It’s a thrill to be honored as one of the National Speakers Association’s 10 Leading Ladies! All of us have served as president of the Association over the last forty-three years. The NSA was only 10 years old, when I became its first woman president. As young association, one of our greatest “growing up” challenges […]

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My friend and colleague Lois Creamer works with professional speakers who want to book more business, make more money, and avoid costly mistakes. We teamed up for a web event to help you build your professional speaking business, but our suggestions will help you in any professional services practice! Enjoy the video replay below. Lois […]

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To be powerful and persuasive, you must connect with your audience both intellectually and emotionally. Enhance your connection with your audience by customizing or personalizing your message for each specific audience.  Customization is indispensable for professional speakers. However, even if you’re not a professional speaker, you will find that taking the time to tailor your […]

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A few years ago, I had a conversation with my friend Jeff Davidson, a prolific author and popular professional speaker, about why it is that speakers sometimes fail to hit the mark. The result of our brainstorm was the article below, which explains the three most common reasons speakers do not connect with their audiences […]

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Stand still at the start of your presentation. Your audience members need a moment to become accustomed to the sound of your voice, your style of speaking, and sometimes your accent. After this, incorporate movement into your presentation, only if your movements are purposeful and support your message. Unconscious expressions of nervous energy will detract […]

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Preparation is the key to successfully delivering your presentations Whether you are delivering a business or sales presentation, it’s a mistake to think you can just “wing it.” If you have years of experience in your industry or profession, this still holds true. Even professional speakers must prepare for and rehearse before each presentation. My […]

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You are planning your company’s next meeting and you want everything to be perfect. You’ve got a location, theme and date. The only thing left is to hire the speaker. Where do you turn? How do you know what kind of speaker is best for your meeting? Here’s a checklist:

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I recently heard from my friend Carol Andrew, a fellow Dorset girl – from the same small region of England as I am!  Not only do we both live in the United States now, but we are also both National Speakers Association members, both speakers, and both speech coaches. Unlike me, Carol studied at London’s […]

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If your goal is to become a professional speaker here is my advice as a  past president of the National Speakers Association. Many of the best strategies to build your speaking business are the same you would use to establish any new business. My overnight success took many years of gradual, constant growth. I worked […]

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Does your business headshot do you justice? My friend, corporate communications expert, Rob Biesenbach was there. Rob is both an actor and a professional speaker and combines these disciplines to help executives communicate more persuasively and successfully. Like actors and professional speakers, business professionals must have a business headshot. Is your headshot up-to-date? Or are […]

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