Your speaking skills are not enough to get you rich. Keep in mind, you are not just in the speaking business, you are in the business of marketing your speaking services!

It is the master marketers that are able to quickly find financial success. Why? Because they are able to book more speeches with less effort. They have higher rates, and they may have multiple streams of income. Sure they are good speakers but they are great marketers and that combination means they are most...

However, it is also very likely that you are daunted by the task at hand and you do not know where and how to start your career in motivational speaking. It is not surprising, if you feel this way, because the most difficult part of becoming a professional speaker is the first step.

At the very beginning, you are probably unknown to the public and no one in their right minds will pay you to speak to them. So the key here is to get your name and face out there and make a good...

Public speaking is a great way to promote products physical and intellectual.Aside from getting paid speak, speakers can also use persuasion, either shamelessly or discreetly, to get the audience to buy their products. Speakers, more often than not, get the chance to promote and sell products while also earning their platform fees; it's like hitting two birds with one stone.

However, some speakers are already experts in their respective fields and are an established presence in...

Flip Chart Color

* Black, blue and green inks have the greatest visibility.

* Blue is the most pleasing color to look at with red coming in second (note: pleasing to look at and visibility are not the same)

* Do not do the whole chart in red ink.

* Avoid purple, brown, pink and yellow inks.

* Permanent markers give the most vivid color but dry out faster if you leave the cap off. They also frequently bleed thru to the next page. Forget trying to get the ink...

Often a short poem will illustrate your point better than hours and hours of talk. Poems can be inspiring and motivating as well as funny, and they also add variety to your presentation. You must flawlessly memorize any poetry you use. Any stumbles will ruin the effect of the verse. If the verse is long, you may want to consider reading it, but total memorization will have more impact. Poetry, whether funny or not, should be used sparingly in any business presentation.

Always look...

I've talked about this tip before, but ran into the same situation again this month while doing a public speaking engagement in Morocco. The primary languages there are Arabic and French. Just arranging for an overhead projector was very difficult.

When I arrived as the opening speaker (after having confirmed three times an overhead projector and screen), none was to be found in the room. The manager of the gigantic ballroom could not speak English and because of tight scheduling...

The arrangement of chairs, the sound system, the lighting and the overall climate of the room can make a big difference in the way a public speaking engagement is received. You may not think you have much control over these items, but think again, because you do.

If you have prior access to the room where your speech will be held you should always get there as early as possible. I have never had a speaking engagement where everything about the room set-up was perfect. There is...

Question-and-answer sessions are great opportunities to show off your sense of humor and get audience participation during a public speaking engagement. Let's see how we can have some fun with them.

A good way to open up a Q & A session is to say, 'The last time I opened up for a Q & A session, the first question I got was 'What time is it?' or 'Can I be excused?' or 'Aren't you getting tired up there?' Say anything except the old boring 'Now let's open it up for...

Chances are you have seen a dodgy Best Man Speech, if you have ever watched a romantic-comedy movie. You know the ones, where the best man insults bride, angers the groom, and silences the crowd. Its fine for the movies, but in real life the aftermath will last for more than 97 minutes, and most likely be caught on video forever.

There are 7 common mistakes that are found in those Rom-Com-type situations. To give a good Best Man speech, its best to steer clear of them. Let me list...

If you could discover how to stop stammering instantly and cure your stutter, your life will instantly change for the better. I know exactly how you feel when it comes to wanting to stop stammering for life, because I use to stutter myself.

No, stammering is not a disease, it is a speech problem that very much takes control of how you communicate with others, how others listen to you, and sometimes the way you perform at the job.

As a little girl, I use to be embarrassed to...