A Speaker is a messenger of a message, therefore the speaker must be the message, or they brought in the wrong speaker. What matters most is how you see yourself! The platform to speak is a privilege. What experience are you looking for? Stay Focused! Keep Your Day Job You must become a student of your topic. People do not hire speakers. They hire topics. What topics are you an expert in? Your topics must evolve. Gift Wrap Your Topic You must deliver your topic to the audience. Your presentation must contain excitement, educational value and enjoyment or entertaining value to keep the audience's attention. Your delivery must be visual, passionate, and verbal to reach the most people in the audience. You must have an evolving, creative marketing plan. You must have a business plan. The Business Of Speaking vs. The Speaking Business The definition of business is profit! If you are not earning a profit, it is a hobby. You must believe in your self more than any one on the planet. You must want to speak professionally as much as you want to breathe. Your Job Is Not To Speak, As Much It Is To Know Your Audience Every audience is different. The audience will not care how much you know, until they know how much you care. Love And Respect The Audience And The Audience Will Love And Respect You Back You must do research on every audience. Love is a feeling of commitment. Commitment is a joining of forces. When you fail to prepare for a presentation, you prepare to fail. Practice, Practice, Practice Doctors practice, Lawyers practice, Speakers practice. Be very grateful. Listen to every word you say, because the audience is listening. Practice forgiveness of yourself and others. Speak for fee or for free, never for cheap. Never sell your fee, tell your fee. Keep financial records. Keep client records. Record each engagement, Date etc. Record each presentation. My information gathering sheets, on the audience, are on my web site. My written agreement is on my web site. If at all possible: Join a local Toastmaster Club Join the local chapter of the National Speakers Association Join the American Society for Training and Development Speak To Every Social And Civic Club For Free When someone comes up to you after your presentation and says, "How much would you charge to come and deliver your message to my people?" Find out what they do; this is your market. My market is business people. My market is School teachers and Principals. My topic Fall in love with learning. Knowledge is the root of all good. Offer your book or CD in the back of the room after your presentation. Give a performance of a life time...