At times, you have to ignore your competition and put your focus back on the buyer. You have to understand that the buyer is the one making the ultimate decision whether to hire you or not. The main goal is to get the speech and the way to do this is to make your speech the best option.

If you are able to negotiate your professional service as the best choice, you will not only get the booking, you can also set a higher fee.The best way to negotiate with buyers is to emerge as an...

Having said that, it would be best that you should cope with your stage fright first. So let me share some tidbits that you can use to diminish your fear.

- The audience is unconsciously rooting for you. They want you to be successful on stage.

- Eradicate all self-defeating thoughts

- Do not expect too much of your speeches. If the audience does not respond as expected, do not be anxious. It doesn't matter. Think about it when it's all over.

- If you bomb,...

In professional public speaking, the potential for financial success is very bright. You are also inspiring and motivating a lot of people to success.

Fortunately for some, starting a speaking career does not require any degree or specific higher education. Anybody can speak in public. But this does not mean that people are always willing to listen. Just like any craft, public speaking needs practice and skill. Some may already have the natural knack but most will need to...

In the business world, there can be a lot of reasons why organizations conduct speaking events. Some businesses use corporate events to inform their associates about yearly company goals. Some events will touch on highly technical aspects of the business while other events would simply aim to inspire or loosen-up people in the organization.

Depending on the objective of the event, you may be a suitable speaker for the job.If the topics to be tackled are more on the technical side...

There is nothing I like better than an all female public speaking audience. All female audiences tend to laugh more easily and louder than all male audiences. All-male audiences are the toughest because the male ego gets in the way of laughter. They look around to see if anyone else is laughing before they laugh, and they won't laugh as loud because they think they will look less powerful.

If you speak to an all-male audience it is more critical to bond and be "one of the...

You can use acronyms and abbreviations as a form of humor during a public speaking engagement. An acronym is basically a form of abbreviation where the letters of the abbreviation form a new word, i.e., HUD means the Department of (H)ousing and (U)rban (D)evelopment. There are many acronyms and abbreviations that are universally known such as the IRS and the CIA. There are many more that are unique to your audience. All you have to do to make them humorous for use in your public...

It is interesting to note the diverse opinions when it comes to marking your speech with pauses and smiley faces and underlining particular words for emphasis. My questions to you follow.  Do you want to give a speech that is akin to delivering a script as if you were acting on a stage?  Or, do you want to deliver your speech as if you were having a conversation in your living room?

Your answer will determine whether you should mark script or not. While I am not an...

* Your first priority is safety. Know where fire exits and extinguishers are.

* Have backup equipment and backup plan in case of failure.

* Keep room lights at maximum intensity unless slides and/or video projection are being used.

* If room lights are down, put a soft light on presenter.

* Schedule breaks during program.

* Tape door latches to prevent them from making loud noises.

* Use semi-circular seating if possible.

* Provide hardback...

If you want to get real action out of your audience during a public speaking engagement, then tugging on their heart strings can help make it happen. This is where your storytelling ability can really make you shine.

Great storytellers like my friends Maggie Bedrosian and Thelma Wells can take a simple set of facts and paint moving pictures in the minds of their audience members with carefully crafted stories.

You don't have to tell stories when speaking to get emotional...

Expanding or diminishing proportions can be a fun way to create humor in a public speaking engagement. It's similar to a caricature artist that outrageously exaggerates the features of an individual, while still keeping the person recognizable.

I did a public speaking engagement one time for Secretaries Day at a large insurance company. I was making a point about how hectic it always was for the secretaries. It went like this, 'You're answering the telephone, the fax machine is...