The Seven Habits of a Confident Public Speaker


You've made the first step on the road to becoming a confident
public speaker. By following the steps outlined below and adopting
the 'Seven Habits of a Confident Public Speaker' I'm sure you will
enjoy giving speeches and making presentations. Instead of seeing
them as a chore you will begin to truly enjoy standing up in front of
audiences and talking to them.

So what are the 'Seven Habits of a Confident Public Speaker'?

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HABIT 1
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Be yourself. Don't try to be a 'speaker'. Don't try to emulate other
speakers. Simply be yourself. The best and most confident
speakers are those who are no different 'on the stage' as they are
at home or in the bar. They are 'themselves' the whole time; never
pretending to be anyone else.

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HABIT 2
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Prepare. Confident public speakers are those who have spent a
great deal of time preparing what to say. This doesn't mean endless
hours in front of PowerPoint or researching facts on the Internet.
Instead, it means going over in your mind what you want to say.
You can do this in the car, on the train, in the shower. In other
words, confident speakers think carefully and make plenty of
mental preparation for their talk.

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HABIT 3
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Make it simple. Confident public speakers are those with very
straightforward and simple messages. They do not complicate their
talks with several different strands of ideas or a multitude of
messages. The simpler the talk, the easier it is for the audience,
but the easier it is for the speaker because they can remember
what to say so much more readily.

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HABIT 4
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Practice. Confident public speakers are well rehearsed. They
actually say out loud their talk several times in advance. They may
wander round their office or bedroom, talking to themselves. Saying
it out loud really helps them get to grips with what to say and it
boosts their confidence greatly.

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HABIT 5
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Activity. Confident speakers are people who are active. They do not
sit and 'stew' over their talk. They go for walks, as they think of
what to say. They may go swimming or down the gym. Physical
activity helps them lower the hormones which cause the stress of
public speaking.

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HABIT 6
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Eating. If you eat properly in advance of a talk you will feel much
better and more confident. Lack of food can reduce your
confidence. Public speakers are confident have usually eaten
properly in advance of their talk. If you avoid food because of
'nerves' you will be increasing your fear of speaking and making
yourself more anxious.

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HABIT 7
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Connecting with the audience. Confident public speakers make lots
of connections with their audience when speaking. They have
plenty of eye contact, they ask questions and they even get
discussions going. Audiences love it and it also makes speakers
more confident as they realise they are of interest to their audience.
Facing the screen or a computer to read your slides will drastically
reduce your confidence, not enhance it. The 'support' provided by
visual aids is actually making speakers less confident rather than
helping them.

I hope these Seven Habits of a Confident Public Speaker have been
of use to you. Don't forget, the manual, 'Stop Public Speaking Fear'
has much more in-depth detailed information, as well as plenty of
hints and tips on boosting your confidence as a speaker.

SIX STEPS TOWARD MAKING YOUR ORGANIZATION A WINNER—NOW!

Is your organization lagging or leading in your industry? Are your employees whiners or winners? Do your customers rage or rave about your service?Are sales slumping or soaring?

Bill Lampton, Ph.D., spent twenty-three years in management. From direct experience, he knows what it takes to change an organization’s ranking. . .how to go from worst to first! Here are six steps Bill will help you take toward the winner’s circle!

ONE: TRAIN YOUR PEOPLE IN THE BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY
E-mail: Appropriate style and “netiquette,” “nastygrams,” personal misuseRegular phone: Ten ways to get more phone calls returned, voice mail tipsCell Phone: Cell phone “addiction,” cell phone courtesyWeb sites: Do’s and don’ts for the company Web siteBlog: How to establish and maintain a blog (Web log), to keep clients and customers informed--and interacting with you

TWO: TRAIN YOUR PEOPLE TO SPEAK CONFIDENTLY AND PERSUASIVELY
As a professional speaker, Bill generates dramatic improvements through his Presentation Skills Training. Your leaders will demonstrate greater poise and purpose when they:
· Direct meetings
· Speak to civic groups
· Lead Board retreats
· Explain a complex health care policy
· Justify necessary restructuring of the organization

THREE: IGNITE YOUR ANNUAL MEETING WITH BILL’S KEYNOTE SPEECH
Technology has not replaced the Annual Meeting as an opportunity for sharing information, recognizing and rewarding loyal workers, boosting morale and getting in high gear for the next twelve months.Do as many organizations have done: Bring in Dr. Bill Lampton for your meeting/convention. Consider what his clients say:
“In all the years that I have been organizing conferences, Bill Lampton is one of the very best speakers that I have ever heard. He has a way of making his material flow effortlessly while keeping the attendees entertained and energized.” Braden Albert, HR Star Conference

“Insightful, stimulating and entertaining, Dr. Bill Lampton delivers a knockout presentation! He provides practical ideas and strategy that will contribute to peak performance.” E. Earl “Sonny” Hays, Ph.D., Retired CEO, Boy Scouts of America, Arizona

“I love your presentation style!” Dee Shepherd, Missouri Bar

NOTE: SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE TO WATCH BILL'S VIDEO!

FOUR: CREATE A CULTURE OF CUSTOMER CARE
Second-rate organizations settle for traditional Customer Service. What’s wrong with that? Well, you can serve people without caring for them. Let Bill help you establish Customer Care throughout your organization. You will learn:
· What to say to customers, and what not to say
· How empathic listening will resolve many customer complaints
· How to respond to written complaints
· “Best practices” from the world’s best customer care companies

FIVE: ENABLE PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION STYLES TO WORK TOGETHER PRODUCTIVELY
You have seen it happen. A benevolent, kindly manager retires, and the new manager comes in full speed ahead—like Bob Nardelli at Home Depot or Jack Welch at General Electric. Also, you watch clashes between your cautious, slow-moving financial director and the “let’s do it now regardless of cost” divisional vice president. How do you resolve these energy-draining conflicts?Using the highly respected DISC system of Personal Style Analysis, Bill enables your staff and employees to identify their own styles, understand the styles of others and then adapt their styles to foster productive interaction, minimizing confusion and disharmony.

SIX: ESTABLISH A CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLAN
Fires, board resignations, CEO turnover, massive layoffs, sexual scandals--we call them “emergencies” and “accidents” because nobody plans them—who would want to? However, we can plan how we will react when a crisis occurs.As a result of Bill’s “Media Magic” program, your people will:
· Prepare press releases in the proper format
· Cultivate support from media leaders prior to threatening events
· Know what to say instead of “no comment”
· Avoid statements that might foster lawsuits or insurance losses
· Conduct a press conference with professional class

Five Never Forgets For Sales Letter Success
by Ernest W. Nicastro


Like everyone else, I can remember at an early age my parents telling me, "Never forget to look both ways before crossing the street." Later on I listened as my eighth-grade teacher, Sister Mary Coleman, counseled us boys to, "Never forget that a gentleman always gets the door for a lady." From my high school football coach I can recall, "Never forget that there is no "I" in team." And to this day I can still hear the resonant baritone voice of my first sales manager, Ed Harwick, saying, "Son, never forget that people don't buy features, they buy benefits."

So it is, with a figurative tip of the hat to these good people, that in today's article I offer you five never forgets for sales letter success. And I'll start by echoing the words of Mr. Harwick.
Never forget that people don't buy features, they buy benefits - This is so basic as to be trite. Yet it's one of the most common sales letter mistakes small business owners make. For example, we've all heard or read the expression, "People don't buy a post hole digger, they buy a post hole." Now let's say you're a real estate agent with 20 years of experience. The fact that you're an experienced real estate agent is analogous to "post hole digger." But your documented 20-year track record showing that you -- on average -- will move a property within 36 days of listing it…and move it for no less than 5% of the original asking price, that's the post hole/benefit.
Never forget that specifics are what give your benefits power, punch and salesmanship - Note the specifics in the above example. The agent has a documented track record (a paper trail to back up her claim) and the track record shows (a) she moves a property within 36 days of listing it and (b) within 5% of the original asking price. Never speak in general terms when you can use a specific.
Never forget that a sales letter is the most personal and direct form of advertising you will ever create - As such, your success depends largely on your ability to make your customer or prospect feel as though you sat down at the keyboard…and carefully and thoughtfully composed a letter just for him or her. Freelance direct mail writer Harry B. Walsh puts it this way, "The tone of a good direct mail letter is as direct and personal as the writer's skill can make it. Even though it may go to millions of people it never orates to a crowd but rather murmurs into a single ear. It's a message from one letter writer to one letter reader." Mr. Walsh suggests telling a story as one effective way of making a personal connection with your reader and I agree. Take our real estate agent. She no doubt has accumulated many unique stories over the years that convincingly illustrate the benefits of using her services. And she would be wise to include a few of them in her sales letters.
Never forget to use the magic words - In Denny Hatch's great book, Method Marketing, he writes about the time early on in his career when his boss gave him a half-hour lecture on direct mail. According to Mr. Hatch, at one point his boss pulled out a column from the old Saturday Review wherein the writer, humorist Goodman Ace, listed what he considered to be the twelve most powerful and evocative words in the English language. Those words are - you, save, money, easy, guarantee, health, proven, safety, discovery, new, love, results. To these twelve Hatch adds one more -- FREE -- citing legendary direct marketer Dick Benson who said, "'Free' is a magic word." So, for that matter, are the other twelve. Look for every opportunity to use these thirteen magic words in your sales letter copy. Use them properly and they will work magic on your response rates.
Never forget to make an offer - This is another reminder that is so fundamental and so basic I hesitate to include it. But based on the fact that only one letter submitted for this column included an offer, I feel compelled to do so. Your offer is the stimulus for ACTION. The stimulus ISN'T your product or service, it's the DEAL. The quid pro quo (literally "this for that" in Latin). For example, you offer your customer or prospect a free trial, free demo, a Free Special Report or White Paper, a limited time special price, a free gift. In exchange for accepting your offer they agree to do something of value for you. NOTE: Your offer must match the commitment you're asking the prospect to make.
When crafting your next sales letter remember to apply the principles and pointers contained within these five Never Forgets. If you do, chances are you -- and your sales letter -- will enjoy more success.
Now let's take a look at today's letter.
Black = Original letter copy. Red = Ernest's critique/commentary Blue = Ernest's suggested copy
July 17, 2006
Dear Bead Shop Owner,
Interweave Press books and magazines provide inspiration for beaders of all types. And the more inspired your customers are to create fabulous beaded jewelry, the more they will buy from you. A product-focused opening is never the best choice but to the writer's credit she quickly shifts her focus to the reader. That said, might not the opening be more effective if we focus on the prospect from the very beginning. How about this? What if you magic word could delight and inspire your customers and boost sales at the same time? Well now you can, and it's easy magic word. How? With the beautifully photographed and illustrated collection of informative, how-to beading books and magazines from Interweave Press. Now available to you with a 100% money-back guarantee -- and, for a limited time, a free gift with your first order. The guarantee is mentioned toward the end of the letter and the gift in the P.S. But because they are major selling points they should be introduced much sooner. On another note, there's no reason to use bold type for the first line. In fact, this letter uses too much boldface type.
A 2004 consumer survey by Craftrends Magazine found that 1 in every 3 people who enters your store will purchase at least one book during the year. And the more experienced the crafter, the more books and magazines they'll buy. A meaningful specific that makes a strong case for store owners stocking Interweave's books and magazines. But I would use this copy either in a headline or overline on the letter OR as teaser copy on the envelope. Here's how I would tweak the copy: According to Craftrends Magazine 1 in every 3 people who enters your store will buy at least one craft-related book during the year. Here's how your store can cash in on these purchases.
Are you missing an opportunity to sell books and magazines? Assuming the previous verbiage is repositioned, I would delete this question and make my sub-head read, Join the hundreds of bead shop owners from coast-to-coast who are booking profitable results magic word with books and magazines from Interweave Press.
We know that bead shop owners who buy books from Interweave Press reorder again and again. Why? Because our books sell. Delete the previous and start with this under the sub-head: With Interweave Press you'll get a proven magic word line of products that will make you money magic word and that your customers will absolutely love magic word! And that's not just an empty claim. We've got the numbers to back it up. For example, the six books in our Beadwork Creates series have sold over 120,000 copies and The Beader's Companion, a classic, has been sold to over 50,000 beaders nationwide. Plus, there's a world of discovery magic word in our The {delete Beadwork How-To series. This hugely popular series explores /the beading world {delete the wonderful world of beading one technique at a time. Just how popular is this collection? Popular enough that /with {delete four of the six titles are now in either their third /and {delete or fourth printings. Simply put, your readers will love these books! And you and your accountant will love this new magic word revenue stream.
Risk-Free magic word Offer Great, a risk-free offer! One of the most powerful strategies any marketer can employ.
Order any five Interweave Press books and you'll receive a 45% discount off the cover price. After 120 days /you may {delete return any unsold books in saleable condition for 100% credit. Better yet, good transitional phrasing take advantage of a really great deal: we'll give you a one-time 50% discount with your first order of 20 books or more. So go on, I like the lighthearted, gentle nudging of this phrasing give your customers what they want - inspiration! And give yourself what you want: a risk-free offer and a new, dependable source of revenue.
Preview our books online at www.interweave.com, and then call me. I look forward to hearing from you soon to assist you with this special offer. You can also fax your order to me at (970) 613-8317.
Warm wishes,
Leigh Trotter, Sales Associate(800) 272-2193 Ext 654leight@interweave.com
P.S. Our new Spring books have arrived! If you include any of them in your first order, I've got a free gift for you (while supplies last). Excellent! Another stimulus for action. But I would have revealed the gift and included a picture of it.
Summary: Overall, a pretty good letter. It has a strong offer and a lively conversational style. In addition, it drives home the benefits of their products with relevant, meaningful specifics. In short, by applying principles and tactics from four of our five Never Forgets this marketer has greatly increased the odds of their letter generating a positive response.
Got an opinion on Ernest's opinion of this letter? Agree? Disagree? Email him at enicastro@positiveresponse.com.
Want Ernest to critique your sales letter? Send it to us at clinic@businessknowhow.com as an attached Word document. We'll periodically choose one sales letter to publish along with the revisions.
© 2006 Ernest Nicastro
Ernest Nicastro, a direct marketing consultant, copywriter and lead-generation specialist, heads up Positive Response, an award-winning marketing firm specializing in B-to-B marketing and lead-generation. For your FREE copy of the Positive Response Special Report, 77 Sure-Fire Marketing Tips Guaranteed To Boost Results, email Ernest (subject line Tips) at ENicastro@positiveresponse.com Or, contact him by phone at 614.747.2256. For more information visit http://www.positiveresponse.com.

The Eleven Biggest Time Management Lies
by Dr. Donald E. Wetmore

In the world of Time Management there are things said to us that we accept as truth and we act accordingly. The problem is sometimes they are not truths. They are lies and as we believe them, they waste our time.

Those who speak these lies to us are not bad people at all because you and I are among them. We all speak these untruths to one another from time to time. So let's not wish harm and doom to the liars. Let's avoid the time traps their lying may cause us.

Here are the eleven biggest lies to shield yourself from.

1. "This will just take a minute." Has anyone grabbed you with that line? Does it ever "just take
a minute"? Rarely. What typically "just takes a minute", generally consumes several minutes and more.
Next time, when someone asks for your time and assures you," This will just take a minute", tell them, "You're lying. You may not realize you're lying, but you are. I'll give you five minutes. You may begin now."

2. "I need this as soon as possible." No you don't. That's a lie too. You need it by a certain date and time because you are going to do something with what I provide for you. And if you're not going to do anything with what I provide for you, why am I doing it for you in the first place?
Don't lie to me. Tell me when I have to get it to you. Be specific. You and I probably have two difference dates in mind when we think in terms of "as soon as possible".

3. "I want this now." I doubt it. In this 24/7/365 world, everyone is under a sense of artificial pressure to get it done "now" or worse," yesterday".
Things are generally not that urgent. Don't get caught up in someone else's urgent trivialities.
Call the liar to task. "I'm not sure I can get that done now. What if I got it to you one week from today?" Use an outside deadline to give yourself ample time to prevent getting into crisis management.
Oh, and if they reject that alternative, try three better dates for you. Why? Because they may keep lying to you.

4. "It's not about the money." When it's not about the money, it's about the money.

5. "This is the best (investment, business opportunity, book, movie, restaurant, boss, job, etc.) you'll ever find." Not true. There's always something better. The best is yet to come.

6. "I can get this done in an hour." It's a fib. Ever notice how it almost always takes twice as long to get something done as what you thought it would? That's because few of us have a very accurate internal clock to estimate the time required to complete most tasks.

7. "He's a' late' person." Most people who are "late" have a consistency about their behavior. My friend Dwayne is 20 minutes late all the time. If we need to meet for lunch tomorrow, it will take him 24 hours and twenty minutes to get there.
Dwayne is not "late". He's "On-time; 20 minutes later".

8."No Cost." You don't get "nothing for nothing". Everything has a cost. It may not cost you your money but more often it will be your time and more of it than what you are getting in return for "no cost".

9. "I'll prove you're wrong if it's the last thing I do." And it may well be. No one wants to be proven wrong. Everyone likes to be caught doing things "right". Most, however, don't mind being shown how to do things better.

10. "By the time I show him how to do it I could just as quickly have done it myself." If it's a one-time proposition this may be true. It doesn't make a lot of sense to spend an hour to show someone how to do a task that takes only 10 minutes.
But if it's a repetitive task, it's a lie. If that one hour investment will save you 10 minutes every day, then in about a week you have your investment back and now you have a dividend of 10 extra minutes a day. What if you do that six different times? You get an extra hour in your day and 365 hours over the next year.

11. "This is going to be really hard." Not true. Going through whatever you have to go through is almost never as difficult as you imagined it to be.
Mr. Smith, my high school principal, taught me that 95% of what we fear coming at us will never hit us. It will ditch itself before it ever reaches us. And as to the remaining 5%, God has given us the tools to deal with it.

Dr. Donald E. Wetmore, a full-time Professional Speaker, is one of the foremost experts on Time Management and the author of "Beat the Clock" and "Organizing Your Life". He is a professional speaker and president of Productivity Institute Time Management Seminars, 60 Huntington St., P.O. Box 2126 Shelton, CT 06484 (800) 969-3773 (203) 929-9902 Email: ctsem@msn.com Web: http://www.balancetime.com
http://www.businessknowhow.com/growth/time-management-lies.htm

Do any of These Sound Like You?
Burnt out, stressed out, rundown and tired?
Out of balance; out of control?
Frustrated with wheel spinning?
Too much to do; not enough time for my family and me.
I'm not able to get it all done.
Interruptions throw me off track.
I procrastinate important items.
Less satisfied with what I'm doing now than a few years ago.
Too many priorities; often feel unprepared and pressured?

WE CAN HELP
Mission Statement:
The Productivity Institute is dedicated solely to the purpose of offering the highest quality Time Management Seminars and Personal Productivity Seminars and classes, workshops, keynotes and consulting anywhere along with lifelong support to our students and graduates.

Dr. Donald E. Wetmore a successful full time Professional Public Speaker for the last twenty years is the President of the Productivity Institute, a seminar company in Stratford, CT, dedicated to providing quality Time Management and Personal Productivity Seminars and classes for twenty years through his monthly public seminars and in-house seminars at your location. Don has made over 2,000 presentations to audiences from around the Globe. He is also available for keynote presentations, personal executive coaching, as your emcee for your event, and as your personal consultant to help you develop your own Professional Speaking Career.
"John did not get his raise because he did not get his promotion because he did not get all his work done on time because he was late yesterday because he had to stop for gas because he didn't stop for gas the night before because he was late coming home because he was working late because he came in late that morning because he had to iron a shirt because he had nothing clean to wear because he forgot to pick up his shirts from the cleaners on his way home the day before because...."

FOUR TIME MANAGEMENT DON'TS FOR STUDENTS
By: Dr. Donald E. Wetmore

In my years as a Time Management speaker and consultant, college professor, and father of four grown kids, I have observed a lot of what students can and should not do to increase their daily results.

Time management is not necessarily working "harder", but rather, "smarter". And to accomplish significantly more in our school days, we need not increase our efforts. As an example, in a horserace, the first horse may earn a $50,000 purse and the second horse may earn a $25,000 purse. The first horse gets twice as much money as the second horse, not because it ran twice as far or twice as fast. It was only a "nose ahead" of the competition. So it is with our daily school work. We need not run twice as fast or put in twice the effort to significantly increase our daily success. We only need to be a "nose ahead" of where we already are.

Students are productive in their days. They would not survive the demands of the academic world if they were not. The real challenge is how much more productive and successful can they become?

A lot of our Time Management has more to do with what we are not doing rather than what we are doing. Sometimes our mistakes and omissions will keep us from running at a full pace.

Here are the "Four Time Management Don'ts for Students" to avoid to help increase success at school and at home, in less time and with less stress.

1. Start your day without a plan of action.
You will begin your day by responding to the loudest voice (the squeaky wheel gets the grease) and spend it in a defensive mode, responding to other people's and events' demands. The tail will wag the dog. If there is a void of leadership in your time management life, someone will fill that void, not that others are bad people, but others will take all of your time if you let them. You will have worked hard but may not have done enough of right things. Time Management is not doing the wrong things quicker. That just gets us nowhere faster. Time Management is doing the right things.

2. Get out of balance in your life.
Our lives are made up of Seven Vital Areas: Health, Family, Financial, Intellectual, Social, Professional, and Spiritual. We will not necessarily spend time every day in each area or equal amounts of time in each area. But if in the long run, we spend a sufficient quantity and quality of time in each area, our lives will be in balance. But if we neglect any one area, never mind two or three, we will eventually sabotage our success. Much like a table, if one leg is longer than the rest, it will make the entire table wobbly. If we don't take time for health, our family life and social life are hurt. If our financial area is out of balance, we will not be able to focus adequately on our intellectual goals, etc.

3. Work with a messy study area.
Studies have shown that the student who works with a messy study area spends, on average, one hour per day looking for things or being distracted by things. That's seven hours per week. ("Out of sight-out of mind." And the reverse of that is true too, "In sight, in mind"). And, it's not a solid block of an hour, but a minute here and a minute there, and like a leaky hot water faucet, drip, drip, drip, it doesn't seem like a major loss, but at the end the day, we're dumping gallons of hot water down the drain that we are paying to heat. If you have ever visited the office of a top manager, typically, that person is working with a clean desk environment. Many would attribute this practice to that person's access to other staff members. While there may be some truth in that conclusion, in most cases, if we went back some years in that person's career, they probably were working with a clean desk back then which gave them the focus they needed to become promoted to where they are today.

4. Don't get enough sleep.
Studies show that nearly 75% of students complain on a regular basis, all throughout our days, that they are flat-out tired. (Ever see a student nodding off in class?) For most, they get the quantity of sleep, but they lack the quality of sleep. Their days are filled with so much stress, they are out of control, working harder but maybe not smarter, that it's difficult to get a full night's sleep. (For some, they simply do not allow for a sufficient quantity of sleep.)
Plan and take time for a sufficient quantity of sleep. And, if you will plan your day, then work your plan, you will get more done, feel a higher sense of accomplishment, greater self-esteem, and experience less stress and enjoy a more restful night's sleep.

If this article has been useful to you, we have prepared an additional article entitled, "The Tools for Increasing Employees’ Productivity". It’s free. To get yours, email your request for "tools" to:ctsem@msn.com Would you like to receive free Timely Time Management Tips on a regular basis to increase your personal productivity and get more out of every day? Sign up now for our free "TIME MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION LIST". Just go to: http://www.topica.com/lists/timemanagement and select "subscribe". We welcome you aboard! Dr. Donald E. Wetmore-Professional SpeakerProductivity Institute-Time Management Seminars127 Jefferson StreetStratford, CT 06615(800) 969-3773(203) 386-8062fax: (203) 386-8064Email: ctsem@msn.comwebsite: http://www.balancetime.comProfessional Member-National Speakers AssociationAugust 23, 1999 Copyright 1999 You may re-print the above information in its entirety in your publication, newsletter, or on your webpage. For permission, please email your request for "reprint" to: ctsem@msn.com
http://www.balancetime.com/articles/four_for_students.htm

MULTIPLYING WITH NETWORKING
By: Dr. Donald E. Wetmore

In over twenty years as a Public Speaker, time and time again, I realize that better than half of the average person's personal productivity and success in life is through the good cooperation of other people. I do not mean to suggest that if one does not have the good cooperation of other people that he or she cannot be productive and successful, but rather, that one cannot be "AS" productive and successful.

And the sad thing about those who do not enjoy the good cooperation of other people is that they will never know what they did not receive. They will never know the business connections that they did not get, the social invitations they could have had, or the helpful advice they might have been presented with to make their lives easier.

Networking is as old as time. It is the idea that we need not do everything ourselves and re-invent the wheel over and again. We can all mutually benefit from the experiences and knowledge of others. It is not a new practice to any of us. We network all the time. The question is, "how far do you want to go with it?" Time management and personal productivity are significantly enhanced when we use the concept seriously and methodically practice the concept.

With six billion people now on the planet it is said that all of us are related within no more than six levels, the "Six Degrees of Separation". To get to the answers, the help, and the information you need to make your life better is never far away.

My own success in the Professional Speaking Business has come to me largely through networking and the good cooperation of other people, although, like the cobbler's son who had no shoes, I sometimes fail to follow my own advice. When I started my business twenty years ago I thought I was a marketing genius. After all, I had an MBA with a concentration in marketing. I then proceeded to do every bone-headed thing imaginable, wasting precious resources of time and money until I began to practice what I preached and reached out to others who were already successful in my field.

And I got the help that I needed because the number one topic of conversation that most people enjoy is themselves. And when people talk about themselves, they like to talk about their successes, don't they?

I learned how to market and promote my business and how to manage it effectively as well. Through the generous help of others, I stopped spinning my wheels learning the errors that others had already learned. I now spend a good amount of my time helping new speakers to succeed sharing the information that I have received, adding in my own successes.

And that is the essence of networking because networking is not a selfish technique, just drawing from the well. It is consistently helping to fill the well. Not only taking but giving back. The more help you offer others, the more you get in return.