亲爱的安妮：我在一家大公司任中高层管理职务，就像你在最近的一篇专栏文章中所写，我真地感到自己被困在这里了。我认为，我应当到其他地方寻找更好的机会，或许在一家小一点的公司。如果我能凭借一己之长获得高端猎头关注的话就更好了，他们也许正在物色像我这样的人。

    我常常听说，要将自己打造成某一特定领域内的“专家型人才”，一个办法就是在会议或其他行业集会中发表演讲。但我的问题是，如何能获得这样的机会？难道会议组织者寻找的不都是有经验的演讲嘉宾吗——（这是一个经典的第二十条军规），如果你没有演讲的经验，如何才能获得这样的机会呢？——“闲不住”

    亲爱的“闲不住”：猎头们参加会议物色人才，这当然是真的（这也是为什么积极参加会议是一个聪明的做法，就算东家不给你埋单也没关系）。但“如果认为没有发言经验，就不可能作为发言人参加全国性的活动，那就犯了一个常见的错误，”丽萨•卡尔霍恩说。“实际情况远非如此。”

    卡尔霍恩是亚特兰大专门组织各类会议的传播公司Write2Market的CEO。她说：“会议组织者们最缺的就是发言人，知名的、不知名的都可以，只要他们在特定主题领域有实践的专家级知识技能。”

    对于如何获得大型活动的演讲机会，她给出了三步建议。首先，“整理一份清单，列出所有你能让与会者深受教益会议。可以参照去年会议安排，研究这些机会。”卡尔霍恩说。第二步，“找出自己独一无二的地方，这样你提议的演讲内容才能脱颖而出。”

    第三步，给安排发言人的负责人发一封简明的邮件。“确定并列出与会者将会学到的三项具体内容，最好用要点来简要列明。然后，用一两句话说明为什么你格外适合讨论这些话题，”卡尔霍恩说。“经过精心调研、切实可行的提议拥有异常高的接受率。”

    可能不会第一次就成为主题演讲人，她补充说，但没关系。在适合的会议中进行一次分会讨论，可以在较小范围的听众群体中建立声望，他们对你的看法至关重要，因此“不要看轻分组讨论。积极申请，”卡尔霍恩建议说。“在会议上发言时，请一个朋友拍下演讲的过程，下次就可以用这段视频来申请新的发言机会了。”

    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."