Writing and Speaking – Article Content Development Demands Benefit Rich Substance

December 2, 2012 By

Writing and Speaking – Article Content Development Demands Benefit Rich Substance

What kind of benefits can you gain from creating high quality content? Ooops, that isn’t the question… Your reader doesn’t care about YOU. They want to know what benefits you provide them. Article Marketing isn’t about you, it’s about them. Can you answer their question, or are they stuck listening to how you’ll be benefiting from their presence on your site.

8 seconds isn’t enough to tell your reader about your business, nor is it enough to gain any insight into their interest in your business, but it’s all their willing to spend on you, unless you tell them what they can gain by being there. Give them value, content, and benefits on the front page.

Appealing to the eye:

Give them eye candy to capture their interest in the early part of your presentation. Make it attractive to view your content, easy to read, personable and striking to look at, with key components that capture their interest. Color, easy on the eye fonts, directly related keyword emphasis, and simple style formats will keep them looking for more.

Highlighted subtitles:

Once they get past the main title, which should grab their attention instantly, you’ll need to provide quick and easy to read subtitles that keep them scanning the page. Immediately after the first or second paragraph, above the fold, give them a second header that says something of value. Use keywords, or at very least attractive words.

Captivating content they require:

Give them what they want. If you haven’t figured it out yet, most people really do want FREE or low cost product, they have enough of the big bills, so give them VALUE at low cost. You might be able to sell your high dollar products after you capture their interest and gain their trust, but in the beginning, make it affordable or free to help bring them in. Give them the valuable content they’re looking for.

Are you ready to share some benefits?

Writing and Speaking – Article Content Development Demands Benefit Rich Substance

Writing and Speaking - Article Content Development Demands Benefit Rich Substance

Present your benefits in 2 FREE Article Templates from http://advertizeyourbusiness.com and get a FREE Subscription to ADvertiZe ezine.

? 2007 – Jan Verhoeff

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Speaking Spanish – How to Learn Spanish Even If You Think You Can’t

October 5, 2012 By

Speaking Spanish – How to Learn Spanish Even If You Think You Can’t

A friend of mine diligently studied Spanish for months before a trip to Mexico. But right after flying to Guadalajara, she went out for dinner and discovered that she couldn’t understand a word anyone said, nor could they follow her halting attempts at speaking Spanish.

All too often, when people go through an experience like this, they give up quickly. Possibly you can relate to this. Maybe you had some Spanish in high school and decided you didn’t have a knack for languages, perhaps you had an experience like my friend’s, or maybe you don’t think you could remember all that vocabulary and all those verb endings.

But no matter how poor you think you would be at learning to speak Spanish, the chances are excellent that you can do much better than you think. As an American living in Mexico, I have seen other Americans who don’t even try to learn Spanish, but I also have seen many people speaking Spanish surprisingly well not long after moving here. Sure, they do make errors but they can communicate, and the Mexican people are typically very gracious and patient when we foreigners try to speak their language.

Why Do People Think They Can’t Learn to Speak Spanish?

Often it does go back to bad experiences in high school or college. Academic courses are not really designed to get you speaking Spanish. They start you out with grammar and with learning to read and to write. Speaking is just a part of the curriculum, and with quite a few students in each class, there just isn’t much opportunity for practicing conversation. Also, even if speaking is emphasized, the environment tends to make many students self-conscious and timid. It’s nothing like chatting with the friendly people you might meet on a vacation trip.

But a vacation isn’t guaranteed to teach you Spanish. As my friend found, it can be overwhelming to listen to Spanish all around you. You may be lucky if you understand just a few words here and there. The idea that you can go to another country and just “pick up” the language is not very realistic unless you are under about 12 years old.

Another issue is that we often think we aren’t intelligent enough to do something like learn a new language. Or if we have any gray hairs, we may think we are too old. But research shows that motivation is way more important than age in learning Spanish.

What Works in Learning Spanish?

There are several ways you can develop a speaking ability in Spanish, and even basic skill at speaking Spanish will get you a long way in communicating. You could take an adult education course offered through a college where you live, but it may well have the same problems mentioned above: that it is going to focus on grammar and not provide enough speaking practice. Besides, it may not fit your schedule or budget, and you have to allow for time going to and from class.

Better choices exist now via the internet. There are many Spanish language computer programs. Some are downloadable, while others you would order for prompt delivery, often from well-known internet retailers like Amazon.com. There are also online Spanish classes. There are free websites to help you learn Spanish. If you have the time and money, there are immersion classes in Spanish in probably every Spanish-speaking country in the world. So while it can be quite a task to sort through these options, they do exist. Don’t give up on speaking Spanish… it can be so worthwhile, whatever your reasons for wanting to learn it!

Speaking Spanish – How to Learn Spanish Even If You Think You Can’t

Speaking Spanish - How to Learn Spanish Even If You Think You Can't

There’s no reason you should be frustrated if you aren’t yet speaking Spanish like you want to be. Visit my website LearnSpanishRapidly.com to get the information you need to speak Spanish. I offer a free ebook, Five Keys to Learning Spanish Rapidly as well as a page of tips on how to learn Spanish fast. Join the many people who have already been helped, and do take a look at the website now. — Rosana Hart

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Hurricanes Make Great Writing and Speaking Material

October 2, 2012 By

Hurricanes Make Great Writing and Speaking Material

If you are a professional writer or public speaker perhaps you might consider discussing or writing about hurricanes, as they make great writing material and help illustrate a point during public speaking. Many a public speaker will dramatize a hurricane disaster in order to make a point about perseverance, commitment or an inspirational point of contention.

Many great writers have hurricanes and hurricane stories woven in to their literary works. Have you consider ways to use hurricanes to make your writing or public speaking material better or to help you bond with your audience or to illustrate a point that you wish to make in your presentation? If you haven’t perhaps you should.

If a hurricane named storm creates a huge amount of destruction and devastation then it does become a popular topic of that time period. The literary works of famous American authors of the past often have hurricane stories in them or mention of them.

In keeping with this tradition of honoring Mother Nature’s incredible force and how it impacts human society and human civilization, it behooves you as a writer or a speaker to continue this tradition, as it will work well for your audience and readers. Please consider this in 2006.

Hurricanes Make Great Writing and Speaking Material

Hurricanes Make Great Writing and Speaking Material

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

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Public Speaking and Panic Attacks

October 1, 2012 By

Public Speaking and Panic Attacks

It is often observed that many people’s top ranking fear is not death but having to speak in public. The joke is that these people would rather be lying in the casket at the funeral than giving the eulogy. Public speaking for people who suffer from panic attacks or general anxiety often becomes a major source of worry weeks or even months before the speaking event is to occur.

These speaking engagements do not necessarily have to be the traditional “on a podium” events but can be as simple as an office meeting where the individual is expected to express an opinion or give verbal feedback. The fear of public speaking and panic attacks in this case centers on having an attack while speaking. The individual fears being incapacitated by the anxiety and hence unable to complete what he or she is saying. The person imagines fleeing the spotlight and having to make all kinds of excuses later for their undignified departure out the office window….

This differs slightly from the majority of people who fear public speaking because their fear tends to revolve around going blank while speaking or feeling uncomfortable under the spotlight of their peers. The jitters or nerves of speaking in public are of course a problem for this group as well, but they are unfamiliar with that debilitating threat which is the panic attack, as they most likely have not experienced one before.

Public Speaking and Panic AttacksSo how should a person with an anxiety issue tackle public speaking? Stage one is accepting that all these bizarre and quite frankly unnerving sensations are not going to go away overnight. In fact, you are not even going to concern yourself with getting rid of them for your next talk. When they arrive during a speech/meeting, you are going to approach them in a new manner. What we need to do is build your confidence back to where it used to be before any of these sensations ever occurred. This time you will approach it in a unique, empowering manner, allowing you to feel your confidence again. It is said that most of the top speakers are riddled with anxiety before speaking, but they somehow use this nervousness to enhance their speech. I am going to show you exactly how to do this, although I know that right now if you suffer from public speaking and panic attacks you may find it difficult to believe you can ever overcome it.

My first point is this and it is important. The average healthy person can experience an extreme array of anxiety and very uncomfortable sensations while giving a speech and is in no danger of ever losing control, or even appearing slightly anxious to the audience. No matter how tough it gets, you will always finish your piece, even if at the outset it feels very uncomfortable to go on. You will not become incapacitated in any way.

The real breakthrough for if you suffer from public speaking and panic attacks happens when you fully believe that you are not in danger and that the sensations will pass.

“I realize you (the anxiety) hold no threat over me.”

What keeps a panic attack coming again and again is the fear of the fear–the fear that the next one will really knock your socks off and you feel you were lucky to have made it past the last one unscathed. As they were so unnerving and scary, it is your confidence that has been damaged by previous anxiety episodes. Once you fully understand you are not under any threat, then you can have a new response to the anxiety as it arises while speaking.

Defeating public speaking and panic attacks…

There is always a turning point when a person moves from general anxiety into a panic attack, and that happens with public speaking when you think to yourself:

“I won’t be able to handle this in front of these people.”

That split second of self-doubt leads to a rush of adrenaline, and the extreme anxiety arrives in a wave like format. If, however, when you feel the initial anxiety and you react with confidence that this is not a threat to you, you will move out of the anxiety rapidly. Using this new approach is a powerful ally because it means it is okay to feel scared and feel the anxiety when speaking-that is fine; you are going to feel it and move with and through the sensations in your body and out the other side. Because he or she is feeling very anxious, often before the talk has begun, that person may feel they have already let themselves down. Now, you can relax on that point. It is perfectly natural to feel the anxiety. Take for example the worst of the sensations you have ever experienced in this situation–be it general unease to loss of breath. You will have an initial automatic reaction that says:

“Danger-I’m going to have an episode of anxiety here and I really can’t afford that to happen.”

At this point most people react to that idea and confirm it must be true because of all of the unusual feelings they are experiencing. This is where your thinking can lead you down a train of thought that creates a cycle of anxiety that produces a negative impact on your overall presenting skills.

So let that initial “oh dear, not now” thought pass by, and follow it up immediately with the attitude of:

“There you are-I’ve been wondering when you would arrive. I’ve been expecting you to show up–by the way, I am not in the least threatened by any of the strange sensations you are creating–I am completely safe here.”

Public Speaking and Panic AttacksThe key to controlling your fear of public speaking and panic attacks is that instead of pushing the emotional energy and excitement down into your stomach, you are moving out through it. Your body is in a slightly excited state, exactly as it should be while giving a speech, so release that energy in your self-expression. Push it out through your presentation not down into your stomach. You push it out by expressing yourself more forcefully. In this way you turn the anxiety to your advantage by using it to deliver a speech where you come across more alive, energetic and in the present moment. When you notice the anxiety drop as it does when you willingly move into it. Fire a quick thought off when you get a momentary break (as I am sure you have between pieces), asking it for “more.” You want more of its intense feelings as you are interested in them and are absolutely not threatened by them.

It seems like a lot of things to be thinking about while talking to a group of people, but it is not really. You’d be amazed how many different non-related thoughts you can have while speaking. This approach is about adopting a new attitude of confidence to what you might have deemed a serious threat up until now. This tactic will truly help you with fear of public speaking and panic attacks you have associated with them.

If your predominant fear of the speaking engagement is driven by a feeling of being trapped, then I would suggest factoring in some mental releases that can be prepared before the event. For example, some meetings/speeches allow for you to turn the attention back to the room to get feedback etc. from the group.

If possible, you might want to prepare such opportunities in your own mind before the engagements. This is not to say you have to ever use them, but people in this situation often remark that just having small opportunities where attention can be diverted for the briefest of moments can make the task seem less daunting. It my even be something as simple as having people introduce themselves or opening the floor to questions. I realize these diversions are not always possible and depend on the situation, but anything you can factor in that makes you feel less trapped or under the spotlight is worth the effort and can help alleviate fear of public speaking and panic attacks.

I hope you have found this public speaking and panic attacks page helpful. Please give it some careful consideration and you will realize it contains the truth.

http://www.panic-and-anxiety-attacks.com/public-speaking-and-panic-attacks.html

This article is copywritten material. Any requests for reprinting this article must be made to Joe Barry McDonagh

Public Speaking and Panic Attacks

Public Speaking and Panic Attacks

Joe Barry is an international panic disorder coach. His informative site on all issues related to panic and anxiety attacks can be found here:

http://www.panic-and-anxiety-attacks.com/

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Overcoming Nervousness in Public Speaking

September 28, 2012 By

Overcoming Nervousness in Public Speaking

Your nervousness in public speaking is merely the by product of some deeper seeded fear you have. Most people are not aware of this, but oftentimes when you experience nervousness before speaking in public it is just your body’s fight or flight response to the situation. On some level you’re feeling like this is a life or death situation, get over the feeling of this being life and death and you’ll ease some of the nervousness you feel before a public speaking function, but if your nervousness is severe it may be full blown anxiety as supposed to just nervousness or a simple fear.

Understand that severe nervousness when it comes to public speaking can be classified as a phobia known as Glossophobia. Glossophobia is an extreme case of anxiety that comes with the fear of speaking in public, the symptoms include heavy breathing and a rushed heart beat that feels like it’s going to beat out of your chess. Your nervousness may not be this severe, but it can definitely become this severe if you don’t take measures to get it under control now before it has the chance to progress into the more serious form.

Luckily for you there is a group dedicated to helping people master the art of public speaking and overcoming their fears as it concerns this, the group is called Toastmasters. Toastmasters is an organization that’s been around since 1924, they help people gain skills and confidence as it concerns public speaking. You may want to consider joining this organization as it could serve to help you get over a lot of the fear you might have about public speaking. You can join and find a meeting place near you for your convenience.

Using medications may also serve you well in helping you to overcome your nervousness when it comes to speaking in public. Your body is set up to protect you from certain situations where it feels like death is a possibility. You have internal mechanisms in you called beta adrenergic receptors which are activated by certain types of chemicals released by the brain, when these chemicals are released they cause intense anxiety related feelings and symptoms like sweating and fast heart beating. Taking a beta blocker drug helps to stop this rush of chemicals there fore controlling your nervousness.

Overcoming your nervousness when it comes to public speaking is easy once you decide to take the appropriate action to do so. Taking a beta blocker to block some of the chemicals released by the brain can help control these feelings of anxiety. 

Joining organizations like Toastmasters can help you master the art of public speaking and give you unstoppable confidence, and knowing how to identify whether or not you have Glossophobia which is the term used for extreme cases of public speaking anxiety can all help you take control of this problem and speak in public with no fear. Take these methods seriously and you should be on your way.

Overcoming Nervousness in Public Speaking

Overcoming Nervousness in Public Speaking

Effective speaking is a lot like preparing for a wedding. All the planning in the world can’t assure there will not be problems. But preparing speaking disasters and knowing in advance how to tackle speaking disasters means they do not have to ruin your presentation.

Check out Surviving Speaking Disasters to discover how to handle and avoid seven different kinds of speaking catastrophes. Get real solutions for real-life speaking disasters.

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Writing and Speaking in a Distinctive Voice

September 22, 2012 By

Writing and Speaking in a Distinctive Voice

Speaking in a distinctive voice has little to do with using big or complex words (though I must admit I’m often amazed by how otherwise educated people have developed such a limited a vocabulary).

A distinctive voice is more simplicity than flamboyance. The simpler the words and sentence construction the more transfixed recipients are likely to be.

Simplicity is always more powerful than complexity. Profound truths come in simple phrasings that cut to the bare bones of the thought or situation. Complexity is over-packaged language that leaves us feeling off balance and wondering if our interpretation is pure and accurate.

But let’s get back to basics. I said last week that our voices lack distinction because we all walk around parroting one another, all using the same old clichés, making our voices indistinguishable from the vast choir of people saying the exact same things. So we blend in rather than stand out.

That can change by ridding our language of all those echoes. Here are some examples of common clichés, followed by the same information expressed in a distinctive way.

Cliché: Think outside the box. (Irony: Using clichés isn’t thinking outside the box.)

Revision: Come up with original ideas.

It’s a no brainer.

It couldn’t be any more obvious if you handed it to me on the end of a skewer.

This isn’t rocket science. (Irony: Rocket science isn’t actually all that complicated.)

This isn’t particle physics.

This is a win-win situation.

Both sides benefit from this deal.

We need to focus on core competencies.

We need to stick with what we do best.

The proposal is cost prohibitive.

The proposal is too expensive.

We need to hit the ground running.

We need to move fast.

I don’t have the bandwidth.

I don’t have time.

The 800-pound gorilla.

The big problem.

Improve ROI (return on investment).

Improve our financial performance.

Our mission is to assist the economically disadvantaged.

Our mission is to help the poor.

Which of these two managers do you think the CEO will consider direct and clear thinking?

Manager one: “The current spending plan is unsustainable.”

Manager two: “We’re going to run out of money.”

The first manager sugar coats and minimizes the situation. The second gives the chief executive the bleak and direct truth about the company’s situation. Who do you think the CEO is more likely to respect, remember and promote?

Let’s take a real-life historic situation. In 1986 the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded during takeoff killing all astronauts aboard. At the White House two senior staffers – Chief of Staff Donald Regan and Communications Director Patrick Buchanan – walked into the Oval Office to notify President Reagan.

Regan spoke first saying, “Mr. President, there’s been a tragedy.”

Buchanan, a no-nonsense straight talker, immediately added, “Sir, the Space Shuttle blew up.”

Reagan leapt to his feet after hearing Buchanan speak.

What Donald Regan said wasn’t a cliché or common phrase but it was too general to make an impact commensurate with the situation.

It was Buchanan who evoked the appropriate emotional response from the President by telling him what happened in simple, specific, brief language.

Donald Regan blew smoke. Patrick Buchanan lit a fire. No surprise that Buchanan, not Regan, was the White House communications director.

Simply rewording clichés and speaking more directly is just a first-level effort in the campaign to develop a voice distinctive enough to turn you into an oak among willows. We haven’t even touched on tone, color, metaphors, similes, storytelling, and so on.

Still, this first-level effort alone can make you a remarkably refreshing speaker and writer, one who sounds more like the office soloist than a choir boy or girl.

Writing and Speaking in a Distinctive Voice

Writing and Speaking in a Distinctive Voice

Mike Consol is president of www.mikeconsol.com. He provides corporate training seminars for communication skills, business writing, PowerPoint presentation skills and media training (both traditional media and social media). Consol spent 17 years with American City Business Journals, the nation’s largest publisher of metropolitan business journals with 40 weekly newspapers across the United States.

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Get PAID To Speak For Free! – 12 Ways to Get Compensated For Speaking (Other Than Cash)

September 19, 2012 By

Get PAID To Speak For Free! – 12 Ways to Get Compensated For Speaking (Other Than Cash)

When most people think of getting paid, they think about one thing…CASH! However, there are many other ways to get paid for speaking (and some of them might be even more valuable than cash… I know it sounds hard to believe, but it’s true!).

According to one Member Survey by the National Speaker’s Association, 81.1% of speakers worked for no fee at least once during the last year. Of those, 89.6% spoke for free between 1 and 10 times! A full 21% of the membership surveyed spoke for free between 5 and 10 times. Why do they do this? Because it’s great marketing! There’s just no better way to develop your reputation as a speaker than to be seen speaking. It makes perfect sense.

Anyone with experience in the field of professional speaking can tell you that the key to success in this industry is exposure. As you speak to more audiences, word of mouth starts to build faster and faster. Before you know it, event organizers will begin to call YOU!

Of course, great marketing material helps, but nothing beats great marketing material combined with the far-reaching word of mouth.

That’s where the pro-bono work comes in.

You are knowledgeable on the subject matter, you have gained the confidence to stand and speak in front of hundreds of people, and you finally put a good structure together to keep your audience interested throughout your speech. The problem that many speakers face is that when you are just starting, you can not demand the big bucks that more experienced professionals can.

So… there’s a balancing act you need to play. Paying expenses out of your pocket in order to gain experience does make sense in some situations, but there’s a way to minimize your risk. The objective is to turn any out-of-pocket expense into an investment.

We have put together a dozen tips to make sure that you are getting reimbursed for your speaking engagement in a way that will work for both you and the meeting planner.  So read on – this could make a huge difference in your speaking career!

1. Ask for a professional quality video tape.

Perhaps the best way to sell yourself to a meeting planner who hasn’t seen you before is to let them see you in action.

Tell the planners that you do not require any money for your services, but you want them to have your engagement video taped at PROFESSIONAL QUALITY. Many organizations have the resources in-house to provide this to you. It’s low-cost for them and big-benefit to you. Hiring a professional yourself to record a presentation could run you hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Perhaps the best way to sell yourself to a meeting planner who hasn’t seen you before is to let them see you in action. A videotape is the next best thing to being there.

Today, the recording can be downloaded on a computer and even sent via-email (for free) or burned on a CD (for pennies). You can add a streaming version to your website. So you might not be getting paid for a few hours of your service… but you definitely will be laying the foundation for growing your engagements in the future.

One important note: make sure you use a lapel mike when being videotaped, and do a test run with the person running the camera. There’s nothing that screams “amateur video” like a soundtrack that plays as if were recorded in an echo chamber.

2. Have them buy your product (i.e., book, CD, resource kit) instead.

Some organizations may not have the budget for speakers, but they have a “training” budget.  In my experience in dealing with many different organizations and companies looking for speakers, I often find clients who do not have room in the budget for speakers who DO have various other budgets for the event that they are putting on.

The training budget allows the event planners to use money on any resources that can be used to help train the attendees. Companies, non-profits and various other organizations spend millions of dollars every year to train their employees or volunteers in their respective fields. That is MILLIONS of dollars floating round being spent on training costs, so why not offer training resources?

If you have a book, a resource kit, or any other learning tool that complements or enhances your speaking workshop or engagement, have the company or organization buy some from you.  If you “speak for free” but sell thousands of dollars worth of books or kits, you can make the engagement worth your time.  

If you do not have any books or kits, develop some for your presentation.  Not only will it make everyone understand you and stay interested longer, it can also benefit you financially.

3. Request a testimonial on the organization’s letterhead.

Even the top-paid professional speakers will often donate their services in exchange for a testimonial that helps their portfolio.  The more experienced you become, the more recognized and wanted you become for other engagements.  What’s especially interesting is that an organization’s competitors want the same speakers. They don’t want to feel like they’re missing out.

It is always important that you get endorsements and testimonials.  Offer to speak at a venue for free under the condition that if the planner is satisfied with your presentation, they will write a testimonial for you. And be very clear that you don’t expect anything if they aren’t thrilled.

Think about this for a minute: how much does a meeting planner really expect from a free speaker? Chances are they are expecting a lot less than you’ll be delivering. So it’s likely that even if your presentation doesn’t knock their socks off, the planner will feel obligated to put a few kind words about you in writing.

Testimonials are a great way to convince others that you have performed well in the past and will perform well for future engagements. Especially if the organization or company is a reputable and well-known, ask to have the testimonial printed with the organization’s letterhead. You can include copies of your best letters in your media kit. Use selected portions of other testimonials on your website and in other promotional materials.

Having a reputable entity backing you up increases the value given to the opinion. When other people say you’re good, it means about 2000% more than you saying you’re great.

 4. Ask for a write-up in the organization’s newsletter.

Almost every type of organization – including businesses, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, religious congregations, and others – sends out newsletters to keep people involved and interested in what is going on. Whether it’s employees, customers, or an organization’s members who read it, you can get some really nice exposure, and it’s a good way to reach others who might also be looking for speakers.

If you speak for one of these organizations, ask to be included in their newsletter. Preferably, they will include an article you write, with your byline and contact information at the end. At a minimum, ask for them to include a feature about you, and the talk you will be doing (or have already done).

You would be surprised at how vast some mailing lists are and how many people read the articles in them.  This is a great way to spread your name and your mission, and could lead to more engagements and publicity for you in the future… and let’s face it: in the professional speaking industry, publicity is imperative.

You never know who the newsletter will reach. One of the readers may need you someday, and realize it just as they’re clearing out old papers from their desk in two years.

BONUS TIP: Ask to also be included in an online version of the newsletter. An online version has real staying power. Most popular search engines will eventually pick up any online posting, which means that web surfers will be finding your write-up for years to come.

5. Use business cards to your advantage.

Almost everyone has a business card, so how can you use yours to help gain publicity? When accepting an engagement for free, tell the planner that you will do so under the condition that they place a business card on every seat in the room. That way, when people sit down and listen to you speak, and like you (I am assuming you are good at what you do…otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this), they can pick up your card and keep it with them for the future. 

Next time these people need a speaker or know someone who needs a speaker, guess whose business card they have without ever meeting you one-on-one? That’s right – they have all your contact information in their Rolodex, which will hopefully lead to more engagements and money for YOU in the future.

6. Use your audience as a source for leads.

When other people say you’re good, it means about 2000% more than you saying you’re great.

If you are looking to increase your speaking engagements, one of the most popular ways of doing so is through networking and word of mouth.

Asking friends or others if they know of anyone who requires an engagement speaker can be quite tedious and boring. So next time you are giving a speech for “free,” use the audience to help give you referrals.

The first thing to do is to let the audience know that you are doing this pro-bono. When they hear this, they will wonder why you would be willing to do such a thing. Explain to the audience that you have an evaluation that you would appreciate them filling out. In the evaluation form (which could be placed on every seat, or handed out upon entrance/exit to the venue), ask them to rate you as a speaker.

Many people will be willing to give you constructive feedback on your presentation. Once you have people drawn into your survey, include a question regarding whether they know of anyone looking for speakers. It also helps if you can promise a reward for any referrals that lead to more business.

In addition to the referral section, include a section for people to sign up for your internet newsletter or online e-zine, in which you will keep them up-to-date with your speaking engagements and booking opportunities.

NOTE: When getting referrals, ask for names, phone numbers, and mailing addresses. DO NOT even bother asking for e-mail addresses or fax numbers The last thing you need is to be accused of sending spam or unsolicited faxes. These practices can really tarnish your reputation. Once you have an existing relationship, and obtain permission, e-mail and fax are great communications tools.

7. Don’t give out notes.

When you are speaking, do not print handouts or notes of any type for the engagements.  Let people know that they are more than welcome to take their own notes throughout the duration of the speech, but also make the notes available on your website, and encourage them to visit your site.

Hopefully people will go home, get on the internet, and start visiting your site.  This is a great way to keep yourself differentiated from other speakers and build a fan base.

To encourage visitors, DO offer a promotional item with your contact information to every attendee. Pens and pads are fine, and pretty standard; this is a great place to be really creative. Use your imagination to come up with something that people will want to keep on their desks. Even better, come up with something they’ll want to show to others.

One speaker I know gives out small mirrors with her contact information printed on the plastic frame. The frames are designed to attach easily to cubicle walls. Because she works with customer service professionals who spend their days in a cubicle, these are a big hit. Her message, that “people can actually hear your smile over the phone” makes her gift especially purposeful as well.

8. Sell your products and services before, during, and after the speech.

This one probably doesn’t even need to be on the list, but some new speakers fail to understand that speaking is always about selling. Speak for free, sure, but let your audience know that you are more than a speaker.

You don’t need to do a hard sell. I don’t even think you need a soft sell. But you should clearly communicate that you are an expert, and make it clear that you earn money in ways other than speaking.

No matter what you speak on, you should have a consulting fee. If someone wants to get your professional advice, be prepared to offer it – for a fee! I’m not saying that you shouldn’t answer questions for free, but there’s nothing wrong with working out a day of consulting.

If you do have resources that can be purchased at the back of the room, make sure to ask for permission from the venue coordinator before you make a sales pitch. Any kind of audio or data CD, resource kit, or even a DVD of previous speeches (that can be recorded for free… refer to tip #1) can be sold. 

Some items cost pennies to reproduce and can often be sold for hundreds of dollars… that is almost pure profit!!!

9. Use free speaking for tax advantages*.

When making a speech to a non-profit organization, you can actually use your speaking “fee” to your advantage for tax purposes. For example, let’s say that your normal going rate is $1000 per venue. If you are speaking for an organization that the government deems to be subject to charitable contribution deductions, and this organization does not offer a speaking fee, you can “comp” the organization the $1000.

In essence you are speaking for free, but that $1000 comp you just gave the organization is now tax-deductible as a charitable contribution deduction.  The deduction for the charity is capped off at a certain percentage, which is about 1 free in every 20 speeches. Additionally, you have to make sure that your going rate is consistent, and you can not make up a going rate based on where you are speaking. Claiming that your going rate is $250,000 will probably get you an audit and jail time.

* Be sure to consult with an accountant and/or tax attorney before dealing with taxes and invoicing. I’m not a lawyer or an accountant, and I won’t be held liable if you do anything that gets you into trouble.

10. Have them invite you back.

A great way to get future engagements that pay is to work out a deal with a venue that is having you speak for free. Let them know that you are more than willing to speak at their venue for free assuming that if they like you, they will invite you back and pay you for an upcoming event.

This is kind of like a money-back guarantee in reverse. You have to earn the money before they give it to you.  It provides incentives for both parties to enter the agreement, and assuming you perform well, everyone should be happy in the long-run. Just make sure to iron out the details of the possible future payments in advance. The organization holds the upper hand here, but a written agreement will make your life a lot easier.

11. How about a free weekend?

Sometimes event planners are not willing to pay a speaking fee for an engagement, but are willing to fly you in, wine and dine you, and show you a good time. This is a great way to be compensated even though you are “speaking for free.”  Have them pay any travel, lodging, and meal costs for you.

It can’t hurt to ask them if they are also willing to pay for your spouse’s transportation and meal costs (the lodging will not cost any extra).  This is a great way to get a free trip and vacation.  In addition, you can also use the vacation as a business expense in some cases.  For example, if you speak at a venue on a Friday and then spend the rest of the weekend doing the touristy stuff, you can write off the whole weekend as a business expense for tax purposes.

Once again, it is important that you consult with an accountant to make sure that all laws and regulations are upheld, but if done correctly this can save you money on your tax returns while you are enjoying a wonderful vacation.

12. Get a professional photo shoot.

Here’s a tip that the pros know: get some good “3/4 shots. That’s 3/4 audience, 1/4 you. The idea is to show not only audience size, but audience reaction. Those are the images that really sell to a meeting planner, and they are extremely important to have in your promotional materials.

This one is an often overlooked opportunity that has LOTS of inherent value. You need great photos for your one-sheet, your website, your media kit, and other publicity vehicles. Don’t miss any opportunity to get professional quality shots of you in front of an audience.

Very talented photographers can be found in almost any group you can think of. It’s worth it to ask a meeting planner if they can help you to get some good shots.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

The ONLY way to build a truly successful speaking business is to get out there and do what you do best – SPEAK! Remember that even the top level professional speaker will speak for free to try out new material, market themselves, and just stay fresh. Don’t let the lack of a speaking fee be an obstacle to your building a successful business.

Get PAID To Speak For Free! – 12 Ways to Get Compensated For Speaking (Other Than Cash)

Get PAID To Speak For Free! - 12 Ways to Get Compensated For Speaking (Other Than Cash)

BRYAN CAPLOVITZ is the founder and creator of SpeakerMatch. SpeakerMatch makes it easy to find free and low-fee speaking engagements. It is the only online source of current, available speaking opportunities for emerging professional speakers. Our proprietary software will match your unique skills with the needs of meeting planners and notify you instantly. We provide HOT leads, from organizations who are actively seeking speakers now.

For more information, visit http://www.speakermatch.com/speaker, or call us at 1-866-372-8768.

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Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills

September 16, 2012 By

Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills

When I ask my audiences their number one challenge with public speaking, they overwhelmingly say, “to overcome the fear of public speaking.” It’s okay to have “butterflies.” The key is how to get them organized, focused and flying in formation. Here are 10 tips for delivering a more powerful, persuasive presentation. Practice these techniques consistently to improve public speaking skills.

1. 95% of your success is determined before the presentation. Your audience will know if you didn’t rehearse. Rehearsing, or “rehearing” yourself minimizes 75% of your nervousness. Rehearse standing up, or better yet, ask someone to videotape you. The camera will be your most objective ally. The more comfortable you become with your material via rehearsing, the more comfortable you will be with your body language.

2. Either memorize or “know cold” your opener and close. Two minutes each for an opener and a close is enough. The most important thing your audience will remember is your closing. Second most important thing they’ll remember is your opener. Start with something attention grabbing, like a quote or statistic, which relates to your topic. Never start with, “Good Morning.” It is obvious and boring.

3. Public Speaking: 24 hours before your presentation:

A. Have a quiet dinner with a quiet friend. (This may or may not be your spouse!) You won’t be as concerned about your public speaking skills if you can put your nervous system on glide.

B. The evening before, put your presentation on audiocassette as background noise one hour before retiring. Listen to your opener and close before bedtime as a review.

C. No massive changes 24 hours before. Nothing increases the fear of public speaking more than rewritting your material at the last minute. Impromptu speeches notwithstanding.

D. Visualize your presentation going smoothly and successfully. All Olympic athletes use this technique, and it works with public speaking as well.

E. Review your notes and visual aids the evening before. Your notes should only be “fast food for the eyes” in bullet form, and are NEVER read to the audience.

F. Eat a good high protein breakfast the morning of your presentation. Even if you’re not speaking until that evening, feed your mind and body the proper fuel.

4. Before your presentation, check yourself in a full-length mirror. A dear friend of mine forgot to do this. During her keynote speech in front of hundreds, someone quietly pointed out that her skirt was tucked into her pantyhose!

5. Public speaking and purpose: When organizing your talk, define your purpose. Why are you there? Why are they there? Is this a sales presentation? A community watch group? If you present technical information, is this an information/knowledge transfer or a decision briefing? When presenting technical information make certain not to overload your audience with too much detail, or too much on each slide. Tailor your message. Define your objective.

6. Know your audience before designing your opener and close. It is imperative that you “speak the language” of your audience. What are their ages? Percentage of males/females? Are they highly technical or non-technical? Do they want to be there or is this mandatory? What are their expectations? If you are a scientist or engineer, speak to the “lowest common denominator.” Technical presenters have a propensity to use a lot of technical jargon. Does the person in charge of funding understand the language?

7. Avoid using too many slides. Visual aids are wonderful tools as long as they’re used to enhance the information. A common mistake is using the visual aids as the presentation. Look at the audience frequently to establish rapport and a connection. In almost every presentation, you are there to “sell” them not simply “tell” them. Do not look at your visual aids other than a quick glance, and never read them. Never turn your back on the audience to read slides. They will not look at your slides. Their minds will start to wander. Remember, you are your own best visual aid.

8. Good public speaking skills mean being prepared. As the saying goes, prior planning prevents predictably poor performance. Planning and preparation will reduce nervousness 75%. Again, your audience will know if you didn’t rehearse. Consider hiring a public speaking coach. The dollars invested may well be worth their weight in gold.

9. The Q & A period and how to handle a hostile audience. The second most frequent comment I hear in my public speaking seminars is “What if they ask a question and I don’t know the answer?” Or, “What if someone in the audience is a know-it-all and doesn’t like me?” Avoid being argumentative. If you don’t know the answer, ask if someone in the audience has the answer. Or, simply let them know when you will get back to them. Make certain you do. When you lie you die. It destroys your credibility.

10. Variety and venue. Variety serves as a “wake up call” to your audience. Examples of adding variety: humor, relevant stories, quotes, voice inflection, paired and group activities, pauses, audience participation in the question and answer period, and slides or other multimedia. As for your venue, are your visual aids appropriate to your size of audience? Will everyone be able to see them?

Lastly, make sure to confirm the time, date, and place with the appropriate contact person. If possible, arrange to see the room ahead of time so you can practice visualizing in the exact location of your presentation. At the minimum, arrive at least one hour ahead of time. To improve public speaking skills, and overcome nervousness, nothing works like being prepared.

Copyright 2006 Colleen Kettenhofen

Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills

Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills

Colleen Kettenhofen is a motivational speaker, workplace expert, & co-author of “The Masters of Success,” as featured on the Today Show, along with Ken Blanchard and Jack Canfield. http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com Topics: leadership, management, difficult people, success, public speaking. To order the book, or for free articles and newsletter visit http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com You are free to reprint or repost this information provided Colleen Kettenhofen’s name and website is provided with the article.

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Public Speaking 101 – Speaking Secrets of the Superstars

September 16, 2012 By

Public Speaking 101 – Speaking Secrets of the Superstars

“With public speaking, your audience will know if you didn’t rehearse.” Colleen Kettenhofen

All of us recognize that public speaking ranks among one of the greatest fears for most people. Whether speaking at a meeting or before a group of 400, many people get nervous just anticipating giving a presentation. A comment I frequently hear in my public speaking seminars is, “What’s the best way to overcome nervousness and gain confidence with public speaking?” Here are some proven secrets many great public speakers practice:

1. Your audience will know if you’re not prepared. They’ll pick up on subtle clues in your body language. 95% of your success is determined before the presentation. Rehearsing minimizes 75% of your nervousness. No one likes to rehearse. Instead, see if you can have a friend or colleague videotape you. Yes, I realize no one likes seeing themselves on video either! Still, the camera will be your most objective ally.

2. Once you’ve fine-tuned your presentation, rehearse and practice in front of family members, colleagues, friends, or a public speaking coach. Ask for honest feedback. What did they like most? What did they think of your energy level, passion and commitment to what you’re saying? What do they think could be improved? Also practice in front of a mirror. This will help you rehearse standing up and let you see what needs to be improved. The more you rehearse standing up, and the more familiar you become with your material, the more comfortable you will be with your public speaking. This one tip alone can dramatically improve public speaking skills.

3. Put your presentation as a “rough draft” on a micro cassette recorder. Listen to it while you’re driving to and from work, picking up the kids, or driving to the supermarket. I know what you’re thinking. “I don’t like how I sound on audio tape!” I realize that. But this is a convenient way to learn material quickly. Again, where do you sound convincing, passionate and interesting? What parts of your presentation do you think need work? The audio cassette recorder is another objective ally.

4. Visualize yourself giving a successful presentation. Better yet, if you know the exact room you’ll be speaking in visualize that, too. Olympic athletes practice visualization. It works for public speaking as well.

5. To improve public speaking skills, do a dress rehearsal. Before I conduct a keynote speech or breakout session at a conference, I take a peek inside the ballroom. If the room’s empty, I’ll go in and practice a “dry run.” This is something I try to do in full dress rehearsal mode. If the ballroom is being used until morning, I go in that morning.

Rehearsing in the exact room will give you an edge in feeling more comfortable and conquering fear of public speaking. This is one of the biggest public speaking secrets of many great public speakers. Guaranteed! If you’re usually presenting in small meetings or groups these same techniques work.

6. Are your notes and visual aids large enough print that you can see them standing up? Your notes should be “fast food for the eyes.” Never read your presentation. You’re the presenter. Your audience expects you to be the expert. You want that connection with them. A secret to effective public speaking is bonding with your audience through stories, activities, appropriate humor and understanding their needs ahead of time.

7. Stand up when speaking in public. Even if only three people attend, it sends a signal that says, “You’re so important that I’m going to stand even for the three of you.” According to a University of Minnesota study, when you stand in presenting your ideas, you are more believable, credible and persuasive.

8. Stand “center stage” when presenting your most important point. It grabs the audience’s attention. The rest of the time you can move around as long as you aren’t nervously pacing like a lion. Again, that’s where the videotaping helps!

Visual Aids and Public Speaking: Less is More

9. With public speaking and visual aids, less is more. Don’t use more than three or four colors per slide. Otherwise, people start focusing more on color and less on content. Use graphs for sales figures or sets of numbers showing a trend over a period of time. Graphs are pictures that increase retention and comprehension. No more than two or three lines on a graph. Use pie charts for market share, budgets, expenses analysis, income sources and the like.

10. Avoid slides with yellow, pink or orange print. They don’t show up well. Dark blue, black or any other dark color is better. White is okay with a darker background. Red stands for negatives like “danger,” or “warning.” Only use red to indicate problems, your competition, stopping or something similar.

11. Public speaking and eye contact: Approximately three to five seconds of eye contact per person with a small or medium sized group. Many public speakers make the mistake of using their visual aids AS their presentation. A key point in persuading your audience is establishing connection and credibility.

12. What if someone in your audience doesn’t like what you have to say because they don’t like the product or service you’re selling? Or what if you fear public speaking because you often have to deliver bad news? Know and research your audience ahead of time. What will be their biggest objections? THINK AHEAD when planning your presentation how you’re going to handle those issues.

13. Never lose emotional control. Often, these difficult people are trying to rattle your cage. They want control. And they want it in front of others. What if they continuously discount what you’re saying? Tactfully respond to them at first. After a while, say something like, “You bring up a good point, and yet, due to time constraints see me at the break and we’ll discuss that privately.” Your audience will be looking to see how you handle the situation.

“When speaking in public, you are your own best visual aid.” Colleen Kettenhofen

Public Speaking 101 – Speaking Secrets of the Superstars

Public Speaking 101 - Speaking Secrets of the Superstars

Colleen Kettenhofen is a speaker, workplace expert, & co-author of “The Masters of Success,” as featured on the Today Show, along with Ken Blanchard and Jack Canfield. For free articles, e-newsletter, or to order the book visit http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com Topics: leadership, managing people, difficult people, public speaking. Colleen is available for keynotes, breakout sessions and seminars. 1(800)323-0683 http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com

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Public Speaking Is More Then Just Talking

September 16, 2012 By

Public Speaking Is More Then Just Talking

Many people have the idea that public speaking is just talking, albeit to a large group of people. If only it was that simple! Public speaking is actually a relatively difficult skill and people actually register themselves for expensive lessons to learn how to speak effectively in public. Does that mean that these people does not know how to speak? That cannot be further then the truth. In fact, it is these people that know the importance of giving a good and effective public speaking session.

To the untrained eye, public speaking basically means a person going up the stage to relay a certain message in front of a group of people and usually the group of people is also quite large. It may look simple but to get to that stage of going up to the platform to deliver a message requires a lot of work and practice.

One of the lessons in good public speaking is the control of the fear of public speaking. Many people who think that it is simple to give a speech in front of an audience are often caught tongue tied when it is their turn to give a speech. It is also this fear that prohibits people from delivering a simple message effectively. They get up to the stage and start stammering and sweating and soon, they just want to start fainting on the stage. The fear of public speaking is not uncommon amongst people, even the best public speaker get jittery sometimes although they have been speaking in public for many years. Hence, learning to control the fear is an essential part of speaking in public and it is one of the fundamental lessons in learning how to speak effectively in front of an audience.

Public speaking is basically talking, but its more then just talking. Public speaking is talking to people, a lot of people in fact, all at one goal. In your speech, you will master the skill of needing to make a clear and concise delivery of your message and yet engage the audience by knowing which part of your message is important and relevant to them. In addition to that, you must also try to anticipate what questions the audience will have and you will have to formulate your speech to address those concerns by explaining it clearly and in a easy to understand way.

That being said, public speaking is a skill worth mastering and perfecting because you will almost certainly be called upon to give a speech in front of an audience at some point in your life, whether impromptu or not. Getting tongue tied in front of a large group of people is not a pleasant experience, so do yourself a favor and get some help in learning basic public speaking skills today!

Public Speaking Is More Then Just Talking

Public Speaking Is More Then Just Talking

Alvin runs a Good Public Speaking AudioBooks [http://www.easypublicspeaking.info] website with audiobooks for overcoming fear of public speaking [http://www.easypublicspeaking.info].

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