
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
In high school I was the friend with the gregarious personality who would say yes to dares to make my friends laugh. After I started my firm, Marketing Maven, my friend Aljolynn came to work for me, and she dared me to invite a celebrity we spotted at a design industry event at MOMA in NYC to an event we were hosting for our Norwegian client at the Consul General’s penthouse in NYC. The celebrity said yes and it ultimately turned into a collaboration where we would all travel to Norway together on a Norwegian Design Tour to promote the export of Scandinavian designs to the U.S. — see 3:15 in the video https://youtu.be/Furw0saK0d0).
It was truly the trip of a lifetime. From seeing the fjords via helicopters to salmon safaris, the experiences we had together can truly never be matched. And in terms of press, we secured national TV, national radio and a front page of the national newspaper!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The funniest mistake I made didn’t feel funny at the time. I was pitching media in Kansas and apparently I had called the tornado warning hotline, so I had caused a siren for a tornado warning to be triggered. I received a return call from someone who angrily let me know what I had done. I learned to double and triple check the contacts you are reaching out to and exactly what their roles are.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I am grateful to one of my first bosses, Gwen Kent. She helped me connect the dots between my contributions on the marketing side and how they tied into the success of the business. She included me in discussions with executives at the boardroom table that most marketing professionals in their early twenties don’t have access to. I was able to catch a major mistake in a financial spreadsheet that ultimately helped the company to save millions of dollars. Many of the executives didn’t think there was an error, but Gwen championed my findings straight to the top and supported me each step of the way. She continues to be one of my biggest cheerleaders to this day. She’s a sounding board for me as a working mother and someone who really understands negotiations in international business.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
My biggest advice is not to get discouraged. You are bound to have many doors slammed on your face but it’s absolutely true that if you keep working hard and you’re good at it, that other doors will open. In the marketing industry you must understand the nuances of each business you are representing. Growth mindset and being coachable will take you far. Having clear goals and working hard to attain those goals will help to keep you focused. Learn from your mistakes but don’t dwell on them. Don’t blame others for failures. Take responsibility when things don’t work out and ask for help from a subject matter expert who can help you improve so you can do better next time.
What drives you to get up everyday and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
I love fighting for the underdog. I am obsessed with winning and want my clients to win! I love amplifying the messages of purpose-driven businesses. My team and I have the ability to research an audience, identify the best message and connect with that audience on behalf of a cause. I love inspiring my team to go out into the world and have a positive impact. It invigorates me. I also love educating marketers about how to garner more success in the work they’re doing through new strategies and tactics- from business insights to SEO, PR, social media, email marketing, event marketing. When it all connects as a healthy ecosystem, companies are able to realize the impact.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
One of the most interesting projects I’m working on now is for a genetic screening company. It’s exciting since I wanted to go into biochemistry. The field of genetics is fascinating to me, and women’s health is a topic I am passionate about. The work we are doing for this company is exciting to me because it is going to make gender testing, carrier screening and NIPS more affordable to all women. I definitely have a passion for fem-tech, so I see us doing more market research, marketing strategies, SEO planning, blog writing, media relations, event marketing, influencer activations and social media marketing in this industry and in adjacent industries.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite mantra is: “If you’re comfortable, you’re not growing.” This is why I challenge myself and my team to step outside of our comfort zones. This is where the magic happens.
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?” Please share a story or example for each.
1. Be clear on key points you want to deliver (tell the audience what you’re going to tell them, tell them the key points, summarize the key takeaways)
2. Understand the potential opinions of your audience regarding that topic (consider acknowledging contrasting opinions)
3. Deliver with passion (have points that you emphasize so you don’t sound monotone or disingenuous, get your audience as excited about the topic as you are)
4. Close with a strong call to action (how can they take action based on what you suggested?)
5. Rehearse your speech in front of a sample audience (present to an audience that will give you valuable feedback regarding the way you delivered, ideally an audience who understands the topic you are discussing).
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
Just do it! It’s like muscle memory. The first few times will be tough, but you will improve and can speak in front of larger and larger audiences. Speak about a topic that you are very comfortable with. That will help to shake the nerves. Also record your speech so you can watch again and identify specific mannerisms you’d like to improve on next time. Watch other speakers and see what they do well and what they could work on. By identifying those attributes in others, you’ll be able to more identify as you watch footage of yourself.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
I’d love to have lunch with Reese Witherspoon because she’s a role model for influential working mothers around the globe. She wears many hats as an actress, business owner, mother, wife, daughter and still brings a distinct strength and positivity to everything she does. She gives back and uses her influence for good.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseycarnett
Twitter: @lindsey_carnett
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/lindsey.maven
Website: www.LindseyCarnett.com
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Lindsey Carnett Of Marketing Maven On The 5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
