Writing and Speaking

Reflections and Advice on EBook Publishing

2011-11-23T00:13:00.000-08:00

Since my first article on publishing an e-book to Amazon's Kindle (Converting for Kindle), some things have changed with the Amazon DTP (Digital Text Platform). Instead of uploading a zip file with an HTML document and other digital files to be included, there is now the option to upload a Word document. This was good news to me because I had already been working with Word documents and uploading them to Smashwords.com.

This process was actually quite easy. My boss, the irrefutable Zen Comma master of the universe, David Bowman, asked a couple of years back, "Hey, have you heard of Smashwords? Let's publish our e-books through them, also." Oh boy, I thought, here we go.

Smashwords's Founder Mark Coker published an e-book of his own, "Smashwords Style Guide, how to format your e-book." It is about 88 pages of Microsoft Word formatting horror. After having gone through all of Smashwords's dos and don'ts, I was able to apply the formatting requirements to Word documents I wanted to upload to Amazon-Kindle.

I can sum Smashwords's style guide up like this.

    * MAKE A BACK UP! When you open up your original document, do a "file, save as," or copy and paste your original into a new blank document and save it. Do not reformat your original. If you get so lost in the formatting process, or do something crazy that you can't undo (not unheard of) and have to start over, you won't be able to if you don't keep your original intact.

    * Make sure Word's show/hide function is on.

    * Clear all the formatting in your document. (You can cry later; there won't be time for tears now, honey.)

    * Don't use font sizes over 14 points.

    * If you're going to use a navigable table of contents, you have to hyperlink them using bookmarks within your document.

    * Remove all text boxes from your document.

    * E-book readers don't require page numbers, so there's one step you can scratch.

    * You can use.jpg or.png images, but they must be embedded by using "insert, picture, from file."

Now, this is a really brief summation. I skipped over a lot of in-betweens. This is not meant to replace Smashwords's style guide. I still recommend anyone wishing to publish a Word version of an e-book to review this dreaded style guide because it covers almost every possible format issue a manuscript may have. Any little formatting that you missed will prevent your document from being uploaded (to Smashwords, anyway).

I did come across this nifty blog post by Catherine Ryan Howard, "How To Format Your E-Book (the Non Migraine-Inducing Way)," which explains the process she used in more detail than my article, and with less fury than the dreaded Smashwords style guide.

Amazon Kindle DTP is much easier for uploading than Smashwords because it has the simple PREVIEW button that allows you to see what your e-book will look like before you complete the upload process, something I wish Smashwords had. Look at the preview carefully. If you have funky formatting the DTP will still publish your book and make it available as is.

I think that it is still much easier to go back to your DTP platform and upload an updated version that reflects what your e-book should look like than to go back to your Smashwords dashboard and start over. (Smashwords is too finicky for my taste.)

You then have to consider all the different e-book formats. "My book looks fine in e-pub, but the formatting is all messed up in Sony Reader, and what the heck is plain text for again?"

I am by far not an expert or the "go to" person when it comes to e-book formatting. There are so many details I haven't had to explore. The best tip I can give you is to keep your document simple. I know this advice is redundant, but keep in mind your readers when formatting your manuscript. They are, after all, the main motivation for e-book conversions.

I'm amazed that there is a niche market for authors who need help getting their manuscripts online and available as e-books. It seems like a process that should be, by now, much more straightforward and user friendly than it is. It shouldn't be such a daunting task. Now, some Internet companies provide e-book services, and people are writing books, blogs, and articles on e-book formatting (ahem, me).

What's next? Maybe it has to get complicated before all the kinks smooth over. But I'm convinced now more than ever, that time is worth more than money to most people. They just can't afford to waste either one. I can't say I blame them.

The initial step towards evolution from books on paper to digital devices is a noble one, but it's still so much easier for me to just grab a book and go. I'll wait and see-unless I write a book that I want to publish as an e-book!

Article by Alina Padilla
Marketing and e-book specialist for Precise Edit
APadilla@PreciseEdit.com

By David Bowman

Accidental Marketing and the Indie Author

2011-11-22T00:11:00.000-08:00

One of the definitions for an accident is something that happens by chance, without an apparent cause. Accidental is an adjective for something occurring by chance. A Frenchman named Chamfort, who should have known better, once said that chance was a nickname for providence.

Are you prepared to rely on providence to market your book? Are you waiting for a lucky break? Do you wonder why someone else seems to get all the luck?

I find it hard to believe, or trust, in luck. If luck is a place it's located at the intersection of hard work and perseverance. It's sweaty work getting to that intersection. For many, if not most, we won't find the directions to that corner stored in our GPS.

But, in case there is such a thing as luck or chance, we need to be ready for it when the opportunity arises.

You biz cards - case # 1
If you are a new, or even experienced, indie author, do you have your business card within reach? Here's your first test. As you are reading this right now, do you have a business card within reach? Unless you are undressed and ready for bed, you may not have an excuse.

Most supermarkets have bulletin boards. We pass by them without realizing their marketing potential. If you have your biz cards with you all you have to do is stop and post your card. You might even carry a small box of thumb tacks, just in case.

Once, on a trip from Ontario to Florida, I was standing in line at a gas bar and noticed a bulletin board on the hallway leading back to the washroom facilities. Hmmm, I wondered. This is a busy gas bar, located on an interstate highway. How many people wait in line to use the facilities every day? Up went a biz card

Look for the same opportunity often at restaurants and other unique places.

Does posting you biz card like that result in a sale? One thing is certain - not posting your card is guaranteed to not produce a sale.

Handing our card to someone is an obvious thing to do. Think beyond the obvious. Hey, leave them on a subway or bus seat. Biz cards don't sell books while they're sleeping in your swanky card hold.

Do you know where your books are? - case #2
Do you have your books within reach? Even at home I always have copies of my three novels on hand. You never know when someone will say, "I see you're an author. May I see one of your books?"

How about the trunk of your car? If you aren't carrying an inventory of your novels in the car, I ask you why not?

I was in an adjoining town for dinner with friends. There was a charming bookstore, mostly used books, but some new. My biz card was good way to open the conversation. "Oh, by the way," I said. "I happen to have some copies with me, would you be interested in taking some on consignment?"

That wasn't chance, it was an opportunity I could have missed. I not only had a good meal with friends, more of my novels were on display.

I always carry my novels in my computer case. I was sitting with another author one day when someone came up to ask us about our books. The potential reader thought they sounded interesting and was ready to buy. My author friend was chagrined when I was able to reach down and pull a book out my computer case and make a sale.

"I don't have one with me," he said, with a wistful sigh.

I know he won't make miss that opportunity again.

Do I always have my business cards with me? No, but I can say that I do most of the time.

Do I always have a book at the ready? No, but they're never far away, unless I'm on a ride at an amusement park, or quelling revolutions in some distant land, but that's another story.

What's your pitch? - Case # 3
Many of us who have paid the sweaty dues in writing a novel find it hard to condense it in a few words. I don't know why I tend to stammer or struggle when someone asks me what one of my books is about. I have heard this from other writers as well.

The backwards way
The secret is starting small. It's always easier to fluff up than it is to pare down. I heard about something called an elevator pitch. Hmm, I wondered, how would I talk about one of my books in the time it takes an elevator to get from the 10th floor to the lobby?

With that challenge I started working on my first 'elevator pitch.'

Once I had that under my belt it was easy to add a couple of sentences to describe my novels in a handout.

I increased the pitch to create talking points, great for media handouts.

Most of us know the essence of our story, but don't want to admit it can be described in under a minute. After all, why did we use so many words to write it?

As corny as it sounds, don't pass the intersection of hard work and perseverance, only to follow chance down the dead-in alley of chance.

As an independent author and publisher, I have learned some valuable lessons through trial and error. If you are considering self-publishing I hope you find the encouragement you need to take control of your publishing destiny. Welcome to the Indie Book Rebellion.

In addition to my own writing I am proud to be a partner at a new service for independent authors, a place where you can expect editorial, cover design, and support in developing your marketing strategy. Visit http://www.canamauthorservices.com

You are invited to visit my website at http://www.writebyme.ca or send an email to chuck@writebyme.ca

By Chuck Waldron

Marketing Your Book and the Fear of Public Speaking

2011-11-21T00:09:00.000-08:00

How to market your book if you suffer from Glossophobia?

Ask yourself if you notice the following symptoms when you are asked to speak in public:
    * Sweaty palms
    * Heart thumping
    * Dry mouth
    * Anxiety
    * Even panic

For some of us, it started in school, when we hid behind a book, hoping the teacher would not call on us. Maybe that's a clue to why some of have a fear of public speaking, Glossophobia. Are we afraid that what we don't know will suddenly be exposed to the world? Regardless the origin, an overwhelming percentage of us dread the thought of speaking in public.

Many find it hard to speak up in a team meeting in the workplace, even knowing everyone around the table, let alone standing up in front of hundreds. Some actors talk about having to face down the related demon - stage fright - the fear of being in front of an audience. Singers have voiced (pun intended) their fear of forgetting the words, a vision of the audience laughing at their discomfort. The fear of public speaking even includes having to make a speech at a wedding, or deliver a eulogy at a funeral.

If you are anything like me, you know the fear that well crafted and rehearsed words will fail us and prove elusive as we look out at the sight of upturned faces, waiting in expectation. We are feeling the fear that they are waiting for us to fall on our face, that we will make like a fool?

I rehearsed a wedding toast until I had it perfected for my audience of one, in the mirror. Then came the time to raise a glass to the bride and make the toast. For the briefest of moments my mind went blank, fearful that...

The toast worked and was a success, but many reading this will recognize and understand the terror of such a moment.

Those of us who are practitioners of the writing craft know how hard it is to search for the right words for our story. Writing is sweaty work, but we have the luxury of thinking about what we want to say in the privacy of our own thoughts, with only the screen of our computer for an audience.

When we are in a group we sometimes freeze at the thought that someone will ask a question? What if we get the answer wrong?

I watched a group of interns making rounds with their teacher. He snapped out questions about a patient's symptoms and they were expected to give the exact, correct answer if asked. As soon as one young doctor-to-be stammered the rest snickered at his discomfort.

Those are examples of just some of the times we face the dread, but there are many reasons for our fear of public speaking, glossophobia. If the story ended there, as nothing more than an outline of the sum of our fears, it would not have a happy ending. There are ways, however, to face the fear and overcome it. It may not be possible to banish the fear altogether, rather to recognize it, channel it, and use it.

Isn't there a cure?

Imagine the financial reward for the scientist who discovered the cure for glossophobia and developed a capsule we could take, a capsule overturning our fear of public speaking, and giving us the facility for talking in front of others.

Until that scientific discovery comes along, we have to rely on other ways to overcome glossophobia. Fortunately, there are things we can do.

When I was hired for a new job once, it was good news and bad news. The good news was that I was hired, and the salary was good too. The bad news...I was expected to do a lot of public speaking. I had sweaty palms just thinking about it. I let my finger do the walking and looked up a public speaking coach. The cost was worth it. I trained in front of a camera and was able to evaluate my look, voice and gestures. The best of all, I realized I didn't look too bad doing it.

My coach also gave me two good tips on scripting. "Type large, and use the top half of the page," he said. "Read it aloud, and highlight where you need to take a breath." Reading a speech out loud, several times, allowed me to spot awkward phrasing and other potential problems.

It sounded so simple. Then he added two important tips.

Tip number one, never be under prepared. Start planning well in advance. Have three or four talking points and stick to them.

Tip number two, never be over prepared. Yes, it is possible to over think and give a presentation sounding like a robot.

He told me that scripting and preparation will not chase the nerves away. The coach said that if I wasn't feeling pre-speech butterflies to be concerned. He said I needed that inner energy, it was necessary to channel it for a great speech.

What about you and the media?

Wow, glossomediaphobia.

While you're being interviewed on a live television show is not the time for your first lesson in dealing with the media.

Let me set the scene. Unless you are a media veteran, imagine being greeted as you walk into the station, are directed to the studio, asked to sign over all rights allowing them to put you on the air, rushed to the green room, and finally walking, or are pushed, out to the set, your time to be on camera. Before your interview begins, a stranger will walk up to you and fix a microphone to you. Cameras will point at you from many angles, there is a neon feel about the lighting, lights blinking, electrical cords will be draped all around, and someone will be looking at a clip board and pointing at you. The host will say something like, "Relax, there's nothing to worry about."

But, if you are like me, you are anything but relaxed. You're worried that you will be asked a question you can't answer, apprehensive that you will stammer and say something dumb, or worse.

There is a way to channel your nervous energy and be prepared for that day.

First, I always make sure the person interviewing me has background information about me and the novel I want to talk about. If the interviewer picks questions from that information, I'm on safe ground. After all, it's about me, someone I have to know quite well over the years.

Next, I know what I want to say. I always have three talking points I want to cover. I know it's hard to put into practice, but remember a reporter or interviewer may control the questions they ask us, but you and I control the answer.

Here's a real life example. As a part of an educational campaign about Clinical Depression, I was being interviewed by a radio host about coping with depression over the year-end holiday season. Part way through the interview came a zinger.

"What's your view on electro-shock therapy?" his question was a surprise.

I admit to a mini brain freeze and said, "While that may be a topic to explore later..."

"... Why don't we talk about the holiday season, and why some people feel depressed, while it is a happy time for many?" I took charge and the interview was back on the talking point I wanted to make.

Finally, give yourself permission

Give yourself permission to pause, to make a mistake, to stumble for a word, and to be nervous. Those are traits that make us sound human and real.

You also need to give yourself permission to have fun. It's a great feeling to walking away from a podium, or walk off a television set, to take off the headphones after a radio interview, knowing you did your best.

If you can face your public speaking demons in front of an audience it will be something you can easily use when you walk through the door of a bookstore, ready to talk to the owner about carrying your novel.

We change behavior after we first become aware of the need to change. Then we can start to find new ways and try them out. That is something you can do about your fear of public speaking.

With due apology, we can borrow a line from AA. "Hello, my name is Chuck, and I am a glossophobic.

Finally, take a deep breath and visit www.toastmasters.org and find a safe place to learn the joy of public speaking.

Write well my friend, and enjoy the talking about it.

As an independent author and publisher, I have learned some valuable lessons through trial and error. If you are considering self-publishing I hope you find the encouragement you need to take control of your publishing destiny. Welcome to the Indie Book Rebellion.

In addition to my own writing I am proud to be a partner at a new service for independent authors, a place where you can expect editorial, cover design, and support in developing your marketing strategy. Visit http://www.canamauthorservices.com

You are invited to visit my website at http://www.writebyme.ca or send an email to chuck@writebyme.ca

By Chuck Waldron

How To Make Money Writing and Selling E-Books on the Internet - 5 Powerful Tips

2011-11-20T00:06:00.000-08:00

I recently read stats that thirteen million e-book readers where purchased in 2010, up 325% from 2009. That number is expected to grow exponentially by 4th quarter 2011. E-book sales increased 400% and were just slightly under one billion dollars in sales last year. All of that powerful sales activity is only going to multiply. Are you going to be one of the people to supply e-books to over thirteen million e-book readers? There is certainly enough room for your book to be part of the revolution. Tapping into the market can be as easy as applying these 5 powerful tips on the best ways to make money writing and selling e-books on the Internet.

Tip One

Find out what people want to know and give that information to them. You can create an entire dynasty of books if you write for the purpose of providing information. The Internet is the quickest way to find out what people want to know. For example you can go to any question and answer site on the web and find out what people want to know. The title of this article is related to one of those questions. In my research 88,400 people want to know this information.

On my podcast I had the opportunity to interview John Kremer who is a popular information writer and provider. I asked him why he decided to write his best-selling book 1001 Ways to Market Your Book and to create bookmarket.com, it was because he found there was an audience interested in information about writing and marketing books. He wrote one book, addressed the need for marketing information and has made a career out of it.

Tip Two

It becomes much easier to learn how to make money writing and selling e-books on the Internet when you begin to apply key word strategies. Key words help you to determine what people are looking for and are used to help people find you. Content ideas for your e-books can be populated very easily that way. The best way to use key words is to avoid using highly competitive key words. I would recommend obtaining a copy of the book The SEO Bible to learn more about key word strategies.

Tip Three

Marketing your e-book is all about getting the most exposure for it that you can get. Many people think it is hard to learn Internet marketing skills but it really is not if you begin to build knowledge daily. Set a side a few minutes every day, learn a marketing concept and then apply it. I am going to help you start by suggesting 5 things to learn and apply within five days. This probably will take less than 15 minutes a day to do but it can increase your ability to sell books tremendously. One - find out what is affiliate marketing and sign up for an account. One of the biggest sources is Click Bank. Two - visit Google.com and pick out at least three Google tools you can use to market your book. Three - find a book on Amazon that is extremely popular, read that book and then leave a review that contains information about your e-book. Four - sign up for at least 2 article directories and see how people are using the information and then begin to do the same. You can post information about your book in the bottom tag line of the article. People use articles because they are highly distributed which means more people get to know about you and your e-book. Five- read articles on paid per click and see if it would be an effective way to market your book.

Tip Four

Consider unusual places to sell your book. The following places are not the first to come to mind but people are actively using them to sell e-books:

eBay.com Craigslist.com Sales Spider.com Community Classified.org US Free Ads.com

Tip Five

The final way to learn how to make money writing and selling e-books on the Internet is to get involved in forums. One of the most useful forums to get involved in is Kindle Forums. I interviewed Vicki Lieski an independent author on my podcast, she stated that one of the main influences for her being able to sell over 113,000 e-books was getting involved with the Kindle community, getting to know the people in the forum and then using any opportunities they presented. The main opportunity was getting involved with interview requests. There are forums and social networking communities throughout the web, get involved.

Promoting a book has never been easier with all of the wonderful tools available today. The Internet has made it possible to literally become an expert book marketer. The playing field between traditional publishers and self -publishers has been lowered because of the World Wide Web. Smart self-publishers are rising to the occasion and learning to promote books in highly effective ways. If you have enjoyed this article please share it, tweet it, like it or post in your communities. Helping authors has been a joy for me. Follow me on Twitter. Feel free to join my new You Tube channel Book Marketing Pros. Or just stop by my website at book marketing professionals and listen to my podcasts which are filled with useful marketing information from the best sources in the industry. Have a question about book marketing? Just ask. Happy book promoting!!!

Linda Leon is a book marketing professional with over 20 years experience in the field. Feel free to contact her website at http://www.bookmarketingprofessionals.com or her blog at http://lindaleonpresents.wordpress.com

By Linda Leon

9 Tips to Help You Get Your Ebook Onto Kindle

2011-11-19T00:04:00.000-08:00

Amazon Kindle is an amazing tool, you don't need a physical Kindle to read Kindle books you can read them with a PC or Mac App. This means that publishing your existing ebooks in Kindle format extends your ebook's reach! With the might of the Amazon publishing market behind you, you can position your self as a market leader in your industry through your written word.

Here are 9 tips that will make the publishing experience easier to manage

1. Write the Ebook - Don't fail at the first hurdle, look at your existing content and see what you can create a great ebook with. It's easier than you think. Many people are put off writing an ebook, take advantage of that and write your own.

2. Choose your topic carefully - write about something you know and love - when your passion shows in your writing your audience can feel it, can read it and they will respond to it. Look at the content you have pulled together and inject your passion into it.

3. If you have carried out great webinars / teleseminars / training videos then look at having them transcribed to help you get the great content you already have into words.

4. Consider hiring someone to write the ebook for you. A freelance writer / ghost writer can take a weight off of your mind if you are not that confident in your material. What would work better is you writing and injecting passion into your ebook and then hiring a copy editor to tidy it up for you.

5. Writing helps position your business, once you have an ebook written you need to convert it into Kindle ready format ready to upload. You will need to do a little keyword research before you start the uploading process so you have an idea of the size of your potential market.

6. If your writing is stronger than your technical capabilities hire a virtual assistant to upload your ebook to Kindle and format it if you can't do it yourself. Don't be afraid to hire in help. It needn't break the bank if you are a solo entrepreneur.

7. Get a nicely designed ecover to upload to Kindle. Amazon accept jpeg and png images. Yes, we are not meant to judge a book by it's cover but a nicely crafted cover can make a big difference to your sales - it's worth making the effort.

8. Don't expect to get rich from your Kindle books if you are not prepared to market them! Once your Kindle book has been approved you have to get out there and promote it!

9. Your Kindle books can be promoted in multiple ways via your blog, via your podcast, using social media tools and of course emailing your existing customers base and asking for their help.

By Sarah Arrow

Kindle for Beginners

2011-11-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Kindle format is often the stumbling block between publishing your ebook on Kindle and taking advantage of the marketing machine that is Amazon or your ebook remaining just an ebook in PDF form.

Ok, let's get this out in the open, it takes more than just uploading your PDF to get your ebook onto Kindle.

The Kindle reader itself uses a stripped down, naked version of HTML for its formatting. Similar to a web page, they support CSS files, headers, paragraphs, and other tags. But not all HTML is supported. This means tables, margins and images are hard to manage. You need to keep that in mind when you lay out your ebook. If you do, your formatting will be much easier to deal with. In an ideal world you would write your ebook with Kindle in mind and not include the tables and keep the images to a minimum.

Images come through as black and white, remember that when you add the images to your ebook,

Tools to format your ebook for Kindle

Amazon has a variety of tools available for download to help you get the format for your ebook to Kindle transition done correctly. The MobiPocket Creator, for example, will turn your HTML, Word and most PDF documents into a properly formatted 'script for Kindle. For Mac or Linux users, KindleGen is a command line tool that allows you to turn your HTML document into a Kindle ebook. If you are not very good at this aspect then hire in a virtual assistant to complete the technical aspect for you.

Remember the cover

We all know you shouldn't judge the book by the cover but the truth is we still do it. A great cover can boost your Kindle sales and the good news is, Kindle supports .jpeg .tiff and png. file formats, so you can get a cover created and uploaded easily. Remember to test - finds out what kinds of cover work best for you and use Photoshop or other editing software to create different covers.

Confused by it all?

Amazon have a powerful support forum for you to go in and ask questions and peruse some of the solutions to similar issues that you are having. Don't feel nervous about asking for advice, the community are helpful.

Amazon do a terrific marketing job on all their books but you need to help them when it comes to promoting your newly published Kindle book. ]

    * Link to the book,
    * Complete you author page
    * Invite people to post reviews
    * Share the reviews on Twitter and Facebook

Good luck and enjoy publishing your ebook on Kindle.

By Sarah Arrow

How to Create Digital Publicity - A Guide for New Authors

2011-11-17T23:59:00.000-08:00

In the good old days, everyone knew how to carry out publicity. A few months before publication, you met with your publicist. You discussed various possible publicity angles (about the book, about your own story, and so on). Your publicist tried to arrange a serialisation deal (where newspapers print extracts before publication). You whacked out review copies to all the major newspapers. Perhaps you hassled around to get a little PR on local or national radio. Maybe even TV.

And that was that. Job done. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, but you'd done what you could.

These days, it's more complex. Newspapers have far less space given over to books and many more readers don't consume traditional media anyway. Naturally, those all-important eyeballs have migrated to the internet and any genuinely competent PR campaign today has got to find ways to reach surfers.

Self-published authors are well aware of these facts and have long been reasonably deft about attending to their digital platform. Writers aiming at traditional commercial publication, however, have tended to think that all they need to do is address their writing. Publishers will do the rest.

That attitude is profoundly wrong. I know of only one publisher in the UK that makes a realistic attempt to help their lower budget authors with digital publicity. The others think they help but really don't. So, almost certainly, even with a literary agent and a publisher on your side, you're on your own.

Clearly digital publicity is potentially an endless brief. You'll need a website, yes. A blog, for sure. A presence on Facebook, ideally. A twitter feed - you know you ought to. And what about forums? And Goodreads? And Lovereading? Potentially the journey is infinite.

I'll outline a more detailed set of guidelines in a future post, but for now, the things you need to know are:

One, you and you alone are responsible for building a digital footprint. You may get help from elsewhere, but don't count on it.

Second, you need to start very early indeed. Digital publicity can be powerful but it takes time to build. A year is a short lead time, so if possible get started now.

Third, you need to understand your own brand. That's harder than it sounds. If you write non-fiction books about management skills, then clearly that's your brand, it's what you're going to major on in your online work. On the other hand, if you write contemporary fiction, it's much harder to identify and reach the audience that matters most to you. Nevertheless, you have to try.

Fourth, you need to think from the outset about search engines and how to use them. If you write books about the history of the Papacy, then clearly "Papacy" is going to be a key search term for you. But there are 3,000,000 pages on Amazon that reference the term and the top entries on Google are dominated by big outfits like Wikipedia. Can you realistically compete with those guys? Maybe, maybe not. But it's a process that requires careful aforethought because the very design of your website and blog will be affected by these decisions.

And fifth, you need to figure out who you are. If you find you naturally love Twitter, then pursue a Twitter-led strategy. If, like me, you really don't like Twitter but are comfortable blogging, then pursue that. But either way, you do need to persist. Occasional bouts of intensive activity are pretty much useless. This is a stone you have to keep rolling.

It's sad that authors have to think about these things. It's more work than in the past, and you get less money not more. But I don't make the rules - and if you want to succeed as an author, then digital publicity is a fabulous route to success. Some self-pub authors have sold a million books through online means. That's the kind of track record that would have your literary agent speechless with admiration. So it can be done. You need to do it. Go for it - and good luck.

By Harry Bingham

Everybody Loves Me

2011-11-16T23:56:00.000-08:00

Recently on my Twitter and Facebook pages, I asked authors if they could only use one of the following, which one would they use: Facebook, Myspace, Opt-in Mailing list or Twitter? Only one person dared to answer. Hmmm, I wonder why. This should be an easy one to answer. Maybe the problem was I placed Facebook and Twitter in the options and they couldn't choose between them. Maybe they thought this was a trick question. Nah, I wasn't trying to trick anyone. I honestly wanted to know your opinion.

Thankfully, we don't have to choose one, but if we did, I'd have to go with my opt-in mailing list. Why, why, why? Everyone knows social media such as Facebook and Twitter are the in thing. What kind of nut would choose an opt-in mailing list over social media? Okay, so I'm a nut. If I had to choose the type, I'd say walnut. They are good in cookies, brownies, in ice cream, for cooking...

Like many authors, I'm an observer of human behavior. I love to discover what makes people tick and the hows and whys behind their actions. I went to several of my Facebook friends who aren't authors and have 150 friends or less and asked them how they use Facebook and Twitter. I have over 1000 friends on Facebook and thought authors such as myself don't use social media the same way. I was slightly surprised by my finding. My non-author friends test group who were not marketing products (such as books), use social media the same way I do.

They pop on a few times a day to see what's going on, post a status and/or comment. Here comes the important part. Most did not or rarely looked at older post. Go to your Facebook account and scroll down to the bottom of the screen. There is a link that will show you older post. So unless your marketing/promotions post is on the user's front newsfeed page when they happen upon it, the chances are, it won't be seen. Same goes for Twitter or any other social media. With 150 friends, that front page of the newsfeed can fill quickly. And many don't realize there is a way to sort by most recent. YIKES.

I experiment all the time, using myself as the lab rat-ewww, I don't like that term. Anywhooo, I've always known how important opt-in email subscriptions are but wanted to find some hard evidence that my theory was correct. I released a romance and sent an announcement to one of my mailing list of 100 people and received 14 sales by the next day. I then waited a few days for sells to stop and began promoting this same book on Facebook and Twitter (1000+ people) for three days straight. I received two hits to my website (I pay close attention to referrals on my stats) from Facebook and clicks on the buy link. When I went to the sells report, I saw that two did purchase the book. I'm making the assumption these were a direct result of the Facebook and Twitter campaign.

The next romance book, I flipped the process around. I did the campaign on Facebook and Twitter first for one day (1000+ people). I received four hits to my website from them and three buys. I then waited two days (received no additional hits or sells) before I sent out the announcement to 100 people on my mailing list and guess what? Twenty-three purchases over the next day.

See where I'm headed? Social media is extremely important, and I'm truly glad to have 1000+ friends. "Everybody loves me!" But don't forget your opt-in mailing list.

Let's talk about opt-in mailing list for a second, or two, or three. Back in the day, authors were encouraged to harvest every email that they received from people and add them to their mailing list. Please stop doing this. Times have changed. Everything is going online and people receive entirely too many emails they don't want.

You do not want to be considered part of the electronic age's noise also known as spam. I've taken my theory to the streets and asked numerous readers how they feel about being added to mailing list and groups without their permission and over 90% loathe this practice, and they usually ignore the author. I know some of you may be thinking, but I'm reaching nearly 10%. Yes, this is true, but that doesn't mean they are purchasing your book or you are winning them over or that they open your emails every time or that you aren't pushing them to think of your emails as spam. You are also creating a sour taste in the mouth of over 90% of the others and word of mouth has a big influence on what books readers purchase. Do you really want to turn them off?

My various opt-in mailing lists have an extremely high open rate. It's actually three times higher than the industry average. Why? Well, my lists may not be as large as others' lists, but the people on my various lists want to be on it and look forward to my emails. Okay, maybe that's a bit much. I hope they look forward to them. Instead of automatically adding people to your mailing list, send an invitation for them to subscribe. It's going to take longer to build your list this way, but your list will be of higher quality.

Social media is extremely important. It is a part of your web presence, but don't forget about your mailing lists.

With the advances in technology, anyone can be a published author, but not all authors are successful. Keep your focus: Increase quality, credibility and visibility of your brand.

Visit http://www.BecomeASuccessfulAuthor.com for the tools and knowledge to help you Become A Successful Author.

By Deatri King-Bey

Q and A With Bestselling Novelist Barry Eisler: Why He Turned Down $500,000 to Self-Publish

2011-11-15T23:54:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard of bestselling thriller novelist, Barry Eisler, it's time you have. Former CIA operative and technology lawyer, Barry is now the bestselling author of the insanely popular John Rain series of thriller novels.

In this Q&A, Barry discusses his latest title, "The Detachment," the writing life & the three reasons he turned down a $500,000 advance from a mainstream publisher, to self-publish.

SO MANY OF US HAVE BEEN EAGER FOR THE RELEASE OF "THE DETACHMENT." CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT IT?

"The Detachment" marks the return of my half-Japanese, half-American assassin John Rain, who took a little time off to try to get his life together after the sixth book in the Rain series, "Requiem For An Assassin."

His on-again, off-again romance with Mossad agent Delilah didn't end happily (find out more in my short story, "Paris Is A Bitch"), and in The Detachment, he finds himself on the wrong side of an attempted American coup, up against rolling terror attacks, presidential hit teams, and a national security state as obsessed with guarding its own secrets as it is with invading the privacy of the populace.

WHAT ASPECTS OF "THE DETACHMENT" ARE YOU PROUDEST OF?

Well, it was a blast bringing together the two series universes I've created - that of the Rain books, and that of black ops soldier Ben Treven, who readers met in "Fault Line" and "Inside Out." Putting together Rain, Dox, Treven and Larison, and forcing them to manage their alpha-male, lone-wolf instincts to survive the forces arrayed against them, was great.

But proudest? Probably the realism and timeliness of the backstory and the plot.

Since the end of the Cold War, there's been much whether the thriller, at least the contemporary version, is still a viable form. Despite then Director of Central Intelligence James Woolsey's admonition that "We have slain a mighty dragon, but now find ourselves in a jungle filled with snakes," villains seemed scarce during the "peace dividend" years of the Clinton administration. Nine-eleven and the explosion of al Qaeda in the popular consciousness, of course, changed all that, and Islamic fundamentalism provided a new treasure trove of contemporary villains and plot lines.

For thriller writers interested in realism, though, the familiar "Islamic Terrorist Villain" plotline has a serious shortcoming: terrorism, of whatever stripe, poses far less danger to America than does America's own overreaction to the fear of terrorism. To put it another way, America has a significantly greater capacity for national suicide than any non-state actor has for national murder. If thrillers are built on large-scale danger, therefore, and if a thriller novelist wants to convincingly portray the largest dangers possible, the novelist has to grapple not so much with the possibility of a terror attack, as with the reality of the massive, unaccountable national security state that has metastasized in response to that possibility.

This is of course a challenge, because unaccountable bureaucracies-what Hannah Arendt called "Rule by Nobody"-make for less obvious villains than do lone, bearded zealots seeking to destroy the Great Satan, etc., etc. The trick, I think, is to create an antagonist who is part of the ruling power structure but who also maintains an outsider's perspective-who personifies and animates an entity that, destructive and oppressive though it is, is itself is too large and cumbersome to ever really be sentient. This is Colonel Horton, probably the most ambiguous villain I've ever created (and therefore probably the most compelling).

And thus, The Detachment: a small team of lone wolf, deniable irregulars, each with ambiguous motives and conflicting loyalties, pitted against the relentless, pervasive, grinding force of an American national security state gone mad. It's real, it's timely, and it's built on an unnervingly possible premise, and I'm exceptionally proud of that.

WHEN WE SPOKE LAST, YOU SAID THAT IT TOOK YOU 4-5 MONTHS TO COMPLETE THE FIRST DRAFT OF A NOVEL. OVER THE YEARS, HAS YOUR DRAFTING PROCESSED CHANGED?

Not that much. Still about a month or two of thinking things through followed by about four months of feverish writing. All, alas, with lots of interruptions, but somehow it all gets done.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO FORGO THE $500,000 ADVANCE YOU WERE OFFERED TO INSTEAD STRIKE OUT ON YOUR OWN AND SELF-PUBLISH?

The first reason is the digital split. A legacy publisher offers authors 17.5% of the retail price of a digital title; a self-published author keeps 70%. That's a lot of volume the legacy publisher has to move to make up for the deficit, and I decided that, over time, I could move enough on my own to come out ahead.

The second reason, though I supposed it's really so separate from the first, is control over pricing and timing. The current business imperative of legacy publishing is to preserve the position of paper and retard the growth of digital.

Legacy publishers try to accomplish this objective by charging too much for paper books and by slaving the digital release to the paper. I believe my sweet spot per-unit price (the per-unit price that, multiplied by volume, results in maximum revenues) is around five dollars, and legacy publishers won't price new digital titles that low (in fact, they went to war with Amazon over Amazon's $9.99 price point, which they judged too low).

I also want to release the digital version as soon as it's ready and the paper version afterward because a paper book takes longer to get to market (you have to glue it, ship it, etc), and legacy publishers insist on holding back the digital version until the paper version is ready. That costs me money, because until my books are available for sale, they don't earn anything.

Anyway, in short, my second reason was that my philosophy on price and timing is antithetical to the price and timing philosophy of legacy publishers, and theirs to mine.

A third reason, by the way, was control over packaging decisions. I've lost too many sales to lazy, ill-conceived covers, and prefer to be in charge of such matters.

IN REGARDS TO SELF-PUBLISHING, WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL SEPARATE THE TRULY TALENTED AUTHORS WITH NOVELS THAT HAVE LEGITIMATE COMMERCIAL APPEAL FROM THE REST OF THE PACK?

Hard work and luck - same as always.

WHEN I SPOKE WITH YOU LAST, YOU DIDN'T ADHERE TO A WRITING SCHEDULE. STILL NO WRITING SCHEDULE?

Still trying to find one! So many interruptions. But I think digital will be good to me. I've written two short stories ("The Lost Coast" and "Paris Is A Bitch") and they're selling well, and the immediate gratification I get from writing a short story and making it available the very day it's done is a huge incentive to avoid distractions.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO WHEN YOU'RE NOT RESEARCHING, WRITING OR PROMOTING?

I write about politics and language at my syndicated blog, Heart of the Matter, and work out, and, when I'm very lucky, get to take a quiet walk at night.

And there's nothing like a good book and a fine single-malt Scotch.

DESCRIBE YOUR WRITING ENVIRONMENT.

A quiet office, good light, Mac 24-inch monitor, and appallingly comfortable sweatpants and a tee-shirt. Ordinarily with green tea; as the deadline approaches, with a pot of coffee.

DESCRIBE A TYPICAL EVENING IN THE LIFE OF BARRY EISLER.

Hah. You're looking at one right now.

A TYPICAL WEEKEND?

Not so different, alas. I work too much.

I JUST FINISHED JOHN LOCKE'S "HOW I SOLD A MILLION EBOOKS IN 5 MONTHS." IT SEEMS AS THOUGH HE SPENDS A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA. ESPECIALLY ON TWITTER. IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, HOW IMPORTANT IS THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR SELLING BOOKS & HOW DO YOU STOP YOURSELF FROM GOING OVERBOARD TIME-WISE? OR, DO YOU?

I'm not sure I do stop myself. Everyone has to answer this one for herself because the answer will depend on how much you like or dislike social media and what you're trying to get out of it.

For commercial purposes, I think a strong online presence is important. I can see that just from how high my short story sales pop when I announce them on Facebook, Twitter, and my blog.

ANY OTHER WORDS OF ADVICE CONCERNING SOCIAL MEDIA?

The main thing is to use social media to build relationships, not to sell books. If you offer people value - entertainment, information - you'll build relationships, and the sales will follow naturally. If you just try to sell, people will flee screaming in horror.

But I think digital self-publishing has shifted the value of an author's time back to writing. I think the best marketing use of an author's time lies in writing more stories. Not that social media and advertising aren't useful; they certainly are. But nothing is as effective in selling a book as writing and publishing a new one.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?

Finding a way to get people to pay you to do what you would pay to do.

IS IT TOO EARLY FOR ME TO ASK WHAT FANS CAN EXPECT NEXT?

Next up is a Dox short story, a Delilah short story, and probably a Rain prequel novel. A lot to look forward to.

Jennifer Minar-Jaynes is the editor-in-chief of http://www.WritersBreak.com. She also blogs about parenting twins, whole foods nutrition & other health/nutrition-related topics at http://www.ProjectJennifer.com.

By Jennifer Minar-Jaynes

Publishing Your Ebook On Kindle, and Reading It On iPad

2011-11-14T23:51:00.000-08:00

The key to saving yourself a whole lot of time is to learn a bit about formatting for Kindle before you start to write. Sure, you can go back and change the formatting but it can take hours, and you want to concentrate on writing the novel or short story, and not on reformatting. These tips apply if you have Word (and perhaps others like Open Office but I don't know that for sure) and you can save the first of your two versions in doc or docx. More about that other version later.

Epublishing came to be extremely popular in the last few years. It's quite a bit different to print publishing, as most of us know. With Kindle's direct to the Kindle/Amazon site, anyone can publish their own books in almost an instant. What a way to read aspiring new authors as well as seasoned vets! Printed books are always popular, and now anyone can add the electronic versions as well. This will increase sales, and give encouragement to your writing efforts. Pick a genre for your novel, such as a thriller or romance, and setting -- Ancient Egypt, for instance.

Formats for Epublishing depend a lot on which platform you are publishing on, so I can tell you a little about Kindle only, at the moment. When you publish on Kindle you can also tell customers on your website how to download an app for their iPad. This enables the stunning graphics which iPad possesses, to really highlight your Kindle-published book. This iPad Kindle app is free from the app store.

The nitty-gritty:

• Using Word, and saving in doc or docx, set your margins to a half inch and page size to 5" by 7". This will give you the approximate visual look of an ebook.
• Do not put any kind of header or footer or page numbers in there. These are useless for ebooks as the customer can resize the page as they wish.
• You can put a table of contents in the front, but do not use Word's auto function as this won't work. Just type in your table of contents manually at the front of your book.
• You can use embedded-in-Word jpegs, more on that later. How to incorporate charts and bullet points is a more complex issue, so explore that as a separate and additional body of knowledge.
• Use single spacing and Times New Roman 12 point font, and insert a page break at the end of each chapter so your text does not run on.
• Lastly, and this is the most important -- do not use tabs for your paragraph indents. If you know how to use Word's style function then work on a template for an ebook. If you don't know how to do this and don't want to spend hours learning how, then manually pop in 5-7 spaces as your indent.

Download a free reader called Mobipocket Reader and check how your book will look, before you hop on to the Kindle self-publishing site. There are ways to link your chapters (listed in the table of contents) to your chapter headings, but that can get a bit complicated so for now, this is the basic stuff. When you are happy with your finished Word doc or docx, then save it and then save again in the Word menu as "Web Page, Filtered". Ignore the Word box about "this will remove formatting etc.) as this is what you need to do. You will have two versions, now -- a regular Word file and an HTML one.

When you upload you'll be using the HTML file. If you have embedded photos in the Word doc then look for a separate folder that's been saved automatically with your photos in it. Try and file it next to your HTML doc, so you can upload together when you're at the Kindle self-publishing site. These photos will then, hopefully, plop themselves right back into your document/novel/short story/best seller, in exactly the right place. They will automatically appear in the reader you use to check before publishing. As you write, by the way, make your characters' names appropriate to your novel's setting. I used Meryneith, Kemsa, Quasshie, Thoth, Aapep, and Asim to make my book about Ancient Egypt come alive.

By Jens E Huebner

Keep Your Speech Interesting By Being Present Yourself

2011-11-13T23:47:00.000-08:00

What happens when you keep your speech more interesting? Your audience will listen attentively to your words. People will think about your message. Your listeners are more likely to act on your call to action.

When those three things happen you know you delivered a successful presentation. So how can you keep your speech more interesting?

First you must realize that making your speech interesting is not something you do one time. You must keep injecting interesting moments throughout your presentation - much like adding spice to your cooking. If you want to make your meal more interesting you will include a variety of flavors and textures that stimulate the palate of your guests.

Delivering an effective speech is similar. You want to stimulate the minds of your listeners. So, what can you do to make your speech more interesting?

You can deliver more interesting and effective presentations by being present when you speak. What does that mean? Your audience must feel that you are there in the room with them - body, mind and soul. They must feel that you want to be there, that you are listening as well as talking and that you truly care about their best interests.

How can you demonstrate that?

Transform your speech into a conversation instead of a lecture. Think of how you might feel when the speaker is lecturing at you. That might feel rather cold. Lectures are often delivered by parents to children. Neither party enjoys them. They tend to be a one way communication. The listeners are usually made to feel small.

Use these techniques to be present when you present.

Ask questions of your audience and listen to their answers. Acknowledge and respect their opinions and perspectives especially when they differ from yours.

Encourage questions from your audience. Listen carefully to their queries and answer as best as you can. Look at the person asking the question and allow others to offer their comments.

Make eye contact with your audience while you are speaking. Don't speak to a spot on the back wall, your slides or the floor. Look at your listeners and talk to them. Connect with people for a few seconds and then move your eyes to another person. Talk to every person in your audience one person at a time.

Be human. Admit a personal flaw, mistake or failing. Nothing says "I'm real" like sharing an embarrassing moment. Pretending to be perfect will offend your audience. Just don't admit to all your flaws in one speech.

Laugh. Ha! Inject some humor into your presentation. Laugh when you make a mistake and laugh when something funny happens in the room. When you make a mistake be willing to allow people to laugh at you.

Be aware of what is happening in the room. When someone sneezes, say "Bless you." When a cell phone rings, make a comment. If there is noise from outside, acknowledge that. If the mood seems to be dragging, either take a break or finish early.

Tell stories. Most people would prefer to listen to stories over lectures. Just ask your children. Include stories in your presentation that connect with your audience and illustrate your message.

You can keep your speech more interesting by demonstrating to your audience that you are fully present in the room.

© George Torok helps business presenters deliver million dollar presentations. Get your free Power Presentation Tips at http://www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com Arrange for presentation skills training or coaching at http://www.Torok.com For media interviews call 905-335-1997

By George Torok

The Writing Process: How to Get Started

2011-11-12T23:46:00.000-08:00

The "Get into it" approach to writing

First of all, it is necessary to emphasize that there is no "method" or "technique" of writing that magically cures or eliminates the need for
    * a clear understanding of the grammar of "English,
    * a sufficient grasp of English idioms and vocabulary.
    * a command of the correct spelling

The purpose of this section is to make it easier for you to get down to writing when you have to.

There will be times that you will have to write something. Maybe when you apply for a job you will be asked to write a little about yourself. You also have to write when you have a job. Many managers ask for the applicant for a promotion to write about what they would do to improve the department where they will work. In all of these situations, the difficult thing is to organize your thoughts. Don't worry about the grammar and the English. You can polish that after you get your thoughts together.

Do you have this problem when you sit down to write...?

Your mind feels empty and you have nothing to say?

Many writers, even native speakers of English, experience this some time. You need a plan or a strategy to get started. Your problem is probably a little bigger because you probably are afraid of your English.

The following is the traditional way to start writing.
    * Put down a main idea.
    * Write an outline.
    * Write a rough draft.
    * Edit and improve the draft.

but what if you are still stuck!

There is another way that is less formal...

The "Jump into It!" System

1. Get the ideas moving.

Brainstorm (like a storm of ideas swirling around in your mind, like the leaves blowing in the wind of a storm. You have to grab them as they fly by and write them down.)

Remember do not have any notes or written ideas about the different aspects of your topic with you when you do the brainstorming.

A quick note before you begin brainstorming. Ask yourself questions about your topic. Most responses follow one of three models:
    * More than one reason
    * Before and after
    * counter-argument

The many reasons model offers a number of reasons (sometimes known as "arguments") why the proposal that you have chosen is better than the other. For example, you might think of giving two reasons why giving financial help directly to low-income families for child care is a good. way to reduce poverty.

1st The parents care more likely to work full time, and

2nd Parents are more likely to go back to school and be able to get better jobs.

In your essay, each of these two reasons could have its own paragraph, and each paragraph, supporting information, as examples, short stories (real or imagined), the facts and personal observations, for this support.

In the before and after the model, we first describe the problems that exist today, and then give several reasons for the proposal that you have chosen and reason through the supporting information.

In the debate model, give an argument and reasons why the proposal that you have chosen is the best option, including background information and give reasons why the other proposal is not a good option.

Think that you are speaking with your audience, as if you are being interviewed by someone - or several people. Tackle the subject from different angles. Which questions lead to another question?

You may or may not have chosen one of these models early on in the brainstorming step. This is OK. You do not want to harden into something that you will fall in love with. This should be very fluid at this stage.

See if you can find a new analogy to open up a new set of ideas. Create your analogy with the word "like". For example, if you write about political corruption, think that corruption in politics is like pigs fighting for garbage in the yard.

I like to tell my students that you this step should be written on the back of a dirty crumpled envelope. Why? Must you use a dirty y crumpled envelope? Not really. I want to stress that this is a first step. It will change as you go. You do not have to be clean and tidy too early as this may stop the ideas from flowing.

Collect as many good ideas and bad ideas, examples, sentences, false starts, etc. Write down everything in mind, including material that you are sure you will throw out.

Gather as many good and bad ideas, suggestions, examples, sentences, false starts, etc. as you can. Jot down everything that comes to mind, including material you are sure you will throw out.

This step is just to get ideas. You will be surprised to find out how many ideas you have on the subject.
    * Put down anything without judging whether it is a good idea or a bad idea.
    * Put down the things that you are sure of and put down the things that you just have a vague idea of.
    * Write them all over the piece of paper. Do NOT try to make an outline at this step. Do not try to write complete thoughts. Just slap down the ideas anywhere on the paper as soon as they come to your mind.
    * Write very short ideas. Do not write long sentences.
    * When the ideas stop coming, take a rest.

2. Diagram your major points somehow.

When you think you have most of your ideas down, although in rough form, go one step further. Try to think of the relation among the ideas. Does one cause another? Are your points in order of importance or time? Does more than one idea make up a class or group?

Show these relations by drawing rough circles or "bubbles", around one or another idea and show their relations by arrows connecting the individual ideas or groups of ideas...

Do it over again. This should be quick and easy because you are not writing a lot about each idea. You are just putting down a few words to identify the idea. If you put too much detail into your notes at this time, you will lose the freedom of finding and putting down your ideas. The danger is that of forcing yourself down one or another path too easily. Stay loose! Do not paralyze your thought process.

Little by little, you can firm up your ideas. You can't stay loose forever; at some point, you have to finish the organizing of your ideas and start writing!

Next step is to write a preliminary draft. This is NOT your first draft (see below). For the preliminary draft you will now change your final bubble chart to a written draft. You don't need to have everything ready at this point but you have to begin to put the ideas into more complete thoughts than just the content of the bubbles. You still should be brief.

However, your work is starting to look like a written report. At this point, you still can save time and work by putting in instructions to yourself such as, "Here put in the list of family relations", or "at end of this section, get actual percentages of ice cream sold by month".

Now you can see what material you really have. When you were at the bubble stage you were only indicating a rough idea of your content. Now you will see what further information you need to complete the presentation of your ideas.

3. Write a first draft.

Once you have all the information you need, write your report. Use complete sentences and write as clearly as you can. Use the proper connecting phrases to show the relations that you showed with bubbles. Then, if possible, put it away for a while. Later, read it aloud or to yourself as if you were someone else. Watch especially for the need to clarify or add more information.

You may find yourself jumping back and forth among these various strategies. This method, the "Jump into It" system is the best way to overcome writer's block and to start getting your ideas on paper. It allows you to become more confident and enthused with you project as you progressively see that you have something to say, that you know about the issues you want to write about, and that you are started and into the job.

The following information may help you clarify your thoughts at in the second or third bubble stages or in the preliminary draft stage. These are not "steps" or necessary parts of the writing process. They are some additional things that some people have found useful. You can pick and choose whatever you think will be useful for you.

Other valuable information

Prewriting

You probably know a lot about your subject but you have it mixed together in your mind. You can get your thoughts in order before you write. There are many sides to an issue. This will also be true for the subject you will be writing on.

It is like the old story of the blind men who are led to an elephant and told to describe it.

The blind man who feels a leg says the elephant is like a tree; the one who feels the tail says the elephant is like a rope; the one who feels the trunk says the elephant is like fire hose; the one who feels the ear says the elephant is like a hand fan; the one who feels the belly says the elephant is like a wall; and the one who feels the tusk says the elephant is like a solid pipe.

The morale of this story which comes down to us from Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, and Sufi traditions is that there are different aspects of the truth.

Some of the following questions might help you focus on the different facets of your issue. You can write brief notes on each thought you have. But it is important to do this step at least one day before continuing with the other steps. You do not want to have these preliminary ideas have too much influence in the content of your writing. Do not look at these notes when you start the next steps in this process. Their only purpose is to have you prepare your own thoughts for the later steps.

The main tasks you have to fulfill to cover all aspects of an issue (like the tail, trunk, ears, leg, tusk etc. of the elephant) are the following:
    * Define
    * Describe
    * Lay bare the Process
    * Present the Function
    * Tell the History
    * Show the Cause and Effect
    * Examine the Consequences
    * Classify the relevant data
    * Compare different aspects
    * Interpret the data
    * Give your Opinion
    * Recount relevant Memories
    * Judge and evaluate
    * Persuade the reader follow your views

Here are some examples of these aspects of the subject Food Stamps. If you are writing about Food Stamps you would have to know:

What does the term "Food Stamps" mean? (Definition)
What are the various features of Food Stamps? (Description)
How does a person get Food Stamps? (Process)
What is the essential function of Food Stamps? (Function)
How did Food Stamps come to be used? (History)
What are the consequences of using Food Stamps? (Cause and Effect)
What are the types of Food Stamps? (Classification)
How are Food Stamps like or unlike other programs? (Comparison)
Why do people use Food Stamps? (Interpretation)
What is my personal opinion about Food Stamps (Opinion)
What is my memory of when I received Food Stamps? (Memory)
What is the value of the Food Stamps program? (Judgment)
What are the essential major points or features of Food Stamps? (Summary)
What case can be made for or against Food Stamps? (Persuasion)

Summary

You may find that you have more success getting started on writing in one way. If it works for you stick with it, but always be ready to develop it even more. If you still have trouble writing try a different strategy. Do anything that keeps you from staring at a bland piece of paper or a blank computer screen. You may find yourself trying several strategies at once. If so, then you are probably doing something right. That's OK.

For more help with your writing English look at: http://www.BooksLibros.com/writing_2.htm

Writing is one part of a command of English. Another important part is speaking with a proper North American accent. For help with your accent go to the page recommended in the author's biography below.

Frank Gerace Ph.D has served in Latin America in United Nations and national Educational and Communication Projects, and has taught in Bolivian and Peruvian Universities. He currently teaches English in New York City at a CUNY college as well as maintaining a strong bilingual presence on the web.

He provides guidance on accent reduction and the proper American English accent at http://www.GoodAccent.com.

By Frank Gerace

Why Most of Us Are Not Effective Writers

2011-11-11T23:42:00.000-08:00

Writing effectively is essential for communication in the business, online and personal realms, but few can truly do it well. Sure, everyone thinks that writing is easy because they can put pen to paper and make words out of pen strokes. But when it comes to effectively communicating what one is feeling or what must be done to accomplish a task, it is another story entirely. There is a vast difference between being able to write and being able to write effectively. If you want to know where it goes wrong for most people, here are the most common missteps that prevent effective written communications:

Not Considering the Audience

Some people hear the word "audience", and they confine it to books or movies, but every form of writing has an audience, and it is the first and most important thing that the writer must understand as he prepares to communicate. Take, as an example, an instruction manual for how to hook up a DVD player. One with a vast knowledge of the inner and outer workings of the DVD player must realize that the entire world is a target audience. And that world is filled with people that have either an advanced or an incredibly limited understanding. In order to communicate effectively with the target audience, a manual writer must make things very clear and succinct, careful not to leave out any steps or assume that one segment of the audience will have the knowledge that another segment does. Yet lots of very smart people are not effective writers because they overlook this all important component.

Not Proofreading What They Have Written

Behind not considering your audience, this is probably the second biggest obstacle to effective writing. Many times, the writer assumes that he got everything right because he knew what he was going to say in his head, and he failed to realize that there was a disconnect somewhere between what he thought and what was written. Proofreading is essential to effective writing, even for the best writers out there, because it forces the writer to slow down and reconsider whether or not he is presenting his information in the best manner possible.

If you want to learn how to write effectively, you need to realize that it is about more than knowing how to write or having the intelligence. It is about holding your audience and your words up to closer scrutiny and making them connect with one another.

By Darren W Chow

The Chained Library in Wimbourne Minster

2011-11-10T23:40:00.000-08:00

The Chained Library above Wimbourne Minster in Dorset was built over 600 years ago. Although small, this collection of chained artifacts dates back 300 years, contains some unique historical documents and is in itself of historical significance. The rare items comprise the second largest Chained Library in the UK and also represents one of the first Public Libraries in the UK.

Left-handed people are always slightly bemused by the use of the word sinister. The word sinister also occurs in certain artefacts in the Wimbourne Chained Library including the fact that the staircase spiral was reversed in the ecclesiastical manner to deter swordsmen ascending to what was the old Treasury sadly ransacked by Henry VIII.

The shelves of the library are weighed down by over 350 volumes many of which are leather-clad. An interesting aspect of the shelves is the fact that the chained items are reversed with their spines facing inwards. Unlike other such libraries there are no shelves on which visitors can rest the books as the library was originally created for the Revd Stone to relocate his collection. He moved the collection down from Oxford after the restitution of the monarchy partly because he suspected that the collection of "Fathers and Commentators" that is relating to the early Christian Church, would have been considered the possessions of a papist and burnt by the public hangman at a place of execution despite Stone's status as Protestant scholar. The remainder of Stone's library was sold and the funds used, amongst other things, to pay for a Hospital for the poor and sick, now known as Stone's Court in St. Clements, Oxford.

The languages contained within the collection include Greek, Latin and Hebrew - sometimes all at once, such as in the Polyglot Bible in which the pages are divided up into regions for the different languages (try suggesting that to a publisher today). This was at a time when few amongst the local population would have even been able to read English.

It is hard for us in an age of instant printing presses and digital reproduction and file sharing to fully appreciate the uniqueness of the items contained here. The early printing presses were nothing short of revolutionary in the way that they changed the persistence and portability of knowledge. The books present here were printed on these very printing presses that were emerging in the 16th and 17th centuries and are also first editions in many cases. Thus, the four great Western or Latin Fathers are present: Ambrose of Milan, Augustine of Hippo, Jerome and Gregory. Also present, three of the four great Eastern or African Fathers: Basil, Gregory of Nazianus and Chrysostom. With a strong possibility of the fourth, in the form of Theophylact's commentaries which he may have considered, as Erasmus did, to be the writings of Athanasius.

At a later date others such as Roger Gillingham added to the library through their bequests. Gillingham's bequest was referred to as being typical of a gentleman's library of the Restoration period with books on politics, gardening, geography, husbandry, etiquette and winemaking. These further additions were also chained in many cases, in order to protect them from the gentry and others who felt able to help themselves from such libraries. The 1708 Act of Parliament protected Parish Libraries though chaining but the Wimbourne Library falls outside such protection.

The chaining of books has going on for many centuries for a number of reasons ranging from simple theft to protection due to their scarcity or their controversial themes. Reference libraries would have been needed by those attending Universities in the 16th and 17th centuries. Books would be consulted by standing or using benches adjacent to the book shelves. Readers were restricted to an hour of access if another person was waiting. This was just as well as the oldest book in the library dates from 1343, the Regimen Animarum which means the Guiding of the Souls and advices on how we can avoid the Spiritual Dangers. The words are written on vellum in inks produced from oak apples and iron sulphate as well as red lead or mercuric sulphide.

As printing took off during the latter part of the 18th century the need for chained libraries diminished. By the 19th century most chains had been removed from books in libraries. However, what fascinates me about this insight in to the collecting of books is the strength of purpose and courage that went into the process. Even leaving aside the efforts of the printers, illustrators, copyists as well as the children who may have worn out their eyes and fingers making the chains, we should remember and thank the collectors.

With respect to libraries today, some comfort can be drawn from the fact that issues surrounding security, reproducibility and even borrowing and sharing are not new. We now face fewer conflicts over intolerance, bigotry and misunderstanding. However, such issues are still present and we do well to remember that as we seek to understand the world around us preserve such complexity for future generations to disentangle.

Stephen blogs regularly about writing-related matters in this fast moving digital landscape on the key issues that matter to writers and and those interested in writing. Screen writing is a particular focus with regular tips and advice on story, character and plot matters. e-books and e-book readers are changing the way we consume and collect books and there is much to say about how this is changing our world. Thoughtful, comprehensive and always provocative and stimulating.

By Stephen Marwell

Find New Clients Even If You Are Timid When You Work As a Freelance Writer

2011-11-09T23:37:00.000-08:00

It's a stereotype that sometimes comes with at least some truth attached: that writers are not the most extrovert people around. If you are working as a freelance writer then it is possible that the writing is what you like doing, rather than the marketing for new clients.

There is all manner of advice for people wanting to find new clients, but the fact of the matter remains that a lot of us just are not fans of calling up complete strangers and trying to sell our services.

Personally, it's never been something that I've been particularly keen on. However, that doesn't mean that I have found it hard to find clients. In fact, quite the opposite.

There is No Necessity to Cold Call for New Clients

Some people are put off freelance writing because of the fear that they will have to cold call in order to find clients. I'm not going to knock cold calling because it is a proven way to find work, and if you're brave enough to do it yourself then go for it.

What I'm saying is you don't HAVE to cold call. There are other ways.

Like emails. The vast majority of all my marketing over the last few years has involved sending emails to potential clients. Simple as that.

I do have a phone number (a Skype number) with a voicemail, but I generally only use this for clients who I am already working with who prefer to work by phone than email. But the truth is I sometimes go for months without using it.

How You Can Find New Clients without Calling

I would recommend having a phone number, but you don't have to use it much. Sometimes things really are better over the phone, and it can be nice to talk to your clients personally from time to time.

However, you do not need to rely on this for finding new clients. Once I realised this I took my number down from my website and only gave it to clients if they asked to speak on the phone.

Instead, simply send off emails to the company in the same way as you would call them. Add some information about yourself, your experience and how you can help them, and then send it off.

Emails are easier to ignore and you will probably have to send out more emails to get a response, but with such a demand for web content these days you are never going to find that the work dries up.

And you can send off 20 or 30 in an hour quite easily, more than you could probably call.

Choose the Way that Suits You

Freelance writing is all about choice. Don't want to call up new clients to find work? Then you don't have to! Do it your way, and remember that it is perfectly possible to find work by sending out cold emails instead of calling.

Want to work as a freelance writer? Then what's stopping you? Find out exactly how you can start up a career as a writer and start to earn $150-$250 a day within a few months at ProWebWriting.com.

By Greg C Walker

HVAC Manual D Duct Design - Redesigning Old HVAC Systems

2011-11-08T23:32:00.000-08:00

When it comes time to design a HVAC duct system for your clients, you will want to be on top of the match-up and ahead of the game. In today's construction market, doing it the same old way won't cut it any longer. Homeowners not only want the newest techniques from their HVAC contractors, they also want the most affordable and most efficient methods that will save them the most time and money. A Manual D duct design is probably your best bet in this department. Learning how to perform a Manual D duct design will set you apart from your competitors and set you apart in your field.

If you obtain a Manual D, you will have all the information you need on how to build a duct system that uses all kinds of materials and is useful in many different kinds of zoning codes. The Manual D duct design covers all kinds of topics, including the different types of residential duct systems, and how to select the appropriate type and apply it to your needs. You will also be able to learn about residential air-side HVAC equipment and other information about equipment such as the simple tenets of the different kinds of variable or constant speedblowers. Other important things you can learn about are the sizing calculations for ducts.

A Manual D duct design gets very intricate with its sizing calculations. There are many different sizes and different kinds of ducts. Some of them are VAV systems, both the multiple zone and the two-story ones. There is also a system that has VAV dampers. Some systems are set up to handle constant volume and others need more flexible ducts. Manual D duct design techniques also teaches you about the potential problems and things that can go wrong with ducts. Sometimes duct leakage can lead to loss and that can adversely affect the indoor air quality in the building. Likewise, you will learn in Manual D procedure about the enveloping equipment system and how to synch its performance with the overall duct system

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) is the largest organization of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) contractors in the United States. Because of its exclusive access to experienced contractors and leaders in HVAC technology, it has been able to develop a manual for the most effective D duct design. Manual D duct design provides all of the current procedures and methods to design an efficient D duct system that won't waste any energy or resources and will accurately get heated or cooled air to the parts of a home where they're most important.

Noise concerns is another major concern that the Manual D duct system addresses. You want to be sure you don't have unwanted noise in your home or office building that will interfere with the quality of life you have there. Noisy duct systems make everyone feel on edge or nervous. So finding the right materials and building the system in the right way is important to a successful project.

Don't make light of this crutial HVAC design step or your clients may have noisy, ineffective comfort systems resulting in a GoldiLocks house, where the master suite is too cold in the winter and the Great Room is too hot in the summer. Or the upper level is too hot and the lower level is too cold. This can be easily avoided with a Manual D duct design at the beginning of the HVAC replacement process. It is far more responsible to provide a duct design at the beginning than to come and resolve noise issues later on and is far better for your reputation.

Savoy Engineering Group offers ACCA Certified Manual J8 Load Calculations, Manual S HVAC equipment selection & Manual D Duct Design services performed by Masters level engineer using ACCA Certified WrightSoft Universal software based on Manual J8. Savoy Engineering Group has been providing Manual J, S & D service for 6 yrs & has completed 3,500+ projects. We are Fast, Accurate& Affordable!

By Eugene Wilson Pallisco

Public Speaking Presentation Techniques

2011-11-07T23:28:00.000-08:00

Preparation, Presentation, Persuasion are the key ingredients when you are speaking to 10 or 500 people. Your audience will judge your presentation within 30 seconds; 55% by your body language, 38% the quality of your voice and 7% the words you say. The most effective way to communicate to your audience is with accuracy and energy.

55% of how people perceive you is body language:
* Look at your audience, glancing at your notes only occasionally.
* Step out from behind the lectern or podium to make yourself accessible to the audience.
* Use your hands to emphasize a point, otherwise relax them at your side.
* Use flowing movements. Rocking side to side indicates insecurity.
* Smile and be dramatic or humorous when appropriate. It denotes you are a multi-faceted person.
* If you need notes make them on 5 x 7 index cards; not paper because it's noisy. Use black ink for your main bullet points and red or another color for sub-points. Number the top corner of the cards.
* Place a glass of lukewarm water near your notes (cold closes your throat).
* If you blank out and forget a point, take a sip of water and check your notes.

38% of how people perceive you is by your voice inflection:
* Practice your speech out loud repeatedly. Eliminate umms, ahs and maybes. A pause is more powerful. If you connect your name and your company together: "Hi, I'm Bill Smith and my company is XYZ", it would not be as effective as "Hi, I'm Bill Smith. (pause) The name of my company is (pause) XYZ." This method draws the listener's attention toward what you will say next. Pausing also helps the listener to digest what you have said before you go on speaking.
* Female speakers, lower your pitch.

7% of how people perceive you is by your words:
* Eliminate words like if, someday, but, problem, issue. If you have a problem, mention it once, and then go into conclusions, results, answers and solutions.
* Use powerful words: memorable, colossal, limitless, family, friendly and excellence.
* Opening your speech is your chance to attract your listeners attention. A powerful technique is to open with a statement or question to get them focused on you and your presentation. An eloquent analogy or comparison to preface what you intend to say is an audience grabber.
* Closing your speech is another opportunity to create a call to action finish for your audience in. You could end by using an famous quotation, or a slogan or a story that sums up your topic.

Your audience is rooting for you. They want to benefit from what you have to say. Practice your speech standing up, record yourself, play it back and have friends or family critique you. Take deep breaths and realize that nervousness is normal. The secret to giving an excellent speech is to commit, prepare and rehearse. Have fun, make audience eye contact, project your voice clearly and be committed to what you are saying.

Donna Hartley is an international speaker for over three decades. She has been featured on NBC, ABC, PBS and in The New York Times. Donna Hartley is the author of Fire Up Your Life and Fire Up Your Intuition, released in June 2011. For her books please go to http://www.amazon.com

By Donna Hartley

Blog Writing Jobs and Article Writing Jobs

2011-11-06T23:25:00.000-08:00

No one is going to hire you for blog writing jobs and article writing jobs if you know little or nothing about writing a quality article or blog. So please, before you go any further let me give you a few quick tips that might help you get started on the right foot.

LOOK! Please don't just grab the first thing that jumps out at you. Why not put forth a concerted effort? Search and find one of the many blog writing jobs or article writing jobs that fits your style. Why write about something you know little about and care even less about? If you are trying to earn a living or supplement your existing income, why not enjoy yourself while you are at it? We have enough drudgery around without willfully adding to it. LOOK and LOOK CAREFULLY! You might dig enough to find yourself a real gold mine!

LISTEN! I don't care what kind of job you are looking for, you must listen to what your prospective employer is wanting from you. And I don't mean in one ear and out the other type listening, I mean, BE ATTENTIVE! Sure there are blog writing jobs and article writing jobs available, but you are not the only one out there who is looking for one. There is always competition and if you don't listen well, you will miss the very key word or phrase that might seal the job for you.

LEARN! Be teachable! That means don't think you know it all. I know you are probably the greatest writer since Ernest Hemingway, but guess what? I promise you that if you are not willing to learn, you are on a short, miserable, dead-end road. It doesn't matter whether you want blog writing jobs, article writing jobs or wanting to be the next president of the United States, LEARNING IS THE KEY! And please don't get me wrong, I am not talking about formal education necessarily. I am talking about learning practical ways to help you become better at what you do. We should always be striving to improve ourselves at whatever we are doing. My greatest desire is to be a better servant of the Lord Jesus Christ and I have only begun to learn what that is really all about! If you want to write, learn all you can learn about writing.

I told you just few quick tips! I sincerely believe however, if you will take the three tips: LOOK! LISTEN! And LEARN to heart, and really apply them in your life, you will be amazed at the outcome! What a difference these three words have made in my own life!

Hope this has been helpful,

Note:If you are looking for the opportunity to use your writing skills and for real blog_writing_jobs please take a careful look at what we have to offer.

For great, extensive free training, free education, free traffic generating website please visit: http://www.sureonlineopportunity.com

By Marlin Prentice

Advice On Making Money As A Freelance Writer

2011-11-05T23:24:00.000-07:00

Do you know what it takes to earn cash as a freelance writer? What you need to understand is that writing articles is not as hard as you may think and with a few good tips you will see what I mean. What most people think is that in order to be a good freelance writer and make a lot of money you have to be able to write really well and that is not it, you need to be able to convey your ideas but that is about it.

The first thing that you need to understand is that you can earn cash very quickly as a freelance writer but the first thing you have to do is get everything all setup. What I am talking about is that you need to make sure you have a decent computer, you will be able to jot down your ideas on a piece of paper, and you have a few people that you can start writing for.

Tips To Make Money As A Freelance Writer

Brainstorm first - The first tip that I have for you is that you need to brainstorm your ideas. The biggest reason as to why you need to do this is because if you don't know what you are going to writ about then you will take twice as long to do it. What I usually do is I write down all my ideas on a piece of paper and then take those ideas and perfect one big idea.

Research your ideas - Another thing you need to do is research your ideas. When you are writing you need to first do all the research especially if you don't know what exactly you are writing about. If you know a lot about certain topics then you still should research your ideas because you always need to provide the most up to date information.

Review your work - Something that a lot of people forget to do is review their work and this is what really hurts them. There is no point to spend an hour writing something if it is going to be littered with errors and especially if you will not take a few minutes to go back and correct it.

When it comes to earning cash as a freelance writer you really need to remember these few tips because they are going to help you out more than you know. Just know that in order to earn fast cash you have to start sometime and that time is now.

By Adam Snyder

Guidelines for Creating Effective and Insightful Surveys

2011-11-04T23:21:00.000-07:00

One of the most important tools that you can have in your tool belt as a business is the right type of survey software. Unfortunately, this also tends to be the type of item that many people overlook in their overall business plan. The fact of the matter is, however, if you surveyed people properly, regardless of whether they are employees or if they are potential customers, you can really learn a lot about the operations of your business. It can also give you the information that is necessary to continue to push forward to the future and to operate successfully in among some fairly tight competition. What are some things you should consider when you are developing your survey?

One important aspect of developing the survey is making sure that you have the right type of tools available to you. You want to make sure that you not only have the options available to ask the questions, but you want those options for those that are taking the survey in order to make it convenient for them. You can have them take the survey online but when you also give them the opportunity to be able to take it on their cellular telephone or perhaps even on paper, you can usually get a much more thorough response. Having the right type of software which will produce all of these items for you is important in making sure that you get the answers that your company needs.

You also need to consider the length of the survey. If you are going to be surveying employees, you may be able to get away with having a more lengthy survey but if you are trying to get free information on potential customers, you will want to keep it short and to the point. Although the amount of time that can be spent on one of the surveys will vary, it generally should not take anyone more than 10 minutes to answer the entire questionnaire. If you are able to keep it much lower than that, actually asking a few key questions, you will find that you are much more successful and that your data tends to be more accurate.

Be sure that you keep in mind that some of the people that are going to be filling out the software are not going to give you an honest evaluation. Perhaps they are doing it just to waste some time or if you're offering something in exchange for taking the survey, they may be working their way through it as quickly as possible. By choosing the right type of software to form the surveys, you can usually work a little bit of that right into the data. It will be able to let you know with relative certainty a good idea of the actual response that was expected.

One more tip that I would like to mention to you is to make sure that you do a test run before you send it out to all of your potential customers or employees. This will give you an idea of how long it is going to take as well as giving you an idea of what type of response you can expect when it goes live.

By Bradley Espinoza

The Right Way to Find Compelling Stories - Becoming the Story-Learner Part 3

2011-11-03T23:19:00.000-07:00

In this article we will be exploring how and where we can find compelling stories. One way to look at things is that if the stories we find are the grist, then the story-learning process would be the mill.

Here are 6 places to look for compelling stories:
1. In the events which happen to us on a daily basis
2. In the books we come across as we read and explore over a range of topics
3. In what is said to us by friends, family and strangers
4. In the dreams we have when we are asleep at night
5. In our daydreams which occur from time to time during the day
6. In the utterances of the media whether it is from newspapers, radio or TV

Let's explore a couple of these sources in greater detail in order to flesh out the "how" of learning from these stories, once we've found them.

Events which happen to us on a daily basis

A few days ago I met up with a friend of mine who I had been promising to meet up with for quite some time.

He happens to work about 5 minutes from where I do so meeting up was a snap.

I had it all worked out as to where we were going to go. We would ride the underground rail system to London Kings Cross where we would have a coffee and catch up on things.

My friend had other ideas and was quite determined to carry them out. He insisted that we have a good 15 minute walk to a station considerably further than the one I had in mind.

Then just before getting there we stopped at a health food outlet which also had a seating area.

Instead of coffees we had freshly made juice and some nuts.

I actually found the change in routine refreshing and then and there vowed to also form the habit of at least occasionally deliberately walking to a further station to get in some exercise.

I also decided to cut back on coffee and drink more fresh juices which made me feel better. If we keep our eyes open we will soon learn to catch the story in many seemingly mundane and insignificant event in our lives.

So here we have a seemingly simple event which is packed with lessons in how to improve our health. But without the Story-learners attitude we could easily miss the lesson. We could miss the story.

Finding the stories in our night-time dreams

A lot has been written about the symbols encountered in our night-time dreams. I'm not really going to try to add much more to this. However one idea which I do embrace is the suggestion that we all have our own personal customized symbols.

For example seeing a barking dog in my dreams has always been a signal from my subconscious to beware of potential danger. Hence i do believe that this barking-dog symbol is customized to my needs as part of the vocabulary which my subconscious uses to communicate with the more conscious part of myself.

One night I had a dream which in hindsight I found quite funny. I was in a food canteen back at my old university. I was at the front of a queue being served a portion of rice and chicken. After serving up a reasonably sized mound the cook asked me if the helping was sufficient. In the dream I said no. Could I have some more please?

The cook smiled and doubled the portion size. The people behind me also found it funny as there was some snickering in the background. I woke up from the dream as I was walking back to one of the dining tables to tuck in.

At about 3 am in the morning I lay awake reflecting on the meaning of this dream. What was the story here? Gradually it dawned on me that this was a mini-story about my current dietary habits which were proving to be a source of chronic constipation. The insight here was a need to cut back on starchy foods. Soon after I took this measure my constipation abated.

Frances Ade has a passion for learning via writing and storytelling.
In order to facilitate this he is constantly on the lookout for tips and techniques which writers can use to increase there productivity.

Find out more about how to learn from stories by visiting http://www.stories-to-learn-from.com

By Frances Ade

Key Elements to a Successful Speech

2011-11-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

A successful speech has a number of key components. It has the power to capture the attention of people and to keep them emotionally involved even after the story has come to its conclusion.

Writing a successful speech is difficult. Few people are capable of captivating the attention of the audience and making the entire presentation intriguing.

A successful speech has to be short enough, original, personalized and provoking an emotional response. Sounds easier said than done. To write a successful speech, you need to put your heart, soul and creativity in it. Knowing the audience well enough is another important component.

Originality

A cliché has the power to spoil the best of speeches. At the same time, writing an original speech can be challenging.

Staying away from clichés is one of the most important components of a successful speech. It has to be written in your own way and it has to tell your side of the story. Trying to utilize a writing model and choosing words that are atypical for your own speech will interfere with your success.

Clichés are widely known and people will never get surprised or emotionally touched by a speech that is full of commonplace phrases.

Sense of Humor

Some of the best speeches will make people laugh. A clever joke and a funny line are much more powerful than a wise and abstract statement.

Everyday life is troubling and difficult. People have many problems to worry about. A humorous speech will make them feel good and it will touch their hearts in a way that no other presentation can.

Use your sense of humor. Still, you need to be careful with jokes. Rude jokes, sexual content or ones that focus on ethnic traits and stereotypes should be kept out of the speech. The sense of humor used needs to be witty, subtle and positive.

Personalization

Some people believe that a good speech needs to address general issues that will be understood by the average listener. This understanding is 100 percent wrong.

A great speech has to be personalized. The more specific it is, the better. Your speech is your chance to address issues of interest rather than common topics. Pick an angle that is unique, personal and very special.

Even if you have to speak of common issues, you can do it in your own way. Select something unusual, a tiny detail that can become the focus of a very original and unique speech. Being afraid to put your thoughts and ideas in it signifies creating a mediocre speech.

Brevity

Great speeches are short. By default, long and meandering speeches will get people bored and losing interest.

Say what you have to say and once you are done, just stop. Three to four paragraphs will do just fine in terms of presenting your ideas, getting the audience involved and delivering a great conclusion.

Even if a long speech sounds fancy, try to refrain from falling into that trap. People have a short attention span. Managing to capture their attention is far from keeping them involved throughout the speech.

A successful speech has to be original, personalized and presented in your own special way. As long as you are brave enough to make the speech your own, it will be a major success.

By Misha Anatolia

Is There Competition in Writing - Yes, Big Time

2011-11-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

The other day, I was talking to an individual, and we were talking about sports, politics, and business. I indicated to him that I was retired, and now I was doing a little bit of writing on the side. He asked me how I could handle that being a competitive individual by nature, as writing does not seem that competitive, in fact it seems a little boring. It's not that I didn't disagree with him because I had always thought the same thing. But now as a wannabe writer, I realize just how competitive it is. In fact, it's become more competitive with the Internet, than I suspect it ever has been in the past.

Oh sure, we've all read about how newspaper reporters were so competitive to get the scoop. And we all know that the top novelists compete strongly to be at the top of the New York Times Best Seller List. And unfortunately, there are probably fewer novel readers today, than there have been in the past, just due to the influence of the Internet, and the age of distraction, thus the novelists fight for a smaller reader base. Today, it seems everybody is so busy multitasking, so no one has time to sit down and read anything, not even a good novel. In fact over the years, I have always considered that this may be the last era of fine literature.

After all, the kids are so busy text messaging, and abbreviating every word. It's hard to understand what they are writing, but they seem to know. If I were an English teacher, I would just shake my head, and I've talked to English teachers who say that it is a challenge. Of course, more and more people have electronic devices and e-readers, and there is a good amount of e-books sales going on, which does mean some people are at least a reading. However, in the future I imagine most electronic books will be multimedia by nature, and not just straight writing.

Still, there is a lot of competition in writing for e-books, and although there are an abundance of e-books out there available, many of them for as low as $.99, there is still quite a competition to produce these books, and to gain or garner a following. And if you want to talk about competition, I take several e-mail newsletters for writing clubs, Writers Digest, and writer's groups. It seems every other day or so I am getting an e-mail advising me that there is a new essay, poem, short story, screenplay, or novel contest going on. Some of the prizes are quite dazzling, and although I've never entered, who knows maybe it's worth a try.

Now then, I suppose a new writer trying to make a name for themselves might enter these contests early and often. Over the years, I've seen many writers' websites where those writers and authors list all the contests they've won, and which of their books have been rated five-star by the various writing clubs. Yes, I'd say the competition in writing is quite heavy. I'd also say that the competition for online content, articles, and literature is also quite strong.

For instance, there are people that write articles to develop a name for themselves and a reputation, or to establish themselves as experts so that they can sell their seminars, DVDs, e-books, or products and services on their websites. They will write articles and in the byline have a link to their website which usually is an e-commerce website where they are trying to sell something. Apparently this strategy works pretty well, but in many cases some of the categories are supersaturated, meaning the competition has reached the point where it is difficult with all the different players involved to stay strong in that category.

Is it worth competing as a writer? Now that's a really good question, because one has to decide if it is worth it or not monetarily. After all there's only so much time in a day, and not everyone can write 14,600 words a day as I do. It takes a lot to do that, it is hard work, and it doesn't make sense to compete against folks who were just throwing up garbage articles, 25 page e-books, or pretending to be experts in something they know nothing about. Does it make sense to compete against those types of individuals? Because if that's what it's come too, I am sure many of the more qualified and experienced writers would think not. Of course, in any business or any marketing campaign there is the issue of differentiation.

It's difficult these days to compete on quality alone, and to try to compete on quantity is quite time-consuming. Therefore, there seems to be the right mix, and that mix would be different for each individual writer, and perhaps also different depending on the category. So to answer your question and to speak to the title of this article; "is there competition in writing?" The answer is yes, absolutely! And thus, folks should not be surprised that competitive type individuals have come into the field of writing even if it doesn't appear to fit their psyche.

For myself, it's been an incredible transformation, I used to hate to write, and now it seems like every time I get an idea, or a new thought, I have the urge or need to go write it down somewhere. Perhaps the competitive aspect to writing does not serve a good number of writers who are generally introverts, but in the information age, it does tend to draw out extroverts into the field of writing too, those who may never have considered themselves writers in the first place. I would submit to you that, that is a good thing, and it is not a net negative.

However, I certainly understand the reality that many writers are not necessarily good business people or entrepreneurs. They may not even be capitalist thinkers, or competitive in any way. They're perfect utopian world might be that of a minimalist living under the theory of socialism -- to each his own of course. But if you think writing isn't competitive; you'd be wrong.

By Lance Winslow

Selling Your True Life Story - Your Unique Tale Is Worth Cash!

2011-10-31T23:14:00.000-07:00

The internet is chock full of crazy schemes to raise cash. All you need to do is search on relevant keywords on Google to find every money-making trick in the book. Sadly most of them are hyped up scams where the only thing you are likely to earn is a bad back from sitting hunched over the computer clicking ads all day.

However, there is one way to make a healthy chunk of change that is legitimate and even fun to do: sell your real life story!

Most people have read real life stories in magazines you know the type, My Boyfriend is a Love Rat or I Won a Million and Spent the Lot.

Sometimes the stories are sad; true live tales of love lost or parental bereavement. Sometimes the stories describe events in which the protagonist showed amazing courage or endurance and sometimes they are tales of recovery or triumph, but they all have one thing in common - true life stories touch the reader in ways that fiction cannot.

But Nothing Ever Happens To Me!

Many people reading this will scoff and say 'But nothing ever happens to me! What would I write about?', and yet everybody has their own unique experiences to share.

Were you bullied at school? Have you lost a ton of weight? Did you have to deal with a stressful /romantic/scary situation at work? You have no doubt lived through several experiences that have touched you deeply or changed you in some way.

And that is really the secret of a successful true life story. It is the tale of an ordinary person who has experienced something extraordinary and lived to write about it.

But I Can't Write!

Told that if they get their experience down on paper it may be worth a considerable sum of money, many people will still protest, "But I can't write....". Thinking about the polished articles in magazines that they have read in the past, they instantly doubt their own ability to create something similar. What they don't realise is that the real life stores you read in magazines have most likely been ghost written by an agency writer to get them ready for sale to a publication.

Selling Your Real Life Story

Popular magazines each have their own policy for accepting real life stories. Some offer a flat rate to everybody who has a half way decent tale to tell regardless of the importance or uniqueness of the situation. For example a story about surviving a murder attempt might sell for the same as a story about a romantic break up/make up.

However entertaining the romantic tale is, it could not match the story of murder for thrill factor and suspense. It does not seem fair that both stories should be offered the same payment.

Other magazines have a representative who is responsible for sourcing real life tales. The drawback is that these people have a budget and her job is as much about getting your story for as little amount of money as possible as it is in sourcing new material.

So what to do? Well, if you have a real life story to sell, get in touch with a content agency. With experience in the media business, the content agencies have contacts in the editorial departments of hundreds of publications. They know what kind of story sells and who will pay the most for it. As their agency fee is a percentage of your own, it is in the agency's best interests to get you the best possible deal for your unique tale and what is more, they will have professional writers on staff to help you get the words down.

As Features Editor of Paparazzle Celebrity Picture Agency, I have the pleasure of not only being in the front line to receive celebrity gossip and tip offs, I also accept real life stories so if you ever thought about selling your true story and seeing your words in print in a national magazine like Hello or OK!, please don't hesitate to get in touch via our Sell Your Story page on Paparazzle.

By Stephanie Darrall

Television Writer

2011-10-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

Becoming a successful television writer is the dream of many TV script writers who are interested in creative writing for this most popular means of entertainment. A television writer holds a prominent position in bringing programs to television because he or she is responsible for penning the plotline, the dialogues, characters, and creating situations for the story. The TV writer furthers re-writes and polishes the script until it is ready to be used for filming. The "show runner" or producer takes care of hiring the crew, cast, budget, and overall quality of the TV program.

Typically, each television writer contributes to writing the TV show, collaborating with several writers who work as a team of 4-20 writers. There is a well-defined hierarchy among the group of people working together on a script for the television. This consists of the following:

1. Executive producer - The executive producer is the main man to oversee the development of all the aspects of the TV show in making. This person performs the task of the chief television writer, hiring the directors, crew and the selection of the cast. The executive producer is the central figure who takes all the important decisions.

2. Co-executive producer - The co-executive producer helps and works closely with the executive producer. The co-executive producer is the spokesman and assistant to the executive producer.

3. The core group of middle level writers - This team consists of supervising producer, producer, and co-producers. All have clearly-defined tasks, each one assisting in the show's production.

4. Lower level writers and editors - The executive story editor, story editor, and staff writer form the lower level of writers and editors who carry out the work of composing the story and developing the characters and dialogues.

Anyone who wants to become a television writer in any capacity must have the dedication and yearning to write. An inherently prolific writer will be a successful candidate to take up the reins of composing scripts for TV. An inner craving to give an overt expression to creativity can be a wonderful motivation to turn to writing for TV. When wanting to step into this profession, you are hired based on your quality of work output. As a sample of your writing prowess, you should keep ready spec scripts to show others that you are comfortable with the format and style for writing for television.

There are a limited number of positions for a budding television writer, but if you practice endlessly to hone your skill, you can be sure to carve out a niche for yourself. Write in the genre of your choice. This is a piece of the most practical advice because by following it you are likely to put your best foot forward and be a raving success. Watch a lot or TV. This is a self tutoring method and an enjoyable one too! Brainstorm and come up with novel ideas to compose scripts that are totally engaging and worth turning into great TV programs.

If you're looking for a screenwriter for hire, visit http://ScreenwritersForHire.Com/, call (716) 579-5984, or email ezine[at]GhostWritersForHire.Com

By John Halasz

How to Write For Money in Ways You Might Not Expect

2011-10-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

With the economy still on shaky ground, more people than ever want to learn how to write for money. The thought is that since this is a skill that everyone learns in school, it can't be all that hard to do. Well, the answer is that anyone can learn how to write for money. However, if you want to write for money and do it in a way that not everyone is doing it (so that you don't have as much competition), you need to be a little creative.

Technical Writing

Every time you buy an electronic device or a software program, it needs to have instructions included with it. Now while the instructions included with that product may seem like they were written by someone for whom English is a second language (and it many cases, that's true since India and Pakistan are both common markets for getting writing projects outsourced to them), some such manuals are written right here in the United States. This is especially true for very complicated products such as telecommunications mainframes and the like.

You can easily learn how to write for money by learning how to do technical writing. There are dozens of courses available, some of them online which will teach you everything you need to know. The biggest problem you'll have is landing your first job. Most companies that hire technical writers prefer to hire people who have previous experience in the field. Keep in mind also that technical writing is very much a job for people who are not very creative and don't really enjoy writing things like stories. You simply need to have an analytical mind so that you can write clear instructions.

Grant Writing

Another area of growth that many people who want to learn how to write for money overlook is grant writing. Grant writing involves writing requests for money from various foundations. Tens of thousands of such foundations exist in this country and they are in the business of giving away money for various charitable projects. Most charitable organizations however don't know much about how to write grant requests and as such they hire professional grant writers.

You'll need to do research, including asking lots of questions from the people who run the charity in order to write effective grant proposals, however the money can be quite good. Typically, starting grant writers are paid around $8-$12 per hour while those with proven track records can easily take in as much as $100-$150 per hour. Keep in mind however that no ethical grant writer will take a project to write a grant request on commission. That's because grant requests cannot include the cost of the grant writer meaning that the organization would effectively be fudging their own numbers in order to pay you. Not to mention the fact that you will have no way of knowing that a grant was actually paid since it often takes months to get an answer.

Greeting Cards, T-Shirts, Bumper Stickers, etc.

Believe it or not, a third idea that many people want to learn how to write for money tend to overlook is writing slogans, jokes and short poems. Every time you pick up a greeting card or a T-Shirt with a slogan on it, someone had to come up with the material that was written there. Bumper stickers also require professional writers to pump out ideas. While this is often not what people have in mind when they want to learn how to write for money, it is a great way of earning cash if you have a creative mind and can come up with pithy slogans and commentary rather than long articles.

Copyright Aaron Aberson. Learn more about how to write for money, and get free money-making newsletters and courses at: http://www.EveryWayToMakeMoney.com.

By Aaron Aberson

Writing Grants - How Do Technical Writing Skills Affect Grant Funding?

2011-10-28T23:07:00.000-07:00

Writing grant proposals can be an intimidating process. Some people never undertake the challenge because they assume they need specialized technical skills in order to win grant funding. That assumption is false. Though grant writing can be a labor-intensive task, the most critical aspects of writing a winning proposal are not technical secrets available only to professionals. They are tools and techniques available to anyone willing and able to prepare the necessary groundwork, take advantage of available resources, and follow some basic but often neglected strategies for success.

Because technical writers work primarily in information technology-related industries, they need specialized capabilities and knowledge which may be beyond the skill set of the typical grant writer. However, good technical writers are also experts in less technical areas critical to those pursuing grants. Developing those common areas is something you can learn -- that's the "science." By also honing your skills in areas specific to the "art" of grant writing, you can greatly increase your odds of winning a grant.

Common Areas (The Science):

    * Technical writers and grant writers must thoroughly understand the purpose of their document.
    * Both must understand that they are communicating to a specific audience for a specific purpose.
    * They must communicate information in a clear, concise way that can be easily understood. Good grammar, correct spelling and organization are critical in both cases.
    * Their writing must be "presentational" - i.e., they should use appropriate headings, bullets and layouts that make their documents easy to read.

Grant-Specific Areas (The Art)

    * In addition to understanding the purpose of your document, as a grant writer you must also understand and convey a compelling sense of purpose for your organization. The most successful grant seekers are "purpose driven" and clearly communicate that in their writing. Be sure you are clear about the problem you are trying to solve.

    * The grant writer must know far more about the audience, or grant maker. Beyond knowing who the audience is, you must be very aware of what is important to that audience, what drives them. Grants are offered for very specific purposes; the needs you are addressing must be important to the grant maker.

    * While the technical writer follows basic rules for organizing data, the grant writer must absolutely conform to the grant maker's specifications. There are no exceptions to this rule. Even if you think the grant maker's guidelines are nonsensical and irrelevant, those are the guidelines you must follow if you wish to be considered.

    * Be clear about what you are trying to achieve and specific about how you will measure success. Most importantly, communicate how your proposed plans and programs will transform lives. You are asking a grant maker to give you money; be sure your reader can see the impact that decision will have.

In summary, some technical writing skills can help you write a stronger grant proposal. Learning the skills specific to grant-writing, however, will have a major impact on your success. We have touched on major areas here; many free resources are available to give you more insight and help you obtain grant funding.

Learn more now at http://www.gofreegovernmentmoney.com/

We provide fast, free, clear and factual information about finding and winning public and private grants, scholarships, and alternate funding sources.

By N. S. Jenks

Proofreading - Some Basic Do's and Don'ts

2011-10-27T23:06:00.000-07:00

The writing process can be divided into three stages;
1) Prewriting -- research and planning.
2) Writing -- putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and producing your document.
3) Post-writing-- perfecting the language in your document and ensuring it is of the highest quality that you can produce by proofreading for errors.

It is this last, post-writing stage, which is most often neglected. You have written your document and believe that you are almost finished. But this is not true. The last stage is where you are able to add extra value to your writing. It is this stage where you can go from a good mark to an excellent mark.

In this article I will present some do's and don'ts that should help you fully maximize the marks you get from the last stage by using some of the strategies that professional proofreaders use.

Do -- Work in an environment in which you are able to concentrate and not be distracted.
Don't-- Try to proofread while also watching television.

After you have finished writing your report or essay it is easy to think that the hard part is over and that you can relax, move away from your work desk and sit somewhere more comfortable and relaxed while proofreading your final copy. This will not help you. You need to maintain focus and concentration. You should work in an environment where you will not be distracted, the same sort of environment where you would write your document.

Do -- Take a break and come back to your document after a time away from it.
Don't -- Finish writing and start proofreading straight away.

Ideally you need to be able to take a break and come back to your work with a fresh set of eyes. If possible finish writing your document and leave it at least 24 hours before proofreading it. However, is not always possible to do this; often due to tight deadlines you are not able to let it rest for 24 hours. You should take a minimum of 10-20 minutes away from your desk. Go and have a cup of tea or a walk outside to refresh you before starting the proofreading. You need this break so that you can read what is on the page rather than what you thought you wrote.

Do -- Focus on one aspect of proofreading at a time.
Don't -- Try to fix everything at once, especially if English is not your first language.

Read your document several times when proofreading, each time focusing on a different aspect. Read once to make sure that your punctuation is correct, once to check for miss-spelt works or wrongly used words (e.g. there/their) and another time for poorly written sentences which need to be rewritten.

Do -- Print your document and proofread the hard copy.
Don't -- Proofread your document on a computer screen.

If you proofread your document on a computer screen, then print a hard copy and proofread it again you will be surprised at the number of mistakes you are able to find. Your eyes often miss the mistakes when you are reading on a computer screen, so you should print your work and read the hard copy when proofreading.

So, if you are able to take a break after finishing writing your document, print a hard copy, work in an environment without distractions and proofread for one type of error at a time you should be able to maximize the marks that you get or the quality of your document by spending in the right amount of time on the post-writing stage, which is just as important as the prewriting and writing stages when producing a high quality document.

Of course if you don't have time or need your document to be the very best it can be you could always employ a professional proofreader.

Copyright Jolyon Dodgson PhD. Jolyon, the author of this article, is a research scientist, qualified TEFL teacher (teaching English as a foreign language) and freelance proofreader specializing in scientific, academic, website, business and ESL proofreading. Much more useful information about writing and proofreading, written by him, can be found at his website http://www.excellent-proofreading-and-writing.com. Where you can also submit your documents for his proofreading and copy editing service.

By Jolyon Dodgson

Good Speaker - The Soul Of An Event

2011-10-26T23:04:00.000-07:00

A function or an event is incomplete without a good speaker. Organisations conduct meetings for various reasons and for ensuring the event to be successful companies engage in speaker. Earlier even companies would give this task to someone within the organisation and the result would be a bored audience who would be ready to run away from the event giving any excuse. Sometimes some famous personalities are invited to take over as the orator for the occasion. Famous personalities are able to draw and hold attention of their audience. People are always ready and happy to listen to them.

Even for personal events when you take the task of giving a speech you need to hold the attention of the audience otherwise it makes people to wander and talk among themselves. A good speaker is one who knows how to make people listen to him. A person who is talented in this task will make his way into people's heart. There are various corporate events like seminars, product launch or conferences. Every such event needs a speaker to make people understand the importance of the event and participate in them. Organisations spend large amount of money on all this events and to make it successful hiring a good orator is a must. You cannot have an audience of about 1000 guests and make them listen to someone who is not able to deliver a good speech and not develop interest in the event. The whole purpose would be lost.

A good speaker is the soul of the event. There are people who have taken up the job of a speaker and they are very good at it. They are professionals in this field and do their job perfectly. They know what message they have to pass and how to generate interest among the audience by delivering an enjoyable speech. Every speaker charges differently depending upon his skill and experience. But incurring this expense is worthwhile as it will guarantee the success of an event. An expert will generate willingness in audience to learn by captivating their attention.

Motivational speakers are hired by organisations to bring positive changes in their employees. There are group of employees who would need to be motivated to work hard towards achieving organisational goal. Changing the negative thought process in some of the employees is needed and that is what exactly the speaker does. He will stress at stopping the negative influences from affecting the employee's performance and growth. A good speaker will shape up the emotional attributes of the employees towards company's growth.

At an event a good speaker will be able to put across the point that the organisation is trying to put forth effectively and engaging in their service will be a good investment for the organisation. You can get speakers through references or organisations that will avail you the services of speakers needed by you depending upon the event. A professional speaker will leave his audience motivated, well-informed and ready to take up new challenges.

By Anita Dsilva

How To Write An Article In Under 8 Minutes

2011-10-25T23:02:00.000-07:00

Article marketing is a great way to drive lots of targeted traffic to your website, but it can take time. I remember sitting down to write my first article. It took me two days to finish it and I was still not convinced it was good enough to publish. Over time, I got better and faster at writing quality content, but it would still take me an hour or so per article. Let me show you how I changed that and can now write an article in under 8 minutes.

Then I heard about something called "Pavlov's Law". Yes, that's the guy with the drooling dogs, but this is different. Pavlov's Law states that any task will take the amount of time we allot for it. Let's apply that to writing articles.

If my only goal for Monday morning is to write an article, it'll take me all morning. I'll start with some research, read a few related blogs and jot down some possible article ideas. I'll go grab another cup of coffee and sip on it while mulling over which of the topics to choose. By 10 am I'm finally opening a word doc to sit down and start writing.

Fast forward to 2pm; I'm finally wrapping up a 400 word article for my Affiliate Marketing Blog, having done most of the writing in the past 15 minutes because I realize it's almost time to pick up my daughter from school.

Now let's look at a different scenario to that shows how we can train ourselves to write much faster. Again, it's Monday morning and you need to write and submit an article. At 8:30, just as you're sitting down to write, your best friend calls inviting you to go have coffee at 9:00. It takes you 5 minutes to get ready and 10 to drive to the coffee shop, leaving you 15 minutes to work. You sit down, write your article and submit it to your favorite article directory before you head out the door.

Because you only had 15 minutes to get it done, you wrote much faster. The trick to writing articles in under 8 minutes is to train yourself to do so with a time. Grab your cell phone or the kitchen timer. Set it for 20 minutes and do what you can to write your article within the allotted time.

The next time you sit down, change that time to 18 minutes, then 15 and so forth until you find the minimal amount of time it takes you to write a quality 400 word article.

And yes, in case you're wondering; it did take me less than 8 minutes to write this article for you.

And now I would like to invite you to learn more about affiliate marketing at http://www.DailyAffiliateTasks.com

By Susanne Myers

Do We Have "Ivory-Tower-Itis"?

2011-10-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

A conversation with a local business owner the other day prompted this whole thought pattern and THIS is what came out.

Don, a 2nd generation business owner and a pretty good offline marketer, asked this question almost word for word...

"Do I need one of them "Bee Logs" I see you writing about all the time?" It took a second, but inadvertently Don had hammered home something that I had been taking for granted for quite a while.

Most business owners, heck, most people in general, don't know things that I take for granted! Like what a "Bee Log" is and what it can do for a business as a part of its marketing efforts.

In national politics, I'm always railing against "eggheads" that talk down to us common citizens about economics, trade and all those fancy topics from high atop their ivory towers.

Don didn't mean to, by any stretch of the imagination, but he DID throw it right in my face that I was being just as bad as those "eggheads"!

All of those 5 paragraphs, 166 words took place in my mind while I was trying to come up with a brilliant answer for Don.

What I did say was, "Don, I appreciate you for being so patient with me. I haven't done a very good job of talking about things in a way that you can use right here in your business. I'll do better, I can promise you that!"

We then went on to discuss what a blog is and if it would be an asset for his business. It ended up that Don thought a bee log would be a good addition to his marketing. But, all the while, I was feeling like a real dummy for taking for granted that Don knew what a blog is and how it could be used in his business.

I've always prided myself on being able to discuss things with people in a very down-to-earth manner which I thought was very effective...now I'd have to say MAYBE NOT!

In the end, the same person who had started all these recriminations in my mind...good old Don...put a lot of my worries to rest when he said, "Hey man, don't beat yourself up. You don't know what the knapp of a carpet is or how to work with it, but I do. I can talk about knapps all day long and you'd have the same blank look I have when you talk about blogs. I just have to make sure you're following along enough to be able to choose which knapp you want and BUY a carpet that's right for YOUR home! That's my whole job."

Good old Don!

I'd be willing to bet that a lot of us have a pretty good case of "Ivory-Tower-itis".

Just remember good old Don and make sure your target audience is following along and understands enough to choose the right strategy or tool to get the job that THEY want done completed.

Thanks Don!

If you enjoyed this article and would like to read more, just go to http://www.tourismlearningcenter.com where you'll find over 400 articles like this one.

By Dennis Lively

Ghostwriting Jobs

2011-10-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

There are ghostwriting jobs for writers who want online writing jobs. Ghostwriting jobs for experienced writers and newcomers are both available if you know where to look. Most large websites that offer ghostwriting services are constantly looking for new ghostwriters to join their team. Projects are also available on a multitude of freelance websites, and they often turn into full time jobs. In such cases, ghostwriters bid on the individual project. Classified ads also offer many ghostwriting jobs.There are all sorts of ghostwriting projects to accommodate every individual writer's tastes and needs. Some of these key jobs include ghostwriting SEO content, articles, ebooks, blog posts, press releases, screenplays, novels, and books.

Ghostwriting can be a very lucrative way for a freelancer to make money online. There is a genuine demand for ghostwriters of virtually all levels. Several ghostwriters are already published authors in their own right, but most have never been published. Some websites offering ghostwriting services create entry level positions and train new writers to become better writers. It is important to determine which of the many types of ghostwriting jobs best suits you. For instance, do you have a talent for book ghostwriting? If so, go further and establish more specifically what type of books you want to ghostwriter. For instance, first decide if it is fiction or non-fiction. From there, which genre of writing do you like -- romance, action, horror, etc. Once you have narrowed down your search this far, you can still choose among novel writing, screenwriting, and short story writing. Versatile ghostwriters who can write many types of projects tend to be more successful because they are qualified for more projects.

One way to get yourself out there as a professional and profitable ghostwriter is to get your name on the market. A good way to achieve this is to use a ghostwriting company as the go between for yourself and their clients who needs the writing services of a reliable ghostwriter. In essence, the client would hire the ghostwriting service provider who could hire you as the ghostwriter. Having a resume and writing samples is a must when applying for ghostwriting jobs. You can also post these credentials online for others to find and hire you directly.

You can work for a ghostwriting company that has constant, on-going work or you can search for new projects yourself. Just determine how much effort it is to consistently find new paying projects. Being an independent ghostwriter affords you the opportunity to accept only the ghostwriting jobs you want, but to make a decent living most people cannot be too choosy. Ghostwriting jobs from a company may require you to take what is assigned to you by the project manager. Other ghostwriting companies permit writers to choose from several projects.

Find ghostwriting jobs by visit visiting http://GhostwritersForHire.Com/ghostwriting-jobs

By John Halasz

Writing Sympathy Messages for Cards

2011-10-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

Having to write a bereavement or sympathy message for a card can be a daunting task and finding the perfect words to write nigh on impossible, as words will never convey the depth of comfort you wish to send to your grieving family or friends during their very difficult time of sorrow.

Unfortunately the loss of a loved one is something that we will all have to endure, and so writing a sympathy card is a task that we will all need to do at some point, so it is a matter of trying to choose the best words to convey a genuine and thoughtful message to the person grieving the loss of their loved one. Try to send the sympathy card as soon as possible after the death.

When writing sympathy messages for cards, the words you pick are very important. It is best not to try to say too much, so keep the message simple and short, particularly if you did not know the person particularly well. A card is not the appropriate medium to inform the recipient of your own news, or to offer an explanation as to why you haven't been in touch for a while.

If the deceased person was well known to you, then you should try to be more personal by conveying what the person meant to you, and how greatly they will be missed.

Here are some common phrases used in sympathy cards: "I am sorry for your loss"; "With deepest sympathy"; "Our thoughts and prayers are with you"; "[Name] will remain in our hearts forever". However it is important to write something in the card that sounds genuine, and not overly clichéd. Avoid using a message that suggests that you know how the family is feeling or that suggest that the deceased may be better off as his or her suffering has ended.

If the person has died after a long term illness it is appropriate to mention this in your message, but avoid mentioning details of the death, as the pain and memories will still be very raw to the recipient.

One must also be careful to observe the correct etiquette in these difficult circumstances. Always neatly handwrite, rather than type, both the sympathy card and the envelope. When signing the message it is also usual to use your surname, even if you know the person well, and use proper titles when addressing the envelope, ie Mr, Mrs, Miss etc. The card should be addressed to the closest person to the deceased, unless you did not know them personally, but you knew another family member - in this case you would address your sympathy card to the person that you know.

If you feel a card is not enough consider sending flowers - any good florist should be able to help you select flowers that are appropriate for the occasion. Often, a charitable donation will be the preferred gift by the family.

The recipient will often follow up the sympathy card with a 'Thank you' card. Remember that the time following the passing of a loved one can be challenging, so remember to keep in touch, or follow up with a 'Thinking of you' card.

If you're looking for suggestions for Sympathy Messages for Cards, take a look at some of the messages listed at http://www.messagesforcards.com

By Simon Spanglehurst

Writing From the Heart for Newbies

2011-10-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

I am not a good writer but I love to write. I go by the saying, "Love conquers all." It has helped me conquer one writing deficiency after the other. A newbie wanting to write for a living can make good use of it, as well.

The road from scratch to riches, for a writer, is littered with potholes, obstacles, dead ends, detours and what have you. Hercules' trials are child's play compared to what your trials will be. And you need no less a bigger heart to conquer them all if you are to make a living out of it.

Many have trod this road before, that's the good part. The bad part is that only a very few made it. You can take valuable lessons from these guys. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Before taking the plunge, play the little game of "mirror, mirror on the wall..." on yourself, asking if writing is really what you want in life.

There are mountains and mountains of writing tips in the Internet. They all boil down to aptitude and attitude.

Sean Platt thought he can't write, never having had any formal writing education. But when he put his heart into it, he found out that he can and is now earning a fortune from it.

On the hand, a lot of people put up blogs believing they can write (I've read of lot of these). But their writing suck, their contents the dime-a-dozen type.

Aptitude answers the question, "Do you know how to write?"

Writing is both a skill and an art. As a skill, it can be learned. As an art, it can be developed and is very personal. We are all born with a gift. But this gift is useless unless we make use of it, polish it to make us stand over the others. That requires practice, practice and more practice.

Attitude answers the question, "Why do you want to write?"

More often than not, wanting to write and actually writing are poles apart. I write because I love to write. Nevertheless I sometimes have to fight against myself to sit down and start crafting an article.

Without a very strong and compelling reason to write, it is so easy to put things off till the "right time." There is no "right time" for a writer but "now."

"Writer's block" is another convenient alibi many writers seek refuge in. Hard core writers don't have writer's blocks.

Some writers struggle through an article a day for lack of interesting subjects to write about Prolific writers won't settle for anything less than two.

The Internet is a written world. And it is large enough to be perpetually in need of people with the aptitude and attitude to write. You, a newbie, can very well make a name and fortune for yourself if you put your heart into it.

Joseph Dabon, freelance writer and blogger on motivational, online business for newbies and happiness and fitness issues.

Come, visit my blog at http://homebizresources.net/ and message me.

By Joseph Dabon

Writing An Article - 3 Tips To Keep Going

2011-10-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

If you or someone you know is trying to continually make money online through affiliate marketing, or even article marketing, it's important to never stop throwing sentence together. Much like a journey takes one single step to start, writing an article takes one sentence, one word, and an idea to begin. If you're not sure how to move forward, or are tired of seeing no results, it's important not to let it stop you from progressing with your craftsmanship. Consider the following tips to keep yourself in the game, even when you're tired.

   1. Read Bad Writing - This might not seem like a great thing, but you should consider reading bad writing for a change. Well, within reason, don't read something a child writes, as they aren't quite sophisticated to create truly technical writing that can be critiqued as bad. Read things that are not on topic with what you're doing. For instance, read an action sports magazine like skateboarding, surfing or even snowboarding. The types of magazines that feature action sports aren't written with high caliber vocabulary and paint pictures with.... pictures.

   2. Read Bad Blogs - Go to the Internet and search anything you'd like, then add the world blog to your search. You'll find millions of websites with terrible content, and lackluster display. Use that to inspire you, because you know that you can probably come up with something better and more enlightening.

   3. Never Stop Writing - If you're serious about becoming a professional online, write like there is nothing else to do in the world. People that make it in affiliate marketing; know that writing an article is something that is done daily, no matter what. If you start doing 1 piece a day, you'll have 365 pieces to upload to a site. Now if you did 2, or 3 a day, in less than 1 year's time you'll have so much content, you'll rival ay competitor hands down.

Writing an article is easy, but doing that over and over again to generate traffic and interest in all your work is hard. If you're not keen on writing, then purchase a service to help you and make sure you never stop. The moment you stop trying, is the moment your competitors come in and take over all your niches. Select a niche that isn't going to bore you, and go through the motions to become the best at what you do, even if you're in a small sector the Internet. Sometimes it's the small genres that make the most money.

Trying to learn how to write articles? 99centarticles offers the best quality and lowest priced articles for 100% native English speaking USA writers - check out the best service online at www.99centarticles.com

By Miranda Hewitt

How to Remove Writer's Block

2011-10-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

Writer's block... Dictionary.com defines this odd condition as "a usually temporary condition in which a writer finds it impossible to proceed with the writing of a novel, play, or other work." The causes of this phenomena are many and the resulting effect is characteristically difficult to shake off. Despite this there are ways to remove writer's block partially if not fully.

A few simple methods are simply:

1. Force yourself to write. Sit down and don't allow yourself to do anything til you produce some writing.

2. Go read a book. Reading books that you enjoy and reading books that are relevant to the subject you are writing about can give you inspiration and get your creative thoughts flowing again.

3. Take a break. Go for a walk, jog, exercise swim, bike ride, etc. Breaks allow your conscious mind to rest while your subconscious mind works at the problem. Sometimes producing the eureka effect in which you seemed to have randomly come up with a solution to a problem (or in this case writing you work).

4. Write down every thought you have (no matter what the thought might be). Such things can be used later in your writing and if they are not written down upon the moment of thinking them they tend to slip away and become difficult to remember - if at all possible.

5. Attend a writing class or workshop. Regardless of whether or not you have writer's block, a writing class puts you in a position of having to produce work. This demand forces your creative mind to work and inevitably produce content regardless of the quality (quality not being important because writing workshops are meant to improve the quality of the work you produce).

6. Keep a journal. Write down what happens in your life, thoughts, and your dreams (dreams tending to be the most useful and inspiration-inducing). These events can: be used later in your writing, give you an assuring writing project each day, or at the very least used to refer back to so that you may be able to determine the cause of your writer's block. Make sure to note that day if you could produce any content or not.

7. Practice in other creative hobbies. If your stuck in writing working on another creativity-required hobby can get your mind running and primed for when you are able to sit down at the writing desk.

8. Remove clutter from your room. Make sure that your writing space and your sleeping space are clear of any junk and random messes (as opposed to an organized mess for those who know what I'm talking about). This is almost always a cause of writer's block and you could be amazed at the difference of just simply sprucing up.

9. If you can't work on your project directly, than work on it indirectly. If you have trouble producing content than try: outlining, word association, flash cards, sticky notes, writing prompts and so on. This almost always gives you somewhere to start writing content.

There are many ways to break writer's block. Here are just a few methods for doing so.

For more methods on breaking writer's block visit www.writersde-block.blogspot.com or visit your local library and inquire about any writing workshops.

By Michael Salerno

How Do You Find Jobs Abroad?

2011-10-18T22:50:00.000-07:00

The majority of my work comes from clients in the States, but I have written for people and companies in Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. I've gotten the jobs abroad through a mix of things. In one instance, I wrote for a site that has offices in both North America and Australia. When my North American editor heard I was moving to Australia, she connected me with the site editor here and I got work from there. Another current gig came from networking at a travel meetup.

The remaining jobs abroad have come from a single source, however: Twitter.

I write for two sites in New Zealand. One gig came strictly from a relationship built with an American travel blogger on Twitter. Another came from a tweet I answered about someone needing writers. Guest posts I did for a site based in England emerged from meeting up with the site owner while he was in Sydney. It is sometimes hard to network when you do most of your work online, but every little bit counts.

Twitter can work for finding jobs abroad because the connection is quick and to the point, as you have only 140 words to use. You don't have to craft some sort of hook necessarily - you only have room to tell the person what you're after. It's easy to make the initial contact that way, then follow up with a longer email in which you pimp out yourself and your work.

Make sure you follow people in different countries who may need writers at some point. Search "writers" or "writing" - try them with a hashtag, too - in the little box at the left to see if anyone's made calls for writers. If you're in the same country as the person, ask to meet for coffee to discuss opportunities.

You can also do something I've talked about before: cold email. If you see a site in the new country you have moved to or are moving to, contact the editor to see if he or she needs writers, even if the site has not advertised it. Even if they cannot bring you on right now, you've formed the initial contact and they can get in touch if something comes up.

If you are already abroad, go to Meet-ups geared toward the writing or blogging industry or the industries about which you write. Collect business cards and send follow-up emails asking about work opportunities.

By Lauren Fritsky

Freelancers Are Good for Business

2011-10-17T22:48:00.000-07:00

Whether your business is large or small, growing or slowing, a qualified freelancer can help you produce more and better work at higher profit margins. The most successful freelancers produce excellent work with a high level of customer service and further differentiate themselves by offering something that other freelancers don't, e.g., extensive knowledge of a particular industry, exceptional creativity, or a breadth of services. Freelancers (also known as 'independent contractors') are responsible for their own office space, health care benefits, and job-related equipment. The only cost to you is the fee you pay for the work they produce.

If you're not sure whether a freelance partnership makes sense for you, consider these five facts about freelancers:

Freelancers live and die by their reputation. Anyone who "makes it" as a freelancer has figured out how to consistently deliver high quality work on time and within budget.

Freelancers have nowhere to hide. Unlike a traditional employee, a freelancer bears full responsibility for the work she or he produces. There is no other department or team to blame for a missed deadline or inferior quality work. A good freelancer is motivated by this transparency, and strives to exceed client expectations every time.

Flexibility is a hallmark of a freelance professional. Because they primarily work solo, most freelancers are able to adjust to changes in timelines and project scope more easily than a traditional employee or entire department.

Non-traditional working hours are the norm. Many freelancers are willing to work evenings and weekends if necessary to satisfy a client, and since their rate is usually based on the number of hours worked, clients do not pay any overtime fees.

Freelancers freelance because they choose to, not because they have to. Many leave traditional employment because they feel stifled, either creatively or strategically, and they believe in their ability to compete in the open market. Freelancing is like a never-ending game of King of the Hill. In order for a freelancer to survive, she or he must be better than most other freelancers. Successful freelancers continually innovate and stretch their skills in order to satisfy clients and grow their business.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that more than 10 million workers are classified as independent contractors, and freelancers earn one in every eight dollars in the U.S. If you're not taking advantage of the professional freelance pool, someone else clearly is. Perhaps it's your biggest competitor.

By Sally Bacchetta

How to Make Author Events Effective

2011-10-16T22:47:00.000-07:00

When starting out, many authors wonder how they should promote their books, and many are disappointed when they hold a book signing and no one shows up. An author might sign books at a bookstore in his or her hometown and have a dozen or so friends and family come, but then the second book signing in a neighboring town might be a flop with only one or two books sold at the most. For a long time, book marketing experts have said that a bookstore is the worst place to sell a book. I don't think that's true-over time, authors sell the majority of their books in bookstores-but a book signing in a bookstore usually is a colossal failure for most authors.

What makes an author event effective? Participation by the author in terms of spreading word about the event is a large factor. You can't rely on the bookstore or organization to promote your event. You still may not get a crowd of people if you do, but the more effort you put into advertising the event yourself, the more likely you will attract a crowd. Here are just a few ways you can help to promote your event:

    * Send out invitations via Facebook, Twitter, and other Social Media.

    * Send out an email invitation to your email list-remember not everyone is on Facebook, and not all your Facebook friends are on your email list so cover your bases both ways (and don't discriminate and fail to invite friends in other states or across the country-they may not come, but they may cheer you on from afar and the positive energy helps a lot-it's also a reminder to them to order your book.)

    * Send out postcards to people on your snail mail list-especially your older readers who may not be on Facebook or even have email.

    * Post the scheduled event on a prominent place on your website.

    * Make up posters and distribute them around the area-grocery stores, libraries, restaurants, anywhere there's a bulletin board or a door where you can tape something-always ask the manager's permission before doing so (and invite him or her and the staff to the event while you're at it). Be sure to give some posters to the event planner, bookstore owner, etc. to distribute.

    * Send out an event listing, or even a press release, to local media-many television stations and newspapers have community events calendars. And you never know when the newspaper might write up the event, or the TV station might come to cover it.

Promoting your event yourself can be a lot of work, but it gives you a better chance of having an audience and selling your book than if you don't promote it. Making posters might especially seem like a waste of time and money, especially if you can't place them all, so I recommend making up a generic poster for all your events and then leaving a place where you can list the time, place, and location details for each specific event. Then you can later print up stickers or just handwrite that information on the posters so you always have posters available and don't end up throwing any away.

Making an event effective also has to do with how you "sell" it to your prospective audience. Saying "John Smith will sign his new book on X day at X place" may not excite too many people, especially if they can always get the book at that place any other day of the week and don't care if it's signed. But spicing up the event can help a lot. Here are a few additional ways to give that bonus reason for why people should attend your author event:

    * Invite fellow authors to attend. They are not your competition. They are your greatest resource. If you get other authors to do the event with you, they can help you to promote it, and their fan base will show up and discover your book as well. People are also more likely to show up for six authors than one author. You might have to spend a little more time coordinating the event with everyone, but it also extends your chance of making the event a success, and if no one does show up, at least you'll have other people to talk with, and network with-slow author events are often where you can get some of your best ideas for marketing your book just by talking to the other participants.

    * Have a contest or giveaway. Have a drawing-sell tickets, or give away a ticket for everyone who buys a book-you can give away free books, or it can even be non-book related items. You might even want to find a sponsor, someone who will donate an attractive or desirable item as a prize for the event-a great way to advertise for the sponsor. Don't be afraid to get creative. I know of one author who held a contest for the chance to be named as a character in the author's next book.

    * Entertain your audience. People may not be willing to show up just so they can buy a book, but they may show up if you are going to give a talk on a topic that interests them. If you have five or six authors, make up a schedule and each of you can give a twenty minute talk during the event. If you know anyone musical, it doesn't hurt to have someone sing during the event or play an instrument. You can also show a short film or your book video. People want to be entertained, and they like free entertainment. Entertain them and they'll be more likely to buy your book. And even if you don't sell books, you planted a seed, so they might later buy the book as a Christmas gift for someone else.

No matter how hard you work, some events are going to end up being failures. But even if an event is a flop, if you are invited back to participate in the event the next year, give it a second try, and analyze what you could have done better to promote the event so you have a better chance the second time. If it still flops, then perhaps you might reconsider not participating in the future-especially if you are busy or could spend that time writing or doing something more fruitful-but if you have the time and want to keep going, the worst that can happen is you spend your time, and you never know who might show up the third time around.

Eventually, you might end up deciding not to attend certain events any longer, but also remember that sometimes it just takes the one right person showing up to make the event worthwhile. For example, I know an author who held a book signing and only one person showed up for it, but that person was the right person. She was the head of the library book club, and she liked the author and his book so much that she got the book club to read the book. The author spent two hours at the book signing and only sold one book, but it resulted in the other sixteen members of that book club buying his book a couple of months later. Not only that, but the book club invited him to their book club meeting, which included a free dinner and they paid him to come and talk. I'd say those are pretty good results from a book signing where only one person showed up.

Author events can be a success if authors are willing to make the effort and be a little creative to bring in the crowd. Don't just show up for an event. Create the event, own the event, be the event. Then your author event can be a success.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

By Irene Watson

The Unfinished Dictionary

2011-10-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

My pocket dictionary stops at 'T". It cuts out at 'Triella', defining it as 'a bet placed...' and there it ends. It has every intention of continuing, but it cannot because the following pages have gone missing. They have not been been ripped out. They are just not there. The cover is conclusively glued to that last page as if there is nothing more to be said.

It was quite some time after I bought this dictionary that I discovered its shortcomings. My hunt for word meanings/spellings had not taken me past 'tr'. Which says something about the tail end of the alphabet: it must have been an afterthought and somewhere to file words of little interest.

I had found this dictionary in a newsagent bargain bin. As a conscientious consumer, I should return it to the shop and point out the error of its ways. But I won't. It is a freak of publishing; a dictionary with a surprise ending. In truth, the dictionary hasn't ended at all.

Whether it is the dictionary embedded in your computer or a fat volume on the shelf, it is unfinished. It is still being written - a work in progress - because the English language won't sit still. Veteran words are tweeked, contorted and, some people fear, defiled. Novice words are waiting in the wings, so the dictionary is growing ever fatter, never thinner.

Admittedly, my dictionary, by going on its involuntary diet, made the point that the English language may need pruning - but not an amputation. Without 'Tr' through to 'Z', we would have to do without twaddle, unicorns and worms. There would be no wheels, vegetables or, for that matter, vocabulary.

For the dictionary is merely somewhere to stow all our words when we're not using them. And new words are continually being coined to define a shifting world where every fresh invention, fad or fashion needs a label.

No one knows where or how a word germinates. It is born on the whims of change and without fanfare, makes its debut in casual conversation. We give it a test run, and if it fits smoothly into sentences, it is picked up and passed along. As it gathers momentum, it is aired on radio, television and YouTube, and this further weakens people's immunity to it. But to make its mark, it must be seen as well as heard. And it starts its printed life in emails and texts, then infects websites, blogs, newspapers and magazines.

At which point, editors rise in wrath. Not knowing how it slipped by them, they defend the rights of good English: what the hell does that word mean, and can't people spell, and isn't anything sacred, and there's no such word and to prove it, they look it up in the dictionary. It isn't there.

This does not end the matter. No one owns language, not even the dictionary. As soon as people deny a word's existence, it is too late. Controversy breeds familiarity, and it could pass for the real thing.

Once a word starts evolving, it can't be stopped. It refuses to be expelled - or unspelled.

When it turns up in a book, the dictionary-makers are called in. They lift it out, complete with its sentence or relevant paragraph, and peel back the layers of meaning. They search through reputable news sources - soft and hard copy - for further proof of its relevance.

When all the evidence is gathered, the word makes its debut in the dictionary's new edition, and it becomes an official word. It can now take its place in the English language. At which point, editors about-face and make it one of their own. Now it is a protected species, to be guarded with their lives, because words are their coinage - and their weapons. Despite their vigilance, this word will go out in the world and be as maltreated as any other word. It will be misspelled, misunderstood, misprinted and misread. But it will never go missing.

I am Robin Robertson, a writer who takes on the little issues and tries to make something big out of them.
You are invited to cheer on my attempts at greatness by visiting my blog: kitten-on-the-keys.blogspot.com.

By Robin Robertson

Those Who Teach Voice and Those Who Think They Teach Voice

2011-10-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article by a man who teaches presentation skills. He was discussing the fact that most people hate their voice on recording equipment because it is unfamiliar to their ear. What 'floored me' about his message was that he was suggesting you accept it and live with it.

While I would assume that this man probably shows others how to speak with more color and more life (gosh I hope he at least is doing that if he is teaching presentation skills!), he has no idea what voice training is about. None whatsoever.

What he doesn't know is that everyone - and I mean everyone - has a better voice inside of them. You may have a voice as great as that of James Earl Jones or Diane Sawyer or George Clooney or Julia Ormond. You will never know just how great your voice may be, however, until you use your chest cavity to power your sound. Presently it is likely that you are not aware of and not using your 5th resonator - your chest - as your primary sounding board.

Yes, we have 5 resonators which aid in the production of voiced sound. Those resonators include the chest, throat, voice box, mouth, and nose. Each of these vibrators is a cavity in which your sound resonates. Most people use only 4 of their resonators: they are not taking advantage of the size and breadth of their chest cavity. That is why so many speaking voices are high in pitch and lack any real depth and power. They tend to be thinner in quality, young-sounding, and possibly nasal.

What I do guarantee is that once you find your 'real' voice in which you are powering your sound by means of your chest cavity, you will discover a voice that is warmer, richer, and more mature-sounding. In addition, it will probably be deeper in pitch and will most definitely resonate in your chest because you will be focusing on the optimum range of your voice - not your habitual range.

When I discovered my real voice in graduate school, it had depth and fullness which was quite a difference from my habitual, New Jersey sound. It got me the jobs I wanted in New York City because I sounded more mature than I was. It also got me jobs I wasn't seeking.

The question I would ask you is whether you want to work on the voice you already have or discover the one you don't know you have? That is the difference between those who teach voice and those who think they teach voice.

By Nancy Daniels

Tips for Curing Your Fear of Public Speaking

2011-10-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

For many individuals, there's nothing more terrifying as the thought of having to get in front of a crowd to deliver a speech. But as people are thinking more of going into business for themselves, they are finding that may not be able to avoid it-especially if they're going to have to speak to an audience about their business, products, or their services.

Being a little nervous is natural. It's a sign that you want to do well, but being overly nervous might pose a challenge. With a some training you can learn to overcome your anxieties or fears and make good informative speeches. Here are five tips on how to gain confidence in public speaking.

(1) You would want to wear a favorite outfit that makes you feel confident and comfortable. Choose professional clothing for the day of your speech. Your outfit should not be too casual or too flashy. You always want your attire to complement your speech.

(2) Good eye contact with you audience is very powerful in public speaking. Try at first to include everyone in the audience equally when you look out over the crowd. Then select a couple of faces you wouldn't mind speaking directly to throughout most of your delivery. Good eye contact increases your credibility as a speaker.

(3) Speak clearly. A good speaking voice is important for delivering an effective talk. You naturally want your voice to be pleasant, natural, and dynamic. Remember to speak directly into the micro-phone. If you don't have a microphone, then pay close attention to the volume of your voice in order for everyone in the room to hear you. Don't talk to fast! Use pauses when appropriate for effect, laughter, or applause.

(4) Turn your fears into positive energy. This is no doubt the biggest challenges of public speaking is the fear you may have that something awful or publicly humiliating is going to happen to you. Just try concentrating on channeling your nervous energy into an enthusiastic delivery simply because you have something valuable to say. So just be conversational. A good conversational style will aid you to be relaxed as a public speaker.

(5) Practice! Experience builds confidence, which is the key to an effective delivery. Every speaking opportunity will help you become more relaxed and confident. You can start small and work your way up to bigger audiences and events. In time you will begin to develop trust in your own ability to be a true public speaker.

Many books have been written for over a century now on the art of public speaking. But in just 40 pages you can not only learn how to speak to an audience with confidence, but also how to present an effective presentation with visual aids, in the eBook entitled "Public Speaking and Public Presentations."

In this book you'll learn such things as how to train the memory, how to take control of your audience. Are you a student? You will learn how to speak confidently in front of your class. If you need to present a presentation using visuals, this book will help by giving some tips on how to effectively get the most of visual aids tools such as Power Point, videotape, or a 35 millimeter slides and more.

With the help of this publication, "Public Speaking and Public Presentation," you'll be provided with the basics to excel in one, or the other, or perhaps both. Whether you have an agenda to speak on, or if it's a matter of choosing a topic and doing research, you can no doubt be successful in becoming a confident public speaker.

For more information on this comprehensive 40 page eBook, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EM6THC.

RTJ Online blog at http://regjackonline.com/?page_id=5, provides self-help informations and tips on social media topics, to help you get the most of using social media tactics and ideals.

By Reginald Jackson

The Reasons Why We Must Never Rely on Scripts When Handling an Audience

2011-10-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

Public speaking is counter-intuitive. That would be to say what your gut instinct tells you is a good thing isn't necessarily the truth. And also what your instincts say to avoid is often the most important. Once you find out you need to do a public speech, most of the time you will write it all out and read it to the listeners word for word. That way, you will not depend on the speech by pure memory and you won't find yourself in a situation with that sinking feeling up there where your brain empties out and you've got nothing to talk about.

Nevertheless even if you don't use the method of penning your entire speech out, there are circumstances in which reading for an audience is called for. You could have a passage from a portion of your research or there may be quotations which can be too lengthy to remember and you have to read them. The situations are varied where reading to your group of people is necessary.

The fact remains that men and women don't like to be read to. To add to the problem, once you glance down to read, your voice is not really projecting over to the audience but right down to the script below. You lose at least half of the force of the diaphragm because you are looking downward so the strength of the speech is immensely lessened by that little disruption. When you look up once more, you might have no idea that you've lost the attention from your crowd.

A good way to lesson the interruption of reading a speech is to hand out the script to the crowd beforehand and then direct them to the paragraph where you want them to read. This provides them a focus point while you read rather than looking around. Then when you do read the content, don't put it on the stand and start looking down at it. Hold it to just under chin level. That way you can make out the print and still conserve the force of your diaphragm and importantly having eye contact with the audience.

Don't allow yourself to believing that because you are going to read the entire speech, you can cut down on the preparations. On the contrary, you should prepare even more. Make sure that you are very familiar with the contents of your speech to the extend almost all your attention is given to your listeners.

Train yourself by studying the script well. Avoid the mistake of reading without any expression at all. Learn the simplest way to read the script with emotion as well as with emphasis. These techniques address the major problems reading to any crowd. Using them you'll find good results as the reading will run naturally in the other areas of the presentation. Also when you can make it happen you will not lose your target audience, you will have made a breakthrough on your presentation development.

We all know that public speaking starts from young. Let your children be subjected to to speaking in public in the younger years. To find out more, have a look at http://helppublicspeakingtips.com/great-public-speaking-tips-for-kids.

By Fray Alonso

If You Don't Pause It Looks And Sounds Like This!

2011-10-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

The P-A-U-S-E

A Major Element of Verbal Communication

Question:

What if my entire Post was written with no space between the words?

How long could you read it and what would you understand?

Answer:

Not Long and Not Much!

The same applies to your audience if you Talk, Talk, Talk and don't PAUSE.

The people watching and listening to your presentation will never GET IT! if you don't give them the opportunity to ingest and digest your material. We think by associations and our brains need to take in and process what information we're bringing in and determine what "files" in our brains they belong in. That's pretty hard to do if you don't PAUSE every once in a while.

Claude Debussy, the famous French composer, said, "Music is the silence between the notes."

That analogy can also be applied to speaking.

Pausing lets the audience know you are in control, better keeps their attention, and increases the odds they'll GET IT!

PAUSE:

    * Before you Open your presentation.
    * PAUSE almost so long that people are starting to say, "He's lost it!"
    * When you do speak, you will have their total attention.
    * After stating something you want to sink in.
    * The silence forces this.
    * Before repeating something for emphasis.
    * The PAUSE gives the repetition more emphasis.
    * To separate thoughts and allow the audience to absorb it before moving on.
    * If you want to build anticipation.
    * It will get the audience wondering, "What's next?"
    * Before answering a question.
    * You're showing the audience:
    * It's not a canned response.
    * You've thought about your reply before answering.
    * You'll better have their attention.
    * After asking the audience a question.
    * It makes them think and get more involved with your presentation.
    * In delivering a Parenthetical Statement.
    * A Parenthetical Statement is a temporary departure from the main theme. It is a statement that, if you were reading it, would be in parentheses. In delivering your talk, you speak that thought to your audience. It can add a new dimension to your presentation.
    * It can be an extremely effective way to step out of your speech, make a specific point, and reinforce your connection with your audience.
    * For instance, I might be talking about hard work, then PAUSE, and state, as if in parentheses: "Speaking of hard work, tonight's program would have never happened had it not been for Jackson Smith's untiring efforts and attention to detail."

Consider using the Spontaneous Pause.

(It will seem spontaneous to the audience because you've rehearsed it so well!)

If you stop yourself part way into a statement, pause, then go in another direction, that next set of statements can be powerful.

Example: In the closing of one of my talks, I say, "The next time someone gives you the opportunity to speak, (Pause) Check that statement! Don't wait for the opportunity - Seek it out! Look for it at your..."

PAUSING is not easy for most of us.

We're often nervous, talk quicker than normal, and "want to get it over with!" It's also natural to want to fill "blank" air with something. If it's not continuing to talk, it's speaking "fillers": um, ah, and like. Those "fillers" can be very distracting, and if you drop them, you've picked up your PAUSE!

Practice PAUSING just like you practice all the other elements of verbal and nonverbal delivery.

OK? Ready - Set - P-A-U-S-E!

Fred E. Miller is an author, speaker and coach specializing in Public Speaking and Presentations.

He teaches people how to Develop, Practice and Deliver a 'Knock Your Socks Off' Speech with - No Sweat!

Contact Information:
Fred E. Miller
314-517-8872
Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com
http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com

By Fred E. Miller

What Can Public Speaking Do For Your Business?

2011-10-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

Would you love people to think of your business name first when they are looking for the product or service that you provide?

Then you really should be using Public Speaking as your marketing tool!

Using Public speaking to position yourself as a Topic Expert is possibly the quickest and most effective shortcut to grow your business. This is the way to become "A Star In Your Industry" to become acknowledged as the go-to expert in your industry. I can tell you that it certainly helped me to build my coaching practice over the past 12 years.

Why is it such as great marketing tool?

Well........ think about all the time that it takes you to find 5 new clients. The phone calls, the emails, the time sitting face-to-face promoting your business, the follow-up's etc. Now imagine a different scenario. Simply putting the word out that you will be sharing information about your speciality - your area of expertise. A hundred people - who live and work locally - pitch up to hear you talk. You have ½ hour to talk about your area of expertise and answer a few questions at the end.

How easy is that! You have just impressed 100 people with your knowledge and immediately become the go-to expert in their eyes.

So...... how many of them do you think may eventually become your clients? Or - how many other opportunities could arise from that one simple talk? It is like doing your whole month's marketing in the space of just 1 hour.

If you have done a good job, there should be people ready to come and chat with you further after the speech. Ready and pre-disposed to do business with you. Wouldn't that be great! Now imagine doing that on a regular basis. No more chasing clients.... Just a short talk to a group of interested people...... then follow-up the leads that arise.

Just think of the clients that may also come to you later, even a year or so later. They heard you talk, kept your business card or your information that you gave away at the event - just waiting for the moment when they were ready and able to hire you.

So....... If you want to become know in your Industry, want to become a "star" in your industry and build your business massively this year..... then public speaking is the way to go!

What are you waiting for? Make it part of your marketing this year.

Adele Howell-Pryce is the C.E.O. and founder of International Speaking Professionals Association (I.S.P.A), and an accomplished public speaker in her own right. She started the ISPA to give Topic Experts and Professionals an easy way to find speaking opportunities as well as a platform to market their Topic of Expertise for anyone looking for an Expert. The website http://InternationalSpeakingProfessionals.com caters for Experts wanting to speak for free or for a low fee in order to market their business and expertise & to get new clients.
She is the past president of her local Toastmasters Chapter as well as a member of PSASA (Professional Speakers Association in South Africa)

By Adele Howell Pryce

Lighten Up When You Speak

2011-10-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

Roger Ailes, Chairman of Fox News, gained prominence first as a speech coach for top executives and political leaders-with Ronald Reagan becoming his best-known client. To make his coaching tips available for the general public, Ailes wrote a book titled You Are the Message.

One of his chapters gives this counsel: "Lighten Up, You're Wearing Everybody Out." He asserts: "There's nothing more tedious than a person who takes himself too seriously."

Consider whether you need to lighten up when you speak to audiences. Think about these strategies.

First, lighten up your attitude about the potential consequences of the speech situation. Make an accurate-concentrate on that word accurate-assessment of the "worst case scenario" that might happen if you gave a speech that either bored, confused, or offended your audience. In your private thoughts, you might predict:

    * getting fired from your current job
    * not getting the promotion you wanted
    * failing to close a sale
    * suffering permanent embarrassment among your colleagues
    * losing all confidence in your ability to persuade a group
    * demolishing your reputation

Now think this through. How many times have you seen speakers endure reprisals like those? Name the speakers, the incidents, and the disastrous aftermath. What, you're drawing a blank now? Probably so, because those dire repercussions happen quite rarely. For the most part, your constituents-even your clients-allow you a bad presentation occasionally without labeling you a failure. Usually, they will forget your rambling remarks quickly, as they move on to their own demanding responsibilities.

Second, lighten up when you enter the group you're going to address. I'm sure you have seen speakers dart through the group, sit near the podium, and start flipping through their notes repeatedly. Often they will have a pen in hand, so they can underline or scribble their additions to their text or notes.

By contrast, the lightened up scene would have the speaker mingling with the crowd, introducing herself, sharing available refreshments in moderation, asking people their opinion about the speech topic, and catching names to use informally during the speech.

Third, lighten up your nonverbal message. Even while your host is introducing you, make eye contact with your audience-all sections of it. Throughout your presentation, smile regularly, indicating you are enjoying the occasion and your own material. Become mobile as well, walking away from the lectern to demonstrate that you are not tied to a script or a physical prop.

Fourth, lighten up your language. Stilted language makes you come across too formally. Substitute well-understood, commonplace words and phrases for those that seem obsolete, even mysterious:

    * Replace "penultimate" with "next to last"
    * Replace "fortuitous" with "lucky"
    * Replace "optimal" with "ideal"
    * Replace "peruse" with "read
    * Replace "surrogate" with "substitute"
    * Replace "eschew" with "avoid"

What novelist Stephen King said about writing applies to speaking also: "Language does not always have to wear a tie and lace-up shoes."

Fifth, lighten up your content. Keep in mind that even though your audience might expect you to provide specific information, particularly at a board meeting or training session, you will keep them interested and involved through tasteful humor, folksy illustrations, biographical snippets about people they respect, relevant quotations, and your own personal experiences.

Sixth, lighten up your length. Let's assume you give a weekly update in a departmental staff meeting, which usually has you speaking for twenty minutes. Next week, cut your presentation time to ten minutes by omitting nonessential matters. Try speaking in bullet points instead of lengthy paragraphs. Abbreviate your report for a few weeks in succession, and your colleagues will become more attentive. Although they may not comment about your shortened speeches, they will appreciate your respect for their already jammed schedules.

In sum: Contradictory as it might seem, your speaking will be much more appealing when you quit trying so hard. Lighten up, and you'll become the speaker audiences want to hear again and again.

Bill Lampton, Ph.D., "Speech Coach for Champions," helps clients speak with "poise, passion, and power," so they will generate "attention, agreement, and action." His top-tier client list includes Gillette, Duracell, Procter & Gamble, Willis Investment Counsel, Celebrity Cruises, Ritz-Carlton Cancun, British Columbia Legal Management Association, and National Pest Management Association. Visit his Web site and sign up for his newsletter, "Winning Words and Ways": http://tinyurl.com/otlcgz Call him: 678-316-4300 Subscribe to his weekly podcast, "Speech Coaching Radio": http://tinyurl.com/4jype49.

By Bill Lampton, Ph.D.

The Best Man Speech - A Critical Blueprint For The Best Man Speech

2011-10-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

It's a given that a wedding is an extremely special event in the making. It could either be considered an intimate retreat for two or perhaps an elegant affair for two thousand. The wedding is just as individual as the bride and groom who will be getting married. The best man speech is likewise as individual as the person chosen to undertake the responsibility.

Regardless of the type of wedding it is, the moment where the best man stands and demands the guests focus in order to give a sincere testimonial to the newlywed husband and wife is a time to be remembered. You can find well-known tales of the best man speech that have gone horribly awry and have resulted in the bride in tears as well as fists being thrown throughout the room.

There's also just as many tales in which the husband and wife and attendees ended up so moved that your speech and toast is given over and over again. If you have been chosen to carry this kind of wonderful obligation on your shoulders, then you want your own speech and toast to wind up in the treasured group.

A best man speech which ultimately ends up being received well and appreciated by the bride and groom will commonly stick to a specific structure. As there is no systematic method to ensure the speech will go over perfectly and the best man will be swooped up and admired, you will find there's a blueprint involved with presenting a speech which will take you through the job without fainting or even breaking out in hives.

Start of the Speech

All effective best man speeches will commence using a call to attention. Standing tall and also talking clearly will be adequate in getting others to cast their eyes your direction and keep from talking over you.

When the best man gets the interest from the entire room, stating how you are a part of the marriage circle of the bride and groom is essential. If perhaps Aunt Judy in the back of the room does not know you or even why on earth you've been picked to speak about her little nephew Jacob then she is going to devote the whole

toast asking the guests at her table who on earth you are rather than listening to the nicely rehearsed speech.

Establish a personal connection with the bride and groom to start with. This will likely make everybody comfortable and take the focus off of you.

Core of Address

After that, the best man speech can slide right into an anecdotal story or perhaps a testimonial about the groom, new bride, or the pair collectively. Keep this kind-hearted and somewhat entertaining. Having said that, it is very important as a best man to identify an obvious line among what is going to be considered humorous and just what will be seen as embarrassing.

After the laughter ensues and you give a huge sigh of relief in realizing the bride and groom isn't regretting you as their choice for best man, you can talk freely as to what your personal dreams are for them. Talk about what you feel they have to offer each other or perhaps how you really feel they better each other. Incorporating this type of sentiment into the best man speech might be a struggle for many, yet keep in mind the day, and speeches involved ought to make them feel as though they are the perfect people for each other.

The Crucial Summary

The best man speech will need to definitely close with a call to raise your glasses and a warm and true wish for joy and happiness for the husband and wife. Look them in the eye and definitely tell them you are rooting for them and you'll have provided a powerful and adored speech for the special occasion.

For samples, templates and ideas on crafting your own best man speech, visit http://www.TheBestManSpeech.net

By MJ Hultquist

How to Find the Right Candidate Among Many Available Motivational Speakers

2011-10-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

The market of motivational and inspirational speakers has developed tremendously in the past few years. What was once seen as something of side activity has matured into a profession in its own rights, with some practitioners starting to address audiences practically straight out of college rather than after a successful career in politics or sport. It would not be an exaggeration to say that motivational speaking can be treated as an industry comparable in size and workings to that of corporate training or professional development. Its biggest target group are businesses that seek inventive ways to energize their own staff, impress their partners or stakeholders or otherwise generate a lot of positive energy, which is a critical element for lasting success. Here is a quick step by step guide for those who wish to make use of motivational speakers on how to go about hiring them best.

As with many other services, in motivational speaking there are no solutions of one size fits all type. Clients need to be aware of what they need and what effect they want to achieve. This means deciding what audience is going to attend the event and what is the point of inviting the motivational speaker. Are you worried that your employees are losing the enthusiasm for their daily routines? Do you want to highlight a common goal you are all trying to reach? Are you aiming to motivate them to rally against a new corporate strategy? Do you want to use a professional speaker to drive some specific message home? Needs analysis is the first stage in the recruitment process.

When you know what you really want for your event, it is a good idea to compile a list of names you would be willing to see. The source for such a selection might be your own experiences at other business conferences where you saw good speakers or recommendations by other people, including business partners or friends. You can always check out comments and reviews on the Internet, although it is important to be careful about their impartiality.

Next, as most motivational speakers have already established presence on the Internet, either individually or through speakers bureaus, the web is a fantastic place for in-depth research. You can read up on what kind of areas your candidates for the job specialize in, where they feel comfortable and where they are likely to have the biggest impact.

The fourth piece of advice is to watch video speakers or their audiences have left on the web. This tends to give you the most direct glimpse into their possibilities, personalities and mannerisms. Do you really want the man or the woman in the movie picture to motivate you and your employees? The choice is yours.

As the last tip that many people give in relation to hiring motivational speakers is to decide whether you need somebody with a major name, like an ex-politician or sportsperson, or somebody without such a background, but competent and promising as an inspiration force anyway.

By Torri Myler

Motivational Speakers Possess Specific Aspects

2011-10-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

Great motivational speakers are made up of what? What makes them so effective at motivating their audience? How do they make you feel like you can conquer any challenge set before you? In this article we will answer these questions and more and find out what makes a great motivational speaker.

Great motivational speakers know their audience. Great motivational speakers seek to inspire those with anecdotes grounded in the successful reality of others. They show you how you can overcome your obstacles by showing you how other people have overcome theirs. They are not condescending, but instead they want to inspire you to do great things. Finally, they tell you how to be adaptive and deal with frustrating changes.

Their audience is who they understand. If the topic of the day is an increase in an organization or individuals sales, they will speak the language of sales, marketing and success. One of their greatest abilities is to push the emotional buttons of their audience which will trigger an emotional response.

They are full of stories of how people just like you accomplished their goals and achieved success. This makes you believe if they can do it, then so can I. The entire if they can do it so can I mentality is what this strategy is all about. This is done a lot in different network marketing companies.

By pointing out others who have had success they are masters at proving to you that you can overcome your fears and challenges. The great ones consistently pound home that theme until their audience begins to believe that they can do it too, whatever it is. Convincing you that "yes you can" is what the best ones do really well.

Achieving your goals seems much more possible once you hear a motivational speaker. By making you feel like they are talking directly to you they make you super excited to achieve your goals. They are masters at knocking down the mindset of failure and will get you to believe in yourself with all of your heart.

After they see that you have bought in to what they are saying they will help you by giving you specific things to do to be successful. When you need a lift in your spirits a lot of them have CD's and DVDs that you can listen to. They have done it so much that they know exactly what buttons to push.

By Byron Dyson

Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking - Turning Towards Your Audience

2011-10-05T15:16:00.000-07:00

In my public speaking coaching workshops as I watch how a nervous speaker at the front of the room relates to their audience, I notice that the speaker nearly always 'turns away' metaphorically (and sometimes literally) from the group. And no wonder! If you're nervous about presenting, it's usual to think of the audience as a separate, even threatening entity - one that's waiting to pounce on you with criticism or challenges. If you have these assumptions, how can you not 'turn away'?

Often this 'turning away' manifests in the sense that the speaker is talking to him-or-herself, there's no connection, no 'reach' towards others in the room. The wall is up.

And there is no neutral; you're never 'on the fence' when it comes to relating to your audience.

Turning towards instead: this is a choice that every speaker has to make, and it's a practical exercise in my workshops. Here are some ideas for you, both in the lead-up to any presentation, and when you're in front of a group:

In the lead-up to your presentation:
    * Consider if you're inclined to mentally push your audience away. If you are, see if you can make it a game to alter this: start by asking yourself, "how can I begin to turn towards my audience?" The very act of asking "how?" will set your mind working to give you answers, and if even this seems too hard, remember that you're only asking how to begin turning towards them: you don't have learn the samba together (plenty of time for that later!)
    * imagine, visualize yourself engaging with audience members - having a conversation, not giving a presentation. A conversation is mutual; giving a presentation is a lot more work on your part. See if you can imagine it more as a give and take: this lifts some of the pressure off you.
    * play around with expanding your energy out beyond your body, to encompass the audience. You could imagine an energy bubble or a balloon, holding both you and your audience in the same space.
    * create deliberate self-talk around building some sort of connection between your and the audience. See if you can come up with a metaphor, like a bridge, or threads of connection. Coming from a more creative background (I'm a trained Classical pianist), I like to imagine webs of light between me and the group - that may be too fanciful for you, but you get the idea. Hey, if you're an engineer, a bridge probably makes more sense!

As you stand in front of the group:
    * do conscious belly breathing, to help bring you into your body, not your head, and become fully 'present' in the room as you prepare to speak.
    * take time to acclimatize yourself before you start to speak. Breathe, and feel your feet solidly grounding you into the earth. It can be a physical shock to your system to suddenly face the audience, if you're not used to it, so be gentle with yourself.
    * how do you usually stand,when you're relating one-on-one, perhaps doing your daily work? Really become aware of this, and then see if you can replicate that posture in front of a group.

Having a 'tame' audience

If you can find a tame audience - where you can explain what you're practising - willing to play the game with you, you're a long way ahead! For them, it involves "bearing witness", in a warm and supportive way, to your shifting emotions and desire to connect with them.

And if you can't access a friendly audience? See if you can find a supportive workshop or course to join, which can really speed up your progress.

Good luck with your next presentation!

Sarah Denholm
http://www.improveyourpublicspeaking.com.au

I'm a public speaking coach, speaker and blogger, and am passionate about helping reluctant public speakers overcome their fears and become comfortable, authoritative and engaging when they speak to groups. It's time to get your message across!

Next Step: visit my website and sign up for my weekly tips, and get your FREE report: 'Are your Subpersonalities Sabotaging your Public Speaking?'

By Sarah Denholm

Public Speaking Ideas - Self-Help Strategies For Speaking In Public

2011-10-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

Public speaking is said to be the number one fear among most people. However there are public speaking ideas you can use to help you to overcome those blockages you experience whenever you're in a public speaking scenario.

It should be recognised that public speaking can take many forms: you may find yourself in front of 12,000 people in an auditorium, in front of 50 people at an event, in front of 10 people at a workshop or in front of your mate in a bar.

Whatever scenario you're in, as soon as you speak out loud to anyone but yourself you're speaking in public. It should also be remembered that as soon as you speak out loud to one person you're broadcasting. Whatever you say can't be unsaid. It is now out in the public domain.

These considerations can sometimes add to the fear we feel, as we become conscious of saying the wrong thing, or saying the right thing in the wrong way.

So one way of overcoming this self consciousness is to imagine yourself in front of individual groups of people either giving a speech or just talking about any subject. This technique is most effective if the pictures you see are as vivid as possible.

Whilst envisioning these scenarios use the following public speaking ideas to ease the pressure:
1. Observe how you are responding
2. Note down each of the individual blocks as you come across them. Eg dry mouth; not thinking clearly; forgetting your words; hot sweats etc
3. Once you've noted down each of the symptoms, go through each of them and use a combination of acceptance, affirmation and relaxation to help yourself deal with the blockage (see below)
4. Repeat the process of your imaginary public speaking engagements letting each of the blockages go in turn, and noting how you feel each time. It should get easier and easier for you to imagine yourself speaking

How to use the acceptance, affirmation and relaxation process:

Acceptance

When you notice a blockage (eg dry mouth), the first step to dealing with it is to acknowledge it is there and in a sense embrace and welcome it because it is a part of you, and you have a deep and profound respect for yourself. Avoid moving on to dealing with the blockage until you can honestly say I accept the fact that public speaking gives me a dry mouth.

Affirmation

The next stage is giving yourself an affirmation that contrasts the symptom. So it may be that you say to yourself: if my mouth is dry it's OK, I just need to take a sip of water and I will be fine again. If you tend to forget your words when you speak in public, a useful affirmation may be: I speak from the heart, and am perfectly at ease with what I'm saying. I fear no silences, and I enjoy this experience of public speaking every time. Make sure the affirmations are not just empty words: try working on them until they 'speak' to you, and make you feel genuinely at ease.

Relaxation

Underpinning the acceptance and affirmation stages should be relaxation. Slow down your breathing: this has the effect of neutralising your anxiety over time. Each time you breathe out consciously relax your whole body. You may not feel any different when you start doing this but keep going. Eventually your body will calm itself down. If each time you think about speaking in public you slow your breathing and take long, slow, deep breaths, your mind will begin to associate public speaking with relaxation rather than anxiety.

The main thing with these simple techniques is to practise them as often as possible. The more often you can put yourself into fictitious scenarios, and the more often you can relax your body whilst doing it, the less daunting real life speaking engagements will seem to you.

By taking the time to put these techniques into practice, you may be surprised, next time, how easy it is to speak in public.
For more public speaking ideas go to: http://www.stimulus.uk.com and arrange your free life coaching consultation. Carmen Gilfillan is the founder of Stimulus Development & Training. Stimulus is dedicated to helping people raise their game, fulfil their potential and and live their best lives. We do this through Life & Wellness Coaching, as well as training in the areas of personal, professional and spiritual growth. Check out our website at http://www.stimulus.uk.com/Life_Coaching.html to book a free coaching consultation.

By Carmen Gilfillan

Learn From the Greats in Public Speaking, But Don't Imitate Them

2011-10-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

Without a doubt, you can learn much from Zig Ziglar, Anthony Robbins, and Brian Tracy and so you should. What you shouldn't do, however, is try to copy them. The best public speakers are themselves, first and foremost. They are not trying to be or to sound like someone else.

One of the ways you can tell if a public speaker is being natural is to see if they sound the same off stage as do they on stage. Remember the Ted Knight character in the old Mary Tyler Moore Show? As a TV broadcaster, he would drop the pitch of his voice (as well as his chin) when it was time to go on air. Off air, he lifted the pitch of his voice and sounded different than his broadcasting voice.

[When I was teaching voice to the Graduate Students of Journalism at the University of Western Ontario, I did not show them how to talk in a fake voice, but rather how to find their real one, which was, in most cases, deeper in pitch than their habitual pitch. I did not teach them how to speak in a voice too deep however.]

Individuality in public speaking is what can set you apart from all others: your voice, your mannerisms, your words, your presentation skills - not those of Tony Robbins or some other internationally-renowned speaker. His success is entirely dependent on his own personality, his own words and his own style of delivery.

I've also worked with young radio announcers who wanted to sound like someone else and specifically asked me to teach them how to do it. I refused, explaining that their greatest goal was to hone their own delivery skills, marketing themselves by means of their own individuality

Topics in public speaking are 'a dime a dozen,' meaning your competition is extensive and impressive. Trying to imitate someone else is not going to lead you to success if you are looking for a career in this venue. While your message may be similar to that of someone else, how you deliver that message is your greatest strength.

Strive to be yourself in public speaking because everyone else is taken. Your audience will appreciate you more as a speaker if your individuality shines through versus the personality, the words, the sound, or the style of someone else. They didn't come to hear someone else; they came to hear you.

By Nancy Daniels

Eye Contact - An Important Element of Nonverbal Communication

2011-10-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

Eye Contact

The first element of nonverbal communication is eye contact.

After being introduced by the master of ceremonies, walk to the spot where you will start the delivery of your presentation, then pause. Look out at the audience and find a friendly face. Make eye contact, pause - deliver your strong opening!

Finish a sentence, and move on to another friendly face for your next thought. Continue this throughout your presentation using a quadrant approach, looking at different sections of the audience as your go on. Don't have a specific pattern to this else you'll appear robotic. (Please, no search light effect!) The important thing is not to leave anyone out and let all the audience feel you are speaking to them.

Eye Contact does a number of important things. It indicates honesty. (I'll bet you remember a parent telling you to, "Look me in the eye and tell me what happened!")

It creates a bond with the people you are speaking to. Of course you can't look everyone in the eye, but those around the person you are directly speaking to will feel the same bonding.

Looking directly at audience members conveys "competence in your confidence." You're nonverbally telling them you "know your stuff." It's OK to check notes to be certain you don't leave anything out of your presentation. If you really "know your stuff" it will be a quick glance, them you're back to engaging individuals with your eyes.

Making eye contact keeps the audience attentive to you and your message. This increases the odds they'll GET IT!

A good presentation should be like a one-on-one conversation. You, the speaker, are doing all the talking, but are getting responses from the audience by continually taking the temperature of their receiving your message. You do this by making eye contact and observing their facial expressions and body movement. Seeing heads moving affirmatively as you make a statement will give you energy and improve your delivery.

Not giving eye contact can be interpreted as being not trustworthy. They'll quickly tune you out.

If your gaze is downward, the audience will interpret it that you are not interested in engaging them. They'll then quickly disengage you!

If you make contact and the person looks away, move on to someone else and don't take it personally. (Some individuals, and cultures, are uncomfortable with having someone look directly at their eyes.) If you are one of these people, try looking at people's foreheads. They'll still feel the bond, and you'll be more at ease doing this.

Don't spend too much time looking at one person. It will be received as staring. They will feel uncomfortable and you'll be neglecting the rest of the attendees.

Check that wherever you are speaking from, you can see the entire audience. If you can't see them, they can't see you. Since nonverbal communication is important to conveying your message, this can't be overlooked.

The goal of a presentation is that the audience understands the message. Knowing and using the eye contact element of nonverbal communication will help you "hit the bull's eye!"

About the Author

Fred E. Miller is a speaker, a coach and the author of the book, "No Sweat Public Speaking!" Businesses and individuals hire him because they want to improve their Public Speaking and Presentation Skills. They do this because we perceive really great speakers to be Experts. Perception is reality and people like to work with Experts. They also know: Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities. Speaking Opportunities are Career and Leadership Opportunities. He shows them how to Develop, Practice and Deliver Knock Your Socks Off Presentations! with - No Sweat! Fred E. Miller Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com http://nosweatpublicspeaking.com

By Fred E. Miller

Is Breathlessness in Public Speaking a Problem for You?

2011-10-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

One of the most common complaints I hear from my students and clients is lack of air in public speaking. This is indeed a problem because without air, there is no voice. And, without voice, there is no speech or presentation.

Breathlessness can be easily 'cured' by supplementing your air supply while speaking. You do this in normal conversation without ever giving it a second thought. At the lectern, however, you still believe what your 2nd grade teacher said in reading out loud, "Don't take a breath until you come to some form of punctuation."

That was fine for 2nd grade and there was a good reason for that advice: to keep you from taking a breath after each word as you read. As your sentences grew longer with each passing year, however, you were still under the belief you were not allowed to breathe until you came to a comma, a period, a colon, or a semi-colon. That is incorrect.

We have what is known as a speaker's license in which you can breathe almost anywhere you want as long as you have expression or color in your voice, your face and your body language.

Practice saying the sentence below, pausing where you see the karat.

What a great job ^ you did.

Now say the sentence again and pause after the word what as if you were deep in thought. You can actually pause after any one of those words. If you speak in a monotone, however, this does not work. You must have some expression to pull this off.

Next time you are in conversation, take note of when you breathe. More than likely, you interrupt your sentences to take a breath. The same thing should happen in public speaking. Instead of waiting until you are totally out of air, interrupt your sentence as you speak and supplement your air supply which I liken to a balloon.

The idea is to keep the balloon inflated and only take in small amounts of air while speaking, keeping your balloon filled. This is much more effective than deflating your balloon, thereby taking in huge quantities of much needed air. The latter will create additional tension; whereas, the former technique (which again you do in normal conversation without giving it a thought) will help keep you more relaxed.

There is absolutely no reason for breathlessness in public speaking if you will take my advice and supplement your air supply before you run out if - not after!

By Nancy Daniels

Presentation "Blunders" - Keys for Success

2011-09-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

Wait! That title must be a mistake. Blunders, mistakes, errors-whatever, ruin your speech, sully your reputation, create terror for future presentations and are the bane of your existence. Wrong!

How could that be? Here are some examples:

* When giving a report, you announce that three million people in the company supported the proposal. You meant three thousand. Your face reddens. You can apologize. You can shake your head as though you can't believe your sudden onset of dementia...or you can joke by saying "I wish it were three million. It would be a landslide." The audience will laugh and even bond more with you than if you hadn't made a mistake.
* You've lost your place on your notes. You can fluster, beg forgiveness and generally fall apart while perusing the pages...or you can say something like "Check your text messages. I'll be there in a moment."

A basic rule for any presenter who has a problem is: If you don't get upset, your audience won't. Do get upset and the audience feels so sorry for you that it becomes difficult for them to concentrate on anything but your behavior for the rest of the speech.

Look at how your favorite entertainers handle bad jokes and flubs. You may not consider yourself an entertainer, but it comes down to poise and stage presence when you are the center of attention.

We've all seen the comedian, whether in person or on television, who starts to blame the audience if his jokes bomb. That comic loses his audience at that moment.

Now, look at the classic comedy of Johnny Carson for those who remember him on the "The Tonight Show." (If you don't, check out a couple of YourTube videos such as www.youtube.com/watch and www.youtube.com/watch.

Carson was the epitome of polish when a joke "died." His method was to take a blank-faced pause, as if to take in the silence, and then either grab the boom microphone above him to check if it was working-or else his bandleader would play "Tea for Two" while Carson did a tap dance. The result: louder laughs than if the original joke worked.

Today, commentators like Jon Stewart and Ellen Degeneres make the blunder pay off. Watch Jon Stewart when he unleashes a joke that "tanks." He stares at the camera and grins sheepishly. The result? He is more endearing. As for Ellen Degeneres, failure is not an option. Instead, a flat joke is a reason to start dancing! Whatever your method, it is all about cutting your stress - and the audience's.

Next time you make an error or misspeak, just stay calm. Keep your poise and polish, and don't look upset (even if you are). By demonstrating verbally you're comfortable not being perfect, you'll win many fans.

Steve Clements translates 40 plus years as executive trainer, Hollywood TV producer/writer and academia (Professor Emeritus from Augusta State University in TV/Cinema) into customized oral communications and media training programs for Executive Speak/Write, Inc. ( http://www.executivespeakwrite.com ). This producer of over 3,000 national TV broadcasts now trains business professionals on how to be a better "you" when speaking to audiences.

By Steve Clements

Public Speakers Need To Learn The Language Of Leadership

2011-09-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

Why do you give speeches? I suspect that like most of us, the reasons vary; however, there is probably a common thread running through most of them - you want to lead your audience to take some form of action. In order to convince our audiences to follow us, we need to use words that will show them that we are leaders. Do you know how to do this?

Back To High School English Class

I'm very sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but your high-school English teacher was right - all the stuff that you learned in that class was important. One of the most important things that leaders do is that they don't make up new words. We hear made-up words all the time: dialoging, downsizing, right-sizing, etc. String too many of these made-up words together and your audience will stop seeing you as a leader and will start to see you as just being another talking head.

Audiences judge a speaker very quickly and in doing so they make a decision about spending their time listening to them. Speakers who are leaders realize this and take the time to choose their words very carefully.

This means that such silly things as grammar are taken very carefully by speakers who want to be seen as leaders. Every time you say a sentence that contains a grammatical mistake, your audience will detect it and will quickly stop focusing on what you are saying and will instead focus on how you are saying it. Leaders understand this and make sure that their words are grammatically correct so that their full impact can be felt by the audience.

Speak Like Real Leaders Do

Leaders get called on to give speeches about difficult topics. This is a challenge that they are good at. One of the reasons that they are so good at it is because they know how to deliver bad news.

You can't change the news - bad is bad. However, leaders understand that how you go about delivering bad news can be changed. You'll always have to share the bad news with your audience, but leaders take the time to find a positive way to present the bad news. This goes under a number of different terms such as "the silver lining in a cloud", etc. What leaders realize is that after the bad news has been presented, the audience needs to go on and they need to have the motivation to do so.

Finally, speakers who want to be leaders know that in the end a leader is judged by being seen as telling the truth. We've all encountered too many speakers who twisted the truth in different ways and left us feeling used and confused when they were done. If somebody wants to be accepted as a leader, then they need to convince us that they will always be telling us the truth. Only then can a speaker move into the ranks of leadership.

What All Of This Means For You

If you want to be seen as a leader by your audience, then you need to learn how to talk like one. In today's easy going society where slang and casual conversation can take over all of our conversations, leaders know that they need to carefully craft the words that they use in their speeches.

What you learned in high-school English class really counts. Things that you may not think of such as not using slang and ensuring that your grammar is correct are actually quite important. Learning how other leaders speak can also help: negatives can be presented in a positive light and speaking honestly will go a long way in showing that you are a leader.

We all want to be leaders, it's just that we don't know how to make this happen. It turns out that it is much simpler than we might believe: it is our words that show our audience that we're a leader. Take the time to make sure that your words are correct and you'll be well on your way to achieving leadership status.

Dr. Jim Anderson http://www.blueelephantconsulting.com/

Your Source For Real World Public Speaking Skills?

Do you give speeches today, but want to learn how be more effective? Dr. Jim Anderson believes that great business skills are no substitute for poor presentation skills. Dr. Anderson will share with you the knowledge that he has gained while working to improve the speaking ability of both individuals and teams of speakers for over 20 years. Learn the secrets of effective speakers and really connect with your audience during your next speech.

If you want to follow Dr. Anderson on Twitter, he can be found at: http://twitter.com/drjimanderson

By Dr. Jim Anderson

Vocabulary Building: How to Express Yourself

2011-09-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

"Tip of the tongue", it's that moment when you just can't seem to recall that right word to complete your thought. You know it's in there somewhere in your mind but for some reason it won't come to you. Those tip-of-the tongue moments are understandably frustrating. The only thing that is more frustrating than not remembering is actually not knowing, especially when you are trying to expressing yourself properly to get an important point across. The obvious solution is learning those words, how? By building your vocabulary.

Here are ways to help you achieve a rich knowledge of words. First, rely on the basics, meaning the print media. This includes but is not limited to using the following resources: the dictionary, it is a collection of words that alphabetically arranged, with definitions, pronunciation and other linguistic information. In contrast, the thesaurus, groups words that are synonymous (similar) with each other and sometimes it even includes its antonyms (opposite).

Second, play word games such as crossword puzzles, tongue twisters, hangman, scrabble, and boggle among others. These games are forms of exercises for your brain. It tests the extent of your knowledge of words, meanings and spellings.

Third, listening. Be aware of how words are being spoken and used in everyday conversation. Try watching the television and movies, especially word game shows. Of course listening is no use when you can't understand what is being said so try picking out the words you are unfamiliar with and consult a dictionary and/or thesaurus.

Fourth, apply what you know. That is, using those words in a day-to-day conversation. Having a "word-of-the-day" also helps. Being able to use the words in a sentence is a good sign that of your progress. Remember though that there are other means of communication besides verbal, i.e. writing.

Fifth, read. And I'm not pertaining to Facebook and Twitter posts. I meant reading actual books, start small if you like. You can also read newspapers and magazines. Please read something besides the latest Hollywood gossip though; instead expand your topic of interests (e.g. current events). Reading adds to your vocabulary and develops your reading comprehension.

Of course, advancements in information technology now allow us to have free access to online dictionaries, thesauruses, movies, documentaries, games, books, etc. Better yet, the internet offers a wider variety of these resources; like audio and video versions.

Taking the internet as a point of departure, the last tip is making use of software products. There are websites designed to help you build your vocabulary in a systematic way. Some uses your strengths and weaknesses and tailor specific teaching techniques that is compatible to your needs. Also, they track your progress so that you can see how far you are improving.

Use these tips to build your vocabulary. It would just be a matter of time when you see yourself gaining more confidence in properly express yourself, verbally and non-verbally. Remember though, it does not only take the right words to get your message across it also takes attitude.
http://useinasentence.com/ http://useinasentence.com/use-agranulocyte-in-a-sentence/

By Nellie Sy

Speaking: How To Communicate Your Unique Truth When Speaking

2011-09-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

Be authentic. Be transparent. Be real. Wherever you're speaking, you know this is what your listener is craving. Everybody's fed up with deceit and phoniness. They want to hear the truth, and they want to believe what you're saying.

On the surface, this seems simple enough. Like you just leave out any lies - right? Actually, there's more to it that. When you want to thoroughly communicate your truth to an audience, there's one main thing you need to remember: be yourself.

Be The Real You
People crave connection. When they listen to you, they want to feel like you're talking directly to them. They want to feel like you know them. And the only way they're going to feel like that is if you come across as the real you. Like what you see is what you get.

We've all heard people proclaiming their own authenticity, but we feel like we really have no idea who they are. So it's not about telling people how authentic you are. It's about showing them.

And it's not about disclosing all your personal, private information. In fact, that can backfire on your purpose to engage people. Because unless you're performing a one-woman show, nobody's that interested in you. Hope that doesn't burst your bubble, but it's true.

They came to hear the information you have to offer. But they want to hear it from somebody they feel like they know. Someone they can trust. Somebody real.

The Secret: Relax
The best way to let them see the authentic you is to relax when you're speaking. Whether you're talking from the stage, speaking on a teleseminar, or presenting to your MasterMind group, people will connect with your message when you're relaxed in your delivery. Being relaxed is what allows you to use your own language, to be who you really are everyday. And that's what your audience wants.

So do what you need to do to help yourself relax when you're speaking. Use a rapid-change tool like EFT tapping to eliminate whatever has you tense. And then go be your authentic self for your audience. You'll be amazed at how they'll connect with you and your message.

Now you know the secret to truly being authentic when you're speaking in public. When you want to thoroughly communicate your truth to an audience, any audience, the one thing you must do is to completely be yourself.

And to help you relax when you're speaking, claim your free Stress-Free Speaking Starter Kit when you go to http://SpeakingMadeFearless.com.

Just fill in your name and best email to get your free Stress-Free Speaking Guide, Checklist, and Fearless Speaking Audio recording.

From Janet Hilts, stress-free speaking coach, specializing in helping motivated people like you get comfortable speaking in any setting.

Find out more at http://www.SpeakingMadeFearless.com.

By Janet Hilts

Have You Ever Said Something That Came Back to Haunt You?

2011-09-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

Make it count...

I had a call from a former client recently inviting me to speak at her Businesswomen's Networking Group. She had seen me deliver a twenty minute presentation four years before. The audience was a group of aspiring business women about to complete their business studies degrees at Cambridge Anglia Ruskin University. My client commented that my recommendations about "Buying Cycles" had had a profound effect on her - positively influencing the way she did her marketing. I was, of course, flattered that my presentation had such an impact; the problem was I couldn't remember the presentation or the key message which she had taken away from it.

The presentation was on Monday morning after a fashion show on Saturday night, with all the clearing up on the Sunday. I had been working around the clock to produce a huge fashion show in Cambridge for Teenage Cancer Trust, which was the culmination of two years work and had been a huge success, raising £25,000 for a new cancer unit for teenagers at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge.

Networking and business is something I'm pretty comfortable with, the presentation would have been written and learned in advance, so I guess I was on autopilot, promptly forgetting all about it. Still I can't find the speech or the notes for it.

So, in true Co-Active Coaching style... what's the learning?

1. When given the opportunity to share expertise, make it count. It is generally understood that people sometimes take away only two key points from a training course. This is why, incidentally, to maximise results from training, follow-up coaching is such a great idea and a really positive investment, but I digress...

2. My Dad once said that we are influenced by everyone we meet. That chat you have at the coffee machine tomorrow morning could change someone's life... Be willing to share; however disposable your thoughts may be to you, to another it could something they carry with them always.

3. I could have refused the booking... "I'll be too tired"... but then my message would not have reached my client (and she perhaps would never have become a client!) So, no matter what your self-limiting beliefs say... if you have something that will make a positive difference to people, don't hold back. Don't let "too tired", "too scared to do public speaking", "no-one will listen to me"... stop you. Just do it!

What action will I take from this?

No matter how short the presentation, keep the notes and file them carefully - in four years time you might want to look back and find out the exact words that counted. http://www.coachyou.co.uk

By Jill C McCulloch

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, Role Model For Speaking

2011-09-25T14:38:00.000-07:00

Whatever our interests and aspirations, role models help us. They give us standards for judging our performance and progress, and challenge us to develop our skills beyond current limits.

Are you eager to become a superlative speaker? Then your ideal role model could easily be Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Alabama minister thrust into the international spotlight through his leadership of the civil rights movement, starting with the 1955 boycott of the Montgomery, Alabama bus system by black men, women, and children who refused to wear the shackles of segregation any longer.

Dr. King merits our adoption as a speaking role model for these reasons:

Of prime importance, King's life was consistent with his rhetoric. He did what he encouraged others to do. Following Gandhi's example of nonviolent resistance, he led protest marches surrounded by hecklers and racist policemen, endured arrest, remained calm when Ku Klux Klan members labeled him a Communist, shrugged off death threats, and remained so conspicuously visible that ultimately his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee seemed inevitable.

Relate this to the CEO who addresses her staff and employees. "During these tough economic times," she asserts, "we've all got to do some belt-tightening. Until further notice, no one will be attending off-site conferences and training sessions." How hollow does this announcement become when two months later the CEO's cabinet travels across two states to spend three days of planning with her at a luxury resort? The more credible decision: Seclude the cabinet to one of her organization's on-site conference rooms, and hold lunch breaks in the company cafeteria.

Next, King used vivid illustrations that business and professional leaders could relate to quite easily. In his celebrated "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963, to describe the injustice and even illegality that Negroes experienced he told his audience, "We have come to our nation's Capitol to cash a check." The authors of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, he noted, were "signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir." Unfortunately, when Negroes tried to cash the check, it came back marked "insufficient funds." But hope remained, King said: "We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt." Could any listener with financial expertise miss the power of King's analogy? Only if prejudice overshadowed his or her reasoning power.

Third, although King used simple, clear language-as every superlative speaker does-he formed catchy, attention-riveting word contrasts and combinations. We get the picture when he refers to "a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity." Drawing on his clergy background, repeatedly he said satisfaction would only come when "justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."

King recognized that the most effective speeches are not just heard, they are seen. You can generate the same sensation by doing what novelist James Michener advised-taking ordinary words and doing extraordinary things with them.

Fourth, King merits his role model status because he spoke with stirring emotion, which emerged naturally from his genuinely intense belief in his message. Note the word genuine. There's an old quip among Hollywood actors, "We'll do great as long as we can fake this sincerity." They're mistaken, of course. Audiences detect false emotion, just as we spot a charlatan in individual conversations.

During the peak moments of his speech, King would depart boldly from his text, as speech critics confirm he did in the "Dream" speech. The major lesson for us: Feel your message, feel it with absolute conviction, move away from your standard, safe routine delivery, and demonstrate unashamedly that for you-and for your audience-your message is of paramount importance.

Fifth, King's message sustained magnetism because his theme was consistent, unwavering. There was no room for delayed or partial solutions to segregation. Racial integration must occur now in every segment of society. Compromise was not in his vocabulary. Had he ever veered from this quest in even one speech-such as, "Well, I suppose it would be acceptable to integrate only our elementary schools"-he would have lost his cause and his constituents.

Even an unpopular theme has to be consistent to remain persuasive. On this point, consider Jack Welch, recognized as one of the most demanding corporate leaders of any era. As General Electric's outspoken CEO, he earned the nickname "Neutron Jack" for his renowned practice of firing nonproductive workers. In his words, "In those days I was throwing hand grenades, trying to blow up traditions and rituals that I felt held us back." Welch dismissed employees for two reasons-either they didn't meet their assigned numbers, or they failed to comply with GE's values. Throughout his career, Welch never mellowed. Though feared, he kept respect as a communicator because he said the same thing year after year.

To sum up, you can look to Dr. King as your speaking role model because he lived the message he spoke, used vivid illustrations that appealed to business and professional people, coined creative words and phrases, spoke with obviously genuine emotion, and stuck to a consistent, unwavering theme.

Bill Lampton, Ph.D., "Speech Coach for Champions," helps clients speak with "poise, passion, and power," so they will generate "attention, agreement, and action." His top-tier client list includes Gillette, Duracell, Procter & Gamble, Willis Investment Counsel, Celebrity Cruises, Ritz-Carlton Cancun, British Columbia Legal Management Association, and National Pest Management Association. Visit his Web site and sign up for his newsletter, "Winning Words and Ways": http://tinyurl.com/otlcgz Call him: 678-316-4300 Subscribe to his weekly podcast, "Speech Coaching Radio": http://tinyurl.com/4jype49

By Bill Lampton, Ph.D.

The Reason Why Some Individuals Get Anxiety When Talking in Front of Many People

2011-09-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

The majority of people who've never conducted formal presentations are extremely afraid of it. If someone close to them passed away, they might prefer switching places with the corpse inside the coffin versus to make a speech in front of the guests at a funeral service. The fearfulness is really so intense that if they're speaking into a mic, with just a single person hearing, the imagination that thousands of people may pick up the playback subsequently will send chills down their spine and makes them uneasy. The phobia of public speaking is in itself a sort of horror, which happens to be meticulously related to emotions of stress and panic attacks. The reason behind this is rather simple, large amounts of anxiousness is the thing that causes panic and anxiety attacks to take place.

For a lot of a meeting in the workplace is simply too much to endure. And having to handle many people at the once a year appraisal happens to be a murderer for their jobs. They will don't have a problem with meetings if they aren't expected to speak or be the middle of focus. When named on to talk they go through intense sense of panic which is the start of a panic disorder which will make them fall over their words and in exceptional occasions actually become not able to speak one word. This may not be much like the anxiety of presenting before groups. In fact it's really a worry of messing up or doing something inappropriate before your employers.

Anxiety attacks as well as a phobia for speaking in public can produce unbalance inside you, and the level very much depends upon their amount of severity. The 1st step towards resolving this condition is always to recognize that this can not get better instantly. You have got to be ready to put forward attention and patience to find sustained benefits. Make sure you likewise take a pro-active vision. This means that you never start looking for a solution to presenting anxiety a few days prior to a big presentation. Such an approach will not work. The main factor here is having confidence. The one factor you are afraid of presenting and public speaking is simply because your attention is on what you don't wish, to mess it up. Putting together your confidence level is a better method to eliminating this anxiety.

The reality is that you'll find it particularly effortless to take away the fear of presenting and public speaking. Most of us human beings like to render issues much more complicated compared to what they must be, by means of continually evading the things we are frightened of and not confronting it. Pay attention to anybody who is scared of giving a presentation before people or even in open public and you will definitely notice it occurring. They are going to execute all kinds of things in their power to talk. They will certainly do anything within their resources they can to get away from it or stay away from it. Self-confidence in fact | basically | in reality stems from engaging in what you are petrified of, though it frightens you. That encourages self-confidence and strength like nothing can match.

The sentiments you currently term as anxiety and fear can easily turn into a source of successful and encouraging joy. Utilize the elevated activity amount inside your body to supply your talk contrary to allowing it to get you down. Communicate, rather than curb. In most primitive form fearfulness is utterly nothing but energy. Make use of it, as being a "call to action" that it is an opportunity to step forward and achieve whatever it is you are petrified of. Provide it a brand new meaning that "Today, it is my moment for me to act and do it, to present, with the optimum of my very own capability. Which can be all anyone is capable of. It may not be flawless, it's really down to advancement. So let's proceed!"

The trick to get over public speaking panic attacks, seriously, is the way you concentrate the mind. Concentrate on what you're looking for and keep it off of what you do not need. This really is the quintessence of just what you have to do to solve this. And then get it done today, regardless of fear.

There are lots of methods to remove the sensation of panic attack when speaking in front of a group of individuals.

By Fray Alonso

Famous Speeches Create Famous Speakers

2011-09-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

Those of us who watch those confident speakers give their eloquent speeches up on the dais are thoroughly impressed by how truly at ease they must be. For having the ability to stand up in front of a large crowd of people and give an oration, be it a motivational message, a story, or a sales spiel must be a "gift" that only a few are blessed with. The average person is simply not comfortable relating to a large group of their peers at one time. Well as a matter of fact, of those who are famous for their speeches and motivating of others, many have been shy even to the point of feeling "tongue tied" when they first started to stand up and speak. It takes some training and building of self confidence to become at ease up there before a crowd and once that is accomplished that speakers comfort level goes up substantially.

Good orators lead their audience along by communicating ideas

Standing before a group of people while telling a story, conducting a debate, or giving a speech, is similar to taking them along for a ride. But this is not a physical ride down a mythical road but rather more along the line of relating, by use of words, how one gets on ones way down that road, all the while describing the many sites along the way. There is a cause and an effect that are related to the listening audience. A politician will tell the listeners what they represent and how they plan on going about accomplishing what they promise to do. A good orator will capture the emotions of listeners as they tell a tale that audience can appreciate and relate to. Use of gestures as well as inflection or control of their voice help effective speakers relate effectively with their audience, keeping them interested and retaining what they've heard. A certain amount of humour thrown into the story or rhetoric will also keep them listening and appreciating what it is they are hearing longer than simply trying to follow along with a dry boring speech. This develops a pleasant relationship with the speaker's audience and holds their attention.

Famous orators found power in the telling of the tale

Those who have built a reputation around their speeches have gone down in history as being among the great orators and the list is long. A few well known speakers of modern time include:

Franklin D. Roosevelt Ronald Reagan Richard Nixon Harry S. Truman Martin Luther King, Jr. John F. Kennedy Robert Kennedy Nelson Mandela Winston Churchill
Many speakers have actually feared getting up before an audience of any size but did feel it was their duty to do so. Once that initial fear is overcome they realize it is not as difficult if they just look at one person, focus on one person, instead of observing the sea of faces gazing up at them. There are many effective methods of learning to overcome that "stage fright", relax, and feel comfortable while speaking. A bit of training will help attain that level of comfort that makes good speakers become excellent communicators.

If you've ever experienced nervousness at the prospect of speaking in public, you are not alone! Positive public speaking courses are based on the Speaking Circles technique, and offer public speaking classes in Bristol and Lonson.

By Rob W. Colbourn

Delivering Memorable Presentations With Visual Aids

2011-09-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

Just like in public speaking, many people find giving a presentation, especially to a large group, to be a tremendous challenge. It is very likely that at some time in your career as a business person, you will be asked to make a presentation to workshops, partners, or colleagues. Being a little nervous is a sign that you want to do well, but just as in public speaking being overly nervous or scared might pose a problem. With a little practice you can learn to overcome your anxieties or fears and make informative and memorable presentations.

The use of visual aids, coupled with good public speaking skills, work hand-in-hand to create effective presentations. Your speaking style and stage presence are personal talents that you can refine with much practice and experience. However, much emphasis is given to visual aids which are essential to all successful presentations. Here are a couple of essentials that will help to give an effective presentation with the use of visual aids.

KNOW THE AUDIENCE

It is essential that you know who will make up your audience in order to produce an effective presentation. For example, if you are presenting a presentation to a group of entrepreneur or small business owners, what you will present will differ from delivering a presentation to a roomful of corporate executives. Your business owners are going to be interested in basic ideas or explanations of helpful tips that will aid their businesses. Whereas executives are usually entertained by reports, statistics, graphs, and charts. Now if your audience is a mixture of both, then you will need to know that.

Once you have prepared your presentation accordingly, allow some time at the very start for a brief introductory engagement if possible. You can start by telling your audience a little about yourself. Then, depending on the size of your group, what you can do is to invite them to introduce themselves individually. Going back to your small business owners for an example, get each to briefly stand, give their names and the type of business they are in. You are not going to remember all of their names, but try your best to remember a few, to start off with. This will serve four purposes.

(1) You and your group are getting acquainted on a personal level.
(2) You will become more relax since you may be already gaining information as to what they may need specifically to assist them.
(3) Your audience will see that you are genuinely interested in them as individuals, and for this they will warm up to you rather quickly.
(4) This will encourage good audience interaction which is something you may like to include as part of your presentation.

If you know ahead of time that you are presenting a presentation to somewhat a larger group, then if you have time, greet people as they arrive to engage in light conversation. This will help you to be more relaxed knowing that you are not talking to a group of strangers.

CHOOSING THE APPROPRIATE TOOLS

Visual aid help your presentation make things happen. They help you reach your objectives by providing emphasis to whatever is being said. Clear pictures multiply the audience's level of understanding of the material presented, and they should be used to reinforce your message, clarify points, and create excitement.

Visual aids and audio-visuals include a wide variety of communication products, including flip charts, overhead transparencies, slides, audio-slide shows, Power Point presentations, and video tapes. Demonstrating a process or simply passing around a sample of some equipment or model are also effective way to clarify messages visually. If visual aids are poorly selected or inadequately done, they will distract from what you are saying.

You can learn more on how to deliver memorable presentations with visual aids in just 40 pages-with the help of the eBook entitled "Public Speaking and Public Presentations."

In this eBook you'll learn such things as how to train the memory, how to take control of your audience. Are you a student? You will learn how to speak confidently in front of your class. If you need to present a presentation using visuals, this book will help by giving some tips on how to effectively get the most of visual aids tools such as Power Point, videotape, or a 35 millimeter slides and more.

With the help of this publication, "Public Speaking and Public Presentation," you'll be provided with the basics to excel in one, or the other, or perhaps both without having to read hundreds of pages of material. Whether you have an agenda to speak on, or if it's a matter of choosing a topic and doing research, you can no doubt be successful in delivering memorable presentations with visual aids.

For more information on this comprehensive 40 page eBook, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EM6THC. RTJ Online blog at http://regjackonline.com/?page_id=765, provides self-help informations and tips on social media topics, to help you get the most of using social media tactics and ideals.

By Reginald Jackson

Public Speaking On Video - 5 Tips to Effectively Communicate Your Message With Your Viewers

2011-09-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

Public speaking usually strikes fear in the hearts of many who want to try it. And now that using video to market your business online gets hotter every day, that fear has now extended to speaking on video.

Sadly, many business owners, entrepreneurs, and experts never delve into video marketing simply because they're afraid they won't look good on camera, or that they won't appear professional. That's understandable, but being camera shy is no reason to miss out on the benefits you can get with online video.

If you decide you'd like to give public speaking on video a try here are a few tips for making sure you are effectively communicating your message on video:

1. Make Eye Contact: Wait... what? Aren't we talking about video with no live audience? Yep. Here's how you make direct eye contact when you're speaking on video: look directly at the lens. You've seen people looking slightly off camera or looking down reading their notes, right? It's unnerving for most viewers because when you appear on video, people feel like you are talking directly to them - because you ARE! We're taught it's rude not to make eye contact with someone you're talking to, so make that video eye contact and your viewers will be happy.

2. Be Concise: In most promotional message you don't have a lot of time. The media have trained us to look for information and get it quickly. Looking for an in-depth news story? That's likely 2-3 minutes on your nightly local news broadcast. Ads on TV are 30-60 seconds long, typically. Some online video ads produced by major national brands are even shorter at 15-20 seconds. You have to compete with all that, so make sure your message is tight. To get more information across, consider doing a series of shorter videos, rather than one long one.

3. Look the Part: Just because you work at home in your sweats does not mean you should appear on video that way. If you run any type of professional business, you'll need to look like a professional in your industry. That's not to say you need to appear in a suit in all your videos, but your appearance should match your professional message.

4. Have One Main Point: When you record a video, you should strive to communicate one main idea. Too many ideas, tips, actions or suggestions will leave your viewer confused. Have one MAIN idea and offer no more than 3-5 subpoints around your main idea.

5. Don't Use a Script: When you are shooting an informal video where you are giving a tip and talking directly to the viewer, you don't need to bother writing your video script word-for-word. Because you won't be repeating this information over and over again -- you don't have to you now have a video! -AND because having a script can actually make you more nervous - "I forgot how I wanted to say that line..." - it's easier to use a short outline. If you're following the above tips and keeping your information concise and presenting only one main point, as an expert it should be easy for you to stay focused. If you still feel nervous, write your subpoints on a sticky note and stick it to the camera just above the lens. Or use a note card. Glance at your notes both briefly and occasionally, while striving to maintain that eye contact with your viewer during most of the time you are speaking on your recording.

Public speaking is one of the most effective ways to market a small business. I invite you to discover how to create your own talk and the 5 easy steps you can take today to get started with this powerful marketing tool. Pick up a FREE recording where you'll get all the secrets of marketing your business with a speech. Go now to http://www.SignatureSpeechSecrets.com. Felicia J. Slattery, M.A., M.Ad.Ed. is a communication consultant, speaker & coach specializing in training small and home-based business owners effective communication and public speaking skills so they can see more cash flow now.

By Felicia Slattery

Speaking Opportunities Are Business Opportunities and More!

2011-09-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

We perceive really good speakers as experts. Perception is reality, and we like to work with experts - correct?

Public Speaking / Delivering Presentations is an excellent way to get yourself in front of prospects, connectors, people of influence, and others to let them know you are an Expert.

That's a problem.

Here's why: 75% of the population suffers from glossophia, the Fear of Public Speaking. People who have this malady don't take, and certainly don't make those opportunities. Consequently, they often lose potential business and career and leadership possibilities.

The research shows:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities!

See why above.
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities!

You're likely in a career before going on your own.
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities!

There are always leadership opportunities whether working for someone else, or in a trade association, civic group or a variety of other organizations.

The folks who embrace, take and make those occasions to speak, and do it well, increase the perception they are Experts. The result is they grow their businesses, career, and leadership possibilities.

Additionally, people who speak well and are seen as Experts can literally have the "platform" to promote their "platform", i.e. cause or passion. With this Expert Status, their efforts are more productive!

As stated, we also perceive excellent speakers as Leaders. In fact, we expect Leaders to be very good presenters. Some are; many are not.

If you speak well, you are seen as a Leader; be it in a company or organization; formal or informal. Leaders command authority, internally and externally, and are rewarded for their presentation skills.

The "Fear of Public Speaking' holds many back. I've encountered many individuals with great work histories, advanced educational degrees, and "old school" work ethics that are not where they want to be career wise because of poor communication skills. If a person can't speak to a group in a manner that educates, entertains, and explains their message, they are often passed over for people less qualified, but better communicators. This doesn't have to be.

Delivering presentations and speaking to groups is a skill, like all the others we have, that can be learned. No one was born knowing how to ride a bike, drive a car or operate a computer. We all learned these skills, and the same can be done with Public Speaking.

When you deliver that presentation, you want it to be a great one.
Here are some rules to follow that will let the audience know you are an Expert!

The Purpose
The goal of all communication; verbal, written or visual is the same. We want the recipients, as quickly as possible, to GET IT!

They don't have to agree with everything presented, but they do have to understand the message. If not, there cannot be a discussion going forward.

So the Purpose Goal is achieved, the Presentation must do Three Things

1. Educate
The audience should leave your talk knowing more about the subject than when they arrive.

2. Entertain
We like to be entertained. When we're being entertained we pay closer attention. Paying closer attention increases the odds the audience will GET IT!

3. Explain
It's imperative to explain your message in a manner that people understand easily without wondering, "What does that mean?"

Keep in Mind, People have Three Learning Styles

1. Visual
Learn by Seeing.

2. Auditory
They learn by Hearing.

3. Kinesthetic
They learn by Doing.

Were are usually a combination of these, with one being dominant. To help your audience GET IT! address as many of these as possible.

Example: Slides, with graphics that reinforce the message you are Speaking, increase the odds they'll GET IT!

Your talk should contain all the components, parts and elements of a complete presentation.

Introduction
Write you own! The Introduction is not your bio.

The Introduction should answer three questions.
* Why this subject?
* Why this speaker?
* Why now?

Opening
Grab the attention of the audience with a Strong Opening
Tell them what you're going to tell them.
Tell them if, and how, questions will be handled.

The Q&A should not be after your Closing. (That's why they call it the Closing!)

Body
Tell them.

Make three - five points and give a story, preferably a personal one, to support each point

Closing
1. Tell the audience what you told them
2. Have a Strong Closing.
3. The last thing you'll say, will be the first thing they will remember.

When delivering your material, be certain all the nonverbal and verbal messages sent to the audience are in sync with your the content of your talk.

There is plenty of help available.
* Toastmasters - An International Organization dedicated towards helping people with their presentation and leadership skills.
* Adult Evening School Classes - This is where I started.
* Books - There are many great ones available.
* CDs, DVDs - Watching and listening is different then reading. All should be part of the study.
* Blogs - There are a slew of great blogs on this subject. One place I go to regularly is alltop.com
* Personal Coaching - Professionals have coaches; Amateurs don't.

All the above will help, but the Learning is in the Doing!

You can do all the intellectualizing you want about speaking and improving your presentation skills: read books, watch professionals, listen to DVDs and watch videos.

The best advice I can offer is this: Speak! Speak! Speak!

Here's the analogy:
If you want to be a Great Baker - Bake!
If you want to be a Great Swimmer - Swim!
If you want to be a Great Speaker - Speak!

What's the worse that could happen?
The baker's cake falls. The swimmer finishes last. The speaker makes a fool of himself.

BIG Deal! Who Cares?
In the ocean of your life this is a Drop!

I Guarantee:
The worst speech you'll ever give will be far better than the one you never give!

Fred E. Miller is an author, speaker and coach specializing in Public Speaking and Presentations.

He teaches people how to Develop, Practice and Deliver a 'Knock Your Socks Off' Speech with - No Sweat!
Contact Information: Fred E. Miller 314-517-8872 Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com

By Fred E. Miller

Magic Tricks in Public Speaking

2011-09-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

Using magic tricks in public speaking, business presentations and school assemblies is a great way to make yourself stand out, surprise, hold attention and above all, get your message across in a powerful, entertaining and memorable way.

However, if you are going to use magic in public speaking of any kind then you have to think carefully about how you present it.

You need to be sure that the magic trick or tricks that you perform during your speech or presentation are made integral to the substance of what you are saying, not merely tagged on because you read somewhere that magic can help your presentation stand out!

It's true of course that magic can help your presentation - it's the first statement of this article and the basis of its argument; but it would be more accurate to say that magic can add a powerful new dimension to your presentation when it is made meaningful in the context. The meaningfulness of the magic in the context is what makes it memorable, otherwise it is merely a distraction.

The easiest way to make the magic meaningful (and therefore powerful and memorable) is to choose a magic trick or routine that directly illustrates your principal point. This can be done at the start to capture attention and then you go on to extrapolate your argument from that point, or at the end to encapsulate visually what you have been saying.

Using a magic trick in the middle of a presentation tends not to work; simply because no-one is expecting it, it becomes a distraction and what you say afterwards may not be properly heard. No-one is expecting it at the end either, but there it serves as a surprise which emphasizes what you've said and as you won't be saying anything else it simply 'wraps up' in an impactful and memorable way.

You can see that using a magic trick in this way serves as a kind of 'group mnemonic'. The visual and emotional impact of the trick will impress itself on the minds of your listeners for weeks, months or even years afterwards; and the points you have made will be associated with that memory.

And here's the real power in it: your speech will be associated with a positive emotional experience. And that is the greatest power of persuasion that you will ever be able to harness.

Magic has other bonuses for business speakers in the international arena as it is an entertainment that crosses cultural boundaries.

Particularly if you are involved in trade with Japan or India, where magic tricks are adored and magicians highly revered. Introducing magic into your presentation in those contexts can do no harm at all.

There are also certain ways that you can use magic at conferences, for example, even when you are not in the spotlight or on the podium. A favourite of mine is to magically produce a business card, or seemingly 'print' the card by magic on a blank paper. Both of these, performed with confidence and panache can give a very cool impression.

Finally, don't go over the top, as they say: you should use magic tricks sparingly; one or two at the most in any single presentation. Don't try turning it into a magic show! It's the surprise factor that gives it the impact and it's the precision of its meaning within the context that makes it work to carry your message forward.

Some of the best tricks for using in business presentations, public speaking and school assemblies can be learned quickly and cheaply by anyone prepared to put in a little bit of time. They don't need any fancy props or gadgets. Most can be done with things that come readily to hand at any conference, business meeting or public or school event such as coins, bank notes, handkerchiefs, drinking glasses, pens etc. Inflation and devaluation, for example, can be illustrated by transforming coins or bank notes into higher or lower values magically. Business cards can be magically produced or printed in front of your colleagues' eyes.

To select and present magic tricks appropriately and effectively in your presentations will require intelligence, creativity and confidence. Do you have those qualities? I hope so, or you shouldn't really be in business!

There's an added bonus, too. learning magic tricks has been scientifically demonstrated to increase concentration, perceptual, problem-solving and rapport-building skills; all essential to contemporary business practice.

Put yourself to the test and boost the impact of your presentations. Have a look at the example tricks below - you can see free demonstrations and download tutorials by following the link - and ask yourself if you are creative enough to find a way to use them to empower your work. Then buy the tutorial (they cost little more than loose change) and get to it. If you aren't able to do anything with the examples here, then follow the link at the bottom for hundreds more possibilities. Get creative and get ahead of the game.

By Austin Hackney

The Value of Winging It Vs How to PowerPoint - An Independent Consultant's View

2011-09-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

Winging it is my preferred way of making a presentation which I believe offer significant value to both the audience and the presenter. Nevertheless as I recounted in a previous article, A PowerPoint Presentation or Winging It?, in that so many of my audiences have become accustomed to anticipating a PowerPoint presentation, I have decided to integrate it within my preferred style, Winging It. In this article, I will discuss the value of Winging It as well as How to PowerPoint effectively to keep the audience engaged.

The Value of Winging It
Winging it essentially mean to speak in public without notes. Taking notes on stage only telegraphs the idea that you had to make a big effort to bone up on your theme, then were so unsure of yourself that you had to sweat through a close read so as not to blow your lines. Appearing to improvise flashes you onto listeners' minds as an authority, an expert. Playing the puppet by reading a text, or clinging to notes takes you down, peg by peg, until you look even with, or even below, your audience.

Winging your talk enhances everything you say. It magnifies your magic, focuses your clarity, and buttresses your logic. Your stand-alone ability to think on your feet just makes everything you say sound more controlled and resourceful. This excitement you fire by risking your reputation keeps your listeners awake, thus more open-minded to your speech. It also builds into admiration which initiates and underpins any healthy respect. Moreover, when your words are written out and read, the joy and certainty of discovering the real you suffer.

Whatever you have got will look and sound better if you can train yourself to persuade without paper. It's what you do with what you have that matters. Once you are skilled at winging it, your audience will only cherish more whatever you have to say. This has been my experience and I'm sure it will be yours also.

How to PowerPoint Effectively
Although I have revealed my preference, if you insist on using PowerPoint, resist the temptation to read the slides to your audience. This disconnects you from them. However, when you move to a new slide, pause briefly to give the audience time to read the content. Then summarize or make the point in a different way. If the slide is easy to understand, you may proceed as though the words on the slide have already been said. You then can go on to explain and elaborate on what the slide is about.

Use the slides to complement and enhance your presentation. Do not allow them to be your presentation and do not use them as your script. Also, make certain your slide is not too dense. Apply the 50 percent rule twice: Remove half of the slide's content, then look at it again and remove another half. Better yet, plan for no more than three words or a single image per slide. With the exception of your three words, include your Web site address on each slide.

Make sure you have checked and double-checked the slides and the equipment. Misspellings and out-of-order or upside-down slides can quickly detract from your presentation and your credibility.

Forget about animation -- it detracts from the point you are making and, if the audience can't read every word on a slide, discontinue the PowerPoint presentation.

Finally, PowerPoint can be used to produce a professional-looking program that you can revise easily to fit each audience you present to. Unfortunately, presentations that rely on PowerPoint for their content are seldom as engaging as presentations that use PowerPoint to supplement what the speaker is saying. An effective PowerPoint presentation, especially the transitions, takes practice and rehearsal. Even though it worked like a charm the last time doesn't mean it will again. Before subjecting audiences to needless distractions, rehearse with your slides.

Will Barnes, Therapist and Business-Financial Consultant, for over thirty-eight years has worked with individuals, families, and organizations in the areas of personal growth, capacity building, and relationship strengthening. Go to http://www.youcontrol.blogspot.com for more useful information and subscribe to his free, turbocharged monthly newsletter.

By Will Barnes

If Your Listeners Pull Back When You Are Talking, Then You Are Too Loud

2011-09-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

During a recent 2-day workshop I was holding, one of the participants was a lovely woman by the name of Angie who had a big, nasal voice. When she got excited, not only did the pitch of her speaking voice rise, but her volume increased as well. Does that sound familiar?

While speaking too loudly is not nearly as common as speaking too softly, it does happen. And, for your listeners, it can be painful to their ears. If you find others recoiling when you talk, you should consider voice training in order to learn how to lessen your volume to a comfortable level.

One of the most interesting aspects of voice training is that the exact same techniques used to help the soft-spoken speak at a normal level are the same techniques that will lessen the volume of the loud voice. It is truly fascinating to see how this works.

With the right voice training approach, you are taught how to find your 'real' voice by using your chest cavity to power your sound. Of course, you still use your throat, voice box, mouth and nasal cavities. The difference is that most people are unaware of and not using their chest cavity which is the largest of their 5 resonators responsible for voiced sound.

* When you make this change, you will find a richer, warmer, deeper voice that decreases your volume naturally.

Why this happens is because the loud voice is characterized by stridency, shrillness, and sometimes excessive nasality as well. The voice that is powered by the chest cavity, however, loses the stridency and the shrillness because of the change in placement of your sound. Your voice will no longer be harsh. Instead you will discover a sound that is more akin to the likes of Sean Connery, Kathleen Turner, Kate Beckinsale and James Earl Jones.

The other good news about your 'real' voice is that it will no longer hurt your throat and vocal folds (cords) to speak. If you have a loud voice, then it is quite possible you suffer from vocal abuse as well in which you have chronic hoarseness or a persistent sore throat. Use your chest cavity as your primary sounding board and your vocal abuse will be gone.

There are so many marvelous benefits of voice training, one of which is that you will actually enjoy hearing yourself on recording equipment. Isn't it time to stop the loud talk and learn to speak at a comfortable level for your listeners? Trust me, they will thank you.

By Nancy Daniels

Remember What Happens When A Speaker Stops Growing

2011-09-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

As speakers, you'd hope that we'd always be looking for ways to boost our speaking skills. However, it turns out that all too often this is not the case. The can be many reasons, but the end result is the same: we reach a given level in our speaking and then we just "hold" there. Not getting any worse, but at the same time not getting any better. Let's take a look at what causes this and see how we can keep moving forward.

Why Do We Stall In Our Speaking Careers?

When we are first starting out as speakers, we understand that we're not very good. We realize this because we are very attuned to the feedback that we're getting from our audience - they are bored and restless when we are speaking.

Because we know that we're not very good, we are open to change. We don't want to have our audiences dread it when we approach the front of the room to give a talk. This means that we're open to listening to what other people say about our speaking style. We also keep our eyes open and watch other speakers so that we can learn from them.

All of these different inputs cause something magical to happen: we become better speakers. It doesn't happen overnight, but rather it happens little by little. All of a sudden we find that we're actually pretty good speakers: we don't fear standing in front of an audience and talking and the audience almost seems to be looking forward to listening to us talk.

However, this is when something bad can also start to happen: we plateau. Once we've reached this level of speaking, we can decide that we're "good enough" and we stop. We stop listening to what our audience is trying to tell us and we stop listening to how others evaluate our speaking.

That's why the world is filled with speakers who are just adequate. They've reached a level where they are "good enough" and then they stalled. If you can't detect that you are in a rut and if you are not motivated to get yourself out of it, then that's where you'll spend the rest of your speaking days.

How To Leave Your Comfort Zone And Become A Better Speaker

So no matter if you are in a rut currently or if you fear that you may be starting to enter a rut, spending the rest of your days there does not have to be your fate. It turns out that there are a number of different things that you can do in order to pull yourself out of this situation:

* Change!: the biggest reason that we get stuck in ruts is because our speaking opportunities become too predictable. Change things up - offer to talk about a topic that you've not talked about before or change how you present the material that you've given over and over again. Different is good!

* Ask For Opinions: what helped you to become a better speaker back in the early days was that you were open to the comments offered by others. Invite someone whose opinion you respect to attend your next speech and provide you with feedback. When they do, take action based on what they tell you.

* Picture The Future: better than anyone else, you know what a better you as a speaker would look like. The first step in getting to there is to mentally picture yourself as that better speaker. Once you've done that, you can start to map out the steps that you need to take to get there.

* Baby Steps: Becoming a better speaker is what we all want to do. In order to make this happen, we need to ease ourselves into the future taking things one step at a time. We didn't get to be the speakers that we are today overnight and it's going to take mastering a sequence of steps to get to where we want to be.

What All Of This Means For You

Getting stuck in a rut is an easy thing to do. As speakers, those ruts can hold us back from becoming better speakers. The first thing that we need to do is to realize when we've gotten stuck in a rut and why. The next is to find a way to get out of it.

Getting out of a speaker's rut is a tricky thing to do. The key is to shake things up: get used to change, get outside advice, and picture the future that you want.

Getting stuck in a rut can happen to any speaker. Getting out of that rut is the key to becoming a successful speaker. If you want to keep developing your speaking skills, then you need to do a "rut check" and then take action to get out if you are in one.
Dr. Jim Anderson http://www.blueelephantconsulting.com/

Your Source For Real World Public Speaking Skills?

Do you give speeches today, but want to learn how be more effective? Dr. Jim Anderson believes that great business skills are no substitute for poor presentation skills. Dr. Anderson will share with you the knowledge that he has gained while working to improve the speaking ability of both individuals and teams of speakers for over 20 years. Learn the secrets of effective speakers and really connect with your audience during your next speech.

If you want to follow Dr. Anderson on Twitter, he can be found at: http://twitter.com/drjimanderson

By Dr. Jim Anderson

Embrace Your Fears - One of 50 Ways How Not to Suck at Public Speaking

2011-09-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

Nothing strikes fear in most of uslike being called on to present!

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said "If given only two choices, the average person at a funeral would prefer to be the one laid out in the casket than the poor stiff who has to deliver the eulogy!"

While that may sound a bit over the top, a surprising number of studies on the subject actually do rank fear of public speaking as the #1 fear in North America. In these same studies, death is typically ranked 5th or 6th. Go Figure?

It's hard to explain why so many of us share this fear, or where it comes from. But we do know that it can be managed and that the benefits of doing so can be enormous.

A recent survey conducted by University of Pittsburgh's Katz Business School suggests the ability to communicate is the single greatest factor contributing to one's success in business and a critical skill for anyone in a position of leadership!

Better grades at school and performance reviews at work; stronger sales and operating results; greater respect and admiration; exciting new opportunities; even fame and fortune are but a few of the many rewards that often accrue to those who can confidently, convincingly, compellingly present their ideas to others... and especially to those who can leverage their efforts and do so to groups.

What follows is the first of the 50 ways to leave your fears behind and become a great presenter featured in my new book 'How Not to Suck at Public Speaking'. Depending on how this one is received, I may publish a few more:

Way #1 - Embrace Your Fears

The first thing you should realize about fear is that it's actually a good thing. If not for our fears, most of us wouldn't be around today. Our fears are a key component of our natural defense system. They keep us from being totally reckless and doing stupid things that could injure or even kill us, like stepping out in front of a bus. They also trigger mental and physical responses that help us assess and deal with difficult and potentially threatening situations.

When confronted with a situation that involves a significant element of risk, our fears cause us to be highly focused and in the moment. Our endorphins start pumping and our minds are wiped clean of all of the petty thoughts, problems and concerns that typically reside there. The past and the future are of no concern. All that matters is the present. Things instantly become crystal clear, especially our fight or flight options and their potential consequences. We are 100% alert and ready to respond at a moment's notice. For this moment in time, we couldn't be more fully alive!

Our fears challenge, excite and energize us. Who hasn't taken pleasure from facing a personal fear head on? If not for the human desire to 'feel the rush' how would one explain the existence of roller coasters, scary movies and extreme sports? If you think people who engage in activities such as sky diving, white water rafting, big mountain skiing and the like are fearless, think again. It was their fears that drew them to the sport in the first place and the thrill that comes from facing those fears that brings them back.

Fears are not the problem. We all have them and thank goodness we do. The problem is that occasionally we let our fears get out of hand and respond to them in ways that are counterproductive. Often we attribute them to situations where they have no true basis and/or serve no useful purpose thereby placing unnecessary limitations on ourselves (e.g. the fear of flying). And sometimes we exaggerate them, even to the point where they literally paralyze us.

The trick to keeping our fears in check is not to ignore them, or to try to will them away. The trick is to understand and manage them. We need to leverage their benefits and control or mitigate their negative effects. In other words, we need to embrace our fears and put them to good use.

When it comes to public speaking, a little bit of fear is definitely a good thing, especially at the onset of a presentation. It sharpens our focus, gives clarity to our thoughts and pumps up our inner reserves giving us the energy to go up there and deliver our message with a level of enthusiasm impossible to achieve in a totally calm state. Manage it well and what you may feel as fear or nervousness, the audience sees and hears as excitement, enthusiasm and conviction.

The day you present without fear is the day you should be truly afraid
Jim Francis is the Founder and CEO of Wavemaker Consulting ( http://wavemakerconsulting.com/ ) and author of How Not to Suck at Public Speaking ( http://hownottosuckatpublicspeaking.blogspot.com/ ). Wavemaker Consulting is a leading-edge management and educational consulting firm specializing in enhancing individual, team and organizational performance. Wavemaker programs and consultancies focus on the customer experience (sales & service quality), the learning experience (training and educational techniques) and personal & professional effectiveness (presentation, public speaking, leadership & life skills).

By Jim S Francis

Article Marketing Tips Successful Affiliates Use

2011-09-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

When you start looking for advice on improving your article marketing techniques, who better to turn to than someone who has been down the same road you've traveled and come out on the other end a success? The thing to remember about advice is that it only helps when you make use of it! So, here are a few of the top tips from some superstar affiliates who have made a success out of article marketing.

1. Do your research. No matter how fantastic your articles are or which directories you submit them to, if the affiliate program you choose to work with isn't a good one, then all of your efforts will be worthless. Always do a little research into the many affiliate programs out there. Read reviews, find out what fellow affiliates are saying in forums and writing about in their blogs.

2. Write original content. It's important for you to create unique articles. Resubmitting the same article over and over again will lower your search engine rankings. If that happens, your articles won't be getting the attention and page views you hope for. Take the time to write new content at least once each week.

3. Send articles out to newsletter subscribers. When you submit your articles to directories and post them on your social media sites, it's also a good idea to put your article into a newsletter and send it out to your subscribers. If your article is a little lengthy, trim it up a bit so that readers won't delete it before getting to the good parts.

4. Think quality along with quantity. Make sure your content is valuable. While it's important to put out a good number of articles, they won't be as effective if they are poorly written. Take the time to write content your readers will enjoy and benefit from.

There is a lot to be learned from affiliates who have made a successful business in article marketing. They learned how to make the most of article marketing without shelling out a lot of money. Take advantage of any free tools that are out there, like article directories. There are some directories that will charge you for submitting articles, and their rates aren't cheap. There are plenty of reputable directories out there that are absolutely free, so don't feel pressured to sign up for a service you need to pay for.

It's important to build a solid reputation in the marketing community. You can have hundreds of articles out there on the Web, a fantastic website and popular blogs, but those things won't matter much if you link yourself with a scamming affiliate program. Always investigate the companies you are considering linking up with and make sure there are no claims that they are scams.

If you're going to write about a product and endorse it in your articles, you want to choose something that is familiar to you. If you have no experience in software programs, you might find it difficult to write persuasive articles about it. Use products that you are comfortable with writing about. It's important to your readers that you present yourself as an expert in your niche. This will boost your reputation as an article marketer, which is the key to becoming a success in this industry.

By Deb Lamb

Article Marketing Drawbacks

2011-09-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

Article marketing has become one of the most effective strategies that businesses use when starting a marketing campaign. With every marketing tool there will be pros and cons, and article marketing is no exception. While not every system is perfect, there are things you can do to help boost the impact of your article marketing campaign.

One of the main drawbacks of article marketing is that it's not as fast as other marketing tools, like Pay Per Click. It takes time for you to really see an impact when using articles and for a while you may think that it's having absolutely no impact whatsoever.

Article marketing takes a lot of patience in order to make sure your content says exactly what you want. Your articles need to offer valuable, relevant information that will benefit readers and it may take some time to master this. If you aren't confident in your own writing abilities, or if you just don't have the time needed to focus on producing content, you can look into hiring a ghostwriter to do the work for you.

Once you have articles written, you need to submit them to article directories so that they will reach thousands of readers. Most article directories will put your article through a review process to make sure it meets all of their guidelines. Don't just submit one article and think you're done. For article marketing to work effectively, you need to add new content on a regular basis, at least once a week.

Not only should you submit content to article directories, but to other sites as well, like Squidoo, Google Knol, and Hub Pages. This can take a lot of time and effort which can try your patience at times, but the rewards are well-worth it.

Be consistent with your writing. Readers want to gather as much information as possible while at the same time being a little entertained. Give your writing a unique tone that reflects your winning personality. Use your writing voice as though you were talking to your reader face to face. Make sure that your readers are left satisfied and still wanting more.

Readers know a high-pressure sales pitch when they see one, so tread lightly when you're talking about a product or service you offer. Give them some information, but don't try to pressure them into a "buy now" situation. Offer them a free newsletter, e-book, or advice and tips when they visit your website and include a link so that they can take the next step. When your article is written well enough, your readers will be eager to know more, to learn what answers you can give them.

Article marketing is an effective tool that works well in every industry. The key is knowing how to use it and learning everything you can about making it work for you. It's time-consuming. It can cost you money. It will wear your patience thin. But in the end, it's worth it because it is one of the best ways to market your business and build your notoriety as an expert in your field.

By Deb Lamb