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