HOW TO SUCCEED AT PRACTICALLY ANYTHING
I don't know how many times I've been asked, "How do I get into
the speaking business?" The question always frustrates me. I'd
rather be asked something I can really answer, like how to
become a barber.
One inquirer said something, though, that caught my attention.
He said he had speaking down to a science, and that he could
speak exactly 20 minutes, 19, or whatever was needed. Always the
exact length of time, though!
While there are certainly speakers who need to pay attention to
the clock, I don't know of any who are hired simply because they
do. Audiences aren't looking for robots. They want real people.
Because audiences want real people, they generally aren't
looking for orators, either. They want effective, down-to-earth
communicators who have earned the right to speak, through
extensive research and/or experience, and who are well prepared
to speak from the heart. If you use humor, someday, after giving
many speeches for free, you might even get paid.
Yet, such is still a long way from being successful in the
speaking business. Much depends on how greatly a person believes
in his or her message, and whether, with a good marketing
strategy, a person is able to convey that belief in the
marketplace.
There