Writing and Speaking – Info Source Source information on Writing and Speaking.

20May/100

Don’t Scare Visitors Away- Give Your Website A Reality Test

Even if they typically don't make sales online, it is difficult for an author or a speaker to effectively market their book or speaking services without an effective website. Yet, the importance of a good website is lost in the continued belief that purchasing a pre-made template or hiring someone cheap off Craig's list will do the trick.

There are a number of tests you should put your website through to make sure it is doing what it should, even if you don't have a complicated or flashy website. With the Internet making the world our marketplace, and more and more people using websites as part of their marketing, competition can get rough.

First impressions are key on the Internet. And that impression can last less than a minute as click happy page viewers come and go. What would you say in answer to these questions about your website?

Do People Know Where They Are Right Away?

Does your logo have a visual meaning and describe your business? People will see before they read, so you need to grab their attention right away. Make sure you use a wide variety of pictures and images to convey the result people will get from using your services.

Words are important as well, though, so make sure your company name is clearly visible immediately and that you have a tagline that tells people what you do. In addition, every page should include a strong title that conveys immediately where your viewer is and what they can expect to see.

Try to be unique on your website, but never be modest or assume your customer will sell themselves. Make sure your site communicates boldly what you can offer your future customers.

Have you checked out your computer on various viewing platforms and browsers?

A website will not look the same on all computers. What looks great on Firefox might be a mess on Windows Explorer, and even on different versions of each. Don't take anything for granted. Ask people you know and trust to view your website on at least 5 different monitor sizes, Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 operating systems, and on PC as well as MAC computers.

If your customers use mobile internet, you will want to check several phones as well, including iPhone and Blackberry. It can be surprising how different a site can look on different viewing platforms.

How functional is your website?

There is nothing more annoying to a page viewer than to sit and wait for a page to load. In most cases, that potential customer clicks away before even seeing what you have to offer and becomes a former potential customer before you know it.

Pretend you are your ideal customer and take the time to walk through your entire site page by page through their eyes. Is the page load time fast enough? Are your links all working and pointing where they should? Are there any grammatical errors present or spelling errors in any of the content? Can you find the contact us information quickly and easily?

You are taking the Website Reality Check so that you will be able to welcome your potential customers to your site rather than drive them away. Make it easy for them to get around your site, find what they want (and what you're selling) and become your customer.

Be sure to visit ProfessionalSpeakerPromotionOnline.com to learn much more about successfully promoting your professional speaking career online. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory

18May/100

Advantages Of Outsourcing

It is becoming an increasingly more popular thing for small businesses or entrepreneurs to outsource some of their critical tasks, which has advantages for both the party buying the outsourced services and the service provider. It is an ideal use of a speaker's or author's resources to take advantage of outsourced help while promoting their speaking services or book. And, the economic conditions have caused companies of all sizes to lay off full time staff or delay hiring new help. The result is more talented workers looking for work. The solution in many cases is to outsource.

The advantages for the small business, speaker, author or other entrepreneur purchasing the outsourced services include:

1. You Don't Have to Commit Full Time to Outsourced Help.

If you find that an outsourced resource is not a good fit, you are free to end the working relationship and find someone else.

2. Saves Employment Overhead.

When you are making money and need help, you can get it. When its slow and you don't need help, you aren't paying to keep someone busy.

3. Can Outsource Very Simple Tasks to Very Complex.

From legal situations to minor office tasks, you will be able to find an outsourced situation for whatever you may need. Some of the more popular tasks that small business owners outsource are "virtual assistant" duties, website and Internet marketing tasks, and even bookkeeping and accounting.

Outsourced service providers benefit from the relationship as well:

1. Choose Your Own Employer.

Since you are responsible for choosing who you work with, if a working relationship doesn't work you can move on to a better fit.

2. Easy Scheduling.

You can often complete your work from home, and have control over your hours and other terms.

3. No Economic Reliance.

Even when traditional jobs are not available in your field, you are often able to earn fees on an outsource basis.

It is evident that outsourcing is here to stay, and that is a good thing for both the small business owner, entrepreneur, author or speaker purchasing the outsourced help and the outsourced service provider.

To find many more resources and strategies To find promoting your book effectively online, be sure to stop by PromoteYourBookCoach.com. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

18May/100

Overcome Fear Of Public Speaking And Rock Your Career

There are a surprising number of people in our society who fear public speaking. And, most people will answer that they fear it worse than death itself. I used to be one of those people but thankfully, I got over it. How? Well, many years ago I joined a Toastmasters club and little by little, I overcame my fear. If you haven't heard of Toastmasters, you can do a search on google and more than likely, find a club that's near you. They are an international organization that has been helping people improve their public speaking skills for more than 80 years.

Even if you don't have a fear of speaking in public, I encourage you to check out Toastmasters because they can help you improve your communication and leadership skills. Basically, a Toastmasters club is comprised of 10 to 50 members that come together for a meeting each week or two to practice their public speaking skills. The environment at a meeting is very supportive and encouraging.

Most of the members were once fearful of speaking in public themselves. The meetings follow a structured format but it varies from one club to the next. Each new member follows a speaking program that is designed to help them grow in their confidence and ability. It took me a year of attending regular meetings before I felt really comfortable speaking in front of a group but it was well worth it.

I have a solution for you if a year sounds like too long and you would like results much sooner in overcoming the fear of public speaking. I wish I knew about this method years ago when I was suffering with my phobia but, the technique was only being developed at that particular time. The method is called Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT and it has been effective at treating thousands of people around the world with all sorts of physical and psychological disorders including phobias, relationship issues, weight loss and a whole lot more.

EFT was created in the early 1990's by a Stamford engineer named Gary Craig and he worked tirelessly to spread the word about this exciting self help tool. Hundreds of people have been trained in using this technique and one of Gary's most successful pupils is Dr. Carol Look.

Dr. Carol Look is one of the few worldwide that has reached the Master practitioner level and she has become very popular over the years. She has recorded several training programs on CD and DVD to address a number of issues using EFT and one of her programs is geared specifically people that have a fear of speaking in public. So, if you can't wait any longer and want to overcome your phobia in a matter of hours or weeks rather than months, you need to check out her program.

Looking to find the best way to overcome fear of public speaking? Then check out Confident Public Speaking to find out about a cutting edge technique that can help you.

5May/100

Tips To Prepare For An Impressive Interview For A Job

If you manage to secure a job interview does it make you feel excited? If this is the case why not try to show that feeling in your interview.

If you bring a little energy and excitement along with you to the interview it may get you noticed more that if you sit there silently listening all the time. Don't forget that the interviewer has probably been there all day and may still have some way to go. If you can brighten up their day a little with your enthusiasm, it may help keep you in the interviewers thoughts when it comes to choosing a successful candidate.

Do not forget that there are lots more people in the same boat as you just wanting the opportunity to get that job. They have all answered the same questionnaire. Some may be more qualified than you, and you need something that makes you stand out from the rest of the candidates.

Maintain an aura of professionalism about your interview, and be polite and answer your questions (when asked) with a smile on your face.

They have probably heard the answers to their questions so many times before; just try to show a little charisma and put your feelings across in a confident way.

It is always better to make the interviewer know that you are excited at the prospect of capturing this job; you will have a much better chance of success if you show excitement rather than trepidation.

Try to make out that you are interested in the facts about the company when the interviewer relates them to you (even if you are not really interested) someone that shows that they have the companies interest at heart will have a better chance of landing the job than somebody who looks disinterested.

Just try to remember not to go over the top with your enthusiasm. If you are a naturally bubbly character you may have to try and tone it down a little. Do not frighten the interviewer with your over excitement.

Refer to various other articles written by this writer about products like True commercial refrigeration and used commercial refrigerators.

7Apr/100

What Doesn’t Work To Overcome Fear of Speaking Publicly

Unless you are a very outgoing person and enjoy giving public speeches, the fear of speaking publicly can cause you a great deal of anxiety and fear. There is a great deal of information available on public speaking and how to reduce the fear, through either a public speaking class or through techniques that are available online or in books. While most of these tips are helpful, there are some that can cause even more stress and shouldn't be tried.

To eliminate the fear of speaking publicly, it is often said that you should rehearse, rehearse and rehearse. While preparation and practice are essential steps for producing a quality speech, too much rehearsal can cause more problems than it solves. This is especially true if you have strong public speaking phobias. Constantly focusing on your speech can make you stressed out, and you may get the speech so set in your mind that if a change occurs for some reason, you may not be able to cope.

The opposite way of attempting to deal with your dread of addressing groups of people is frequently equally disastrous. Some think that the only real means by which to gain control of anxiety like this is by simply jumping in with very little planning. Although the dread of addressing a crowd is sometimes conquered by placing yourself in settings where you are forced to speak to other people, starting with major events and not sufficiently getting ready is more likely to elevate your anxiety than to get rid of it.

Finally, some individuals will seek to overcome their fear of speaking before a crowd by utilizing alcohol to calm down. These people claim that one or two drinks prior to an important presentation can alleviate their worry and enable them to give a presentation that goes much more smoothly. This may very well be a dangerous thing to do when giving a speech, since too much alcohol can result in a greater number of blunders and a reduced reaction time in case of problems. A great deal of trust could also be lost if the crowd believes that you have consumed alcohol.

While some people will swear that these techniques worked for them in reducing or eliminating their fear of speaking publicly, you must remember that not everyone can be successful in giving a speech if they've had a drink, have rehearsed continually or have given the speech without preparation or some practice. The majority of people will find that these tips don't work, and thus will find themselves with more fear or anxiety about the next speech that they may have to give.

For many people, it's inevitable that they will have to address a crowd at some time or another. If you're looking for some public speaking tips to help you sound confident and get your point across effectively, drop by our site on Public Speaking Skills.

23Mar/100

Why Children Need To Overcome The Anxiety Of Public Speaking

Some children are very shy and thus have a fear of public speaking. In school, they may not raise their hands to either ask a question or answer one for fear they will give the wrong answer and feel ridiculed or dumb. This fear needs to be addressed when they are young. If not, they may develop public speaking phobias as they become older. A parent of a child who is either shy or fearful about speaking-up should take action to encourage the child to be more assertive, in order to make their later years easier.

Kids who do not have a dread of speaking in public are much more likely to attain superior marks in class. When they are not scared to ask questions, they'll be more knowledgeable and will avoid making errors and wasting time. If kids don't have a dread of addressing a crowd, then they also are going to be more proficient at giving presentations and taking part more during classroom discussions, in addition to overall class tasks.

A child that has no terror of public speaking also tends to be more willing to become involved in social pursuits. There are lots of supplementary activities that kids can participate in, and the majority of these will require collaboration or working with others in some form. Kids who have self-confidence when talking to groups of people will usually perform better in teams and will be able to step up to a leadership position more effortlessly than those who are shy.

Research has shown that a fear of public speaking can lead to unhappiness and stress, especially in the days leading up to making a presentation. This kind of anxiety can lead to many sleepless nights, distractions and mood changes. Children who are comfortable standing up in front of others and sharing their thoughts will sleep better at night and have a happier time in school and in their lives.

Success in school generally leads to success in a career and to a happy and fulfilling life. The fear of public speaking can affect a child so that they are very anxious and fearful of people, places and things later in life. A parent's job is to raise well-adjusted children who will someday be responsible for their own happiness and well being. Working with the child either through counseling, a public speaking class, or finding a talent that they have that involves groups are ways in which a child can begin to trust themselves when speaking. This will lead them towards a much more fulfilling life.

If you are in a career that requires you to speak in front of others, it's essential that you learn to improve public speaking skills. Find out effective strategies for accomplishing this at our Public Speaking Skills site.

20Mar/100

How To Build Great Rapport Through Top Communication Skills

This article will show you how to gain almost instant rapport with whoever you meet whether in person or through writing using highly effective communication skills. In recent years, much has been learned about the way the human brain processes information. The memories we have, the way we perceive experiences, are controlled by our visual, auditory and kinesthetic abilities.

Everything in our minds is there primarily due to what we see, hear and feel. Remember these three modalities, they are VERY important when developing effective communication skills. Again, they are:

VISUAL | AUDITORY | KINESTHETIC

Which Mode?

These three modes combine in any learning or communication process. We use all of them to a degree.

However, research indicates that with the majority of us, one of those modes is more dominant than others.

Do you like to learn by watching, looking at diagrams or training videos? Probably you are more visually oriented.

Do you prefer to be told through the spoken word? Or are you the kind that likes to get his hands on the subject and starting doing, learning through a process of experimentation? Then you are probably more of an auditory or kinesthetic.

If this is true of us, it is true of the other person.

What if you knew which kind of mode is dominant in the person you are talking or writing to?

Could that help build rapport or in some way make for effective communication skills? ABSOLUTELY!

Companies have spent thousands of dollars educating their salesmen to utilize this knowledge. The results? Dramatic!

How To Use Modalities

How can you apply this very valuable insight? By taking special note of the words and phrases your prospect uses.

People often use expressions that indicate which modality they are thinking in at that moment. For example, "I see what you mean", "I hear you", "I've got a feeling about this". When you hear these expressions, sit up, take note. They are sign posts pointing to that person's modality.

So you have the sign posts, what do you do now? You respond in the same manner. Start using expressions in that person's dominant modality. Why should this work?

Because words convey ideas to the other person's mind. You start communicating on the other person's wavelength. Just like two modems making an internet connection, your two brains start 'hand shaking'. The effect is amazing.

Skeptical? That's understandable. Just start, try it and you won't be any longer.

Effective communication skills demonstrated through this true life experience

A successful financial advisor read up on this subject and started employing the methods.

One day he walked into the office of a manager interested in a savings plan. The financial advisor noticed many artistic pictures on the manager's office walls. He commented on them and gave an honest compliment.

The manager used expressions like "let me show you", "you must see this". The financial advisor immediately picked up on this and realized the manager was a visual.

When the time came for him to make his presentation, he started off by saying, "Let me first give you the big picture" and with that he pulled out a diagram.

The manager immediately leaned over and started closely scrutinizing the savings plan. From there on it went like a dream.

The rapport was established early on. The manager began to think "I like this man, I can do business with him." A very good plan was devised which suited the manager's needs well and both parties were happy - the manager with his plan, the financial advisor with his commission. A win win ending.

Don't underestimate the power of communicating in the other person's preferred mode.

Now, how can you apply these effective communication skills in your business?

Do you write ad copy or sales letters? Do you do face to face selling or telephone selling?

Sprinkle your words with phrases from each mode and see how the prospect responds. If they respond with similar expressions, you have identified their mode.

Identifying Modalities

Here is a list of words and phrases to help you identify a dominant modality:

VISUAL

crystal clear / focused / flash / hazy / sight for sore eyes / up front / it appears to me / get a bird's eye view / it looks like / in the mind's eye / you get the picture / it's clear cut / take a dim view / tunnel vision / the naked eye

AUDITORY

rings a bell / all ears / certain overtones / harmonize / make myself heard / tuned in / that's unheard of / to tell the truth / in a manner of speaking / gave him an earful / listen up / tongue-tied / described in detail / sounds like / just say it

KINESTHETIC

I'm conscious of / you can sense / she perceived / lay your cards on the table / come to grips with it / that's a pain in the neck / pull some strings / hang in there / touch base with / it boils down to / start from scratch / that was under handed / hold on / you need to experience it / in a moment of panic

These lists are just to get you started. There are an abundance of signals out there in the way people express themselves.

You just need to "read the signs", "hear the bell ring" and "grasp the meaning" behind the words your prospect is using, either in written or spoken form.

A Final Word

Rapport is almost priceless. Agreements, contracts, big business deals are often concluded between people because they sense a bonding between them. Develop and practice these effective communication skills and your life and business will take on new vitality!

You will be amazed with the Public Speaking Workshop intensive program. Click here: Develop Your Presentation Skills Combine that with the art of setting goals and your progress will explode: Goal Setting Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

12Mar/100

Public Speaking: You Can Do It

Public speaking is a task that most of us will need to perform at some point in our life, whether it is before work colleagues in business or perhaps friends at a wedding. If the thought of speaking to a large group makes you come over all queasy you may be interested in reading the following tips for staying brave during group speaking.

1, Prepare.
Make sure that you know your topic, understand the aims and objectives of the speech and be clear of the message that you want to deliver from the start. Be precise with the content of your speech and your message will be clear and a reasonable length, keeping your audience engaged. if you are bored of your speech the likelihood is that your audience will also be bored.

2. Practice makes perfect
Make sure that you run through your speech with a group of friends before the real thing as this will make you more familiar with the layout and improve your self confidence and flow of speech. Time yourself, do you need to add or extract parts of the speech to ensure that you keep to your time allocation.

3. The Star of the Show
Believing in your self is key to confident public speaking, remember that your audience have chosen to come and listen to you, they are interested in what you have to say, so be engaging, informative and witty. You're likely to enjoy your spot light when you're off and running!

4. Working the room
It can help to arrive early to meet and greet your audience, this way you will become familiar with your audience and the room will feel warmer, the audience will also feel more connected with yourself. It is also good to use this time to prepare, is your microphone working?

5. The Main Attraction
Time for the main event, relax! Keep in control , speak slowly and clearly and relax your breathing! When you get going your likely to enjoy yourself, engage with the audience make eye contact, introduce yourself, open with a story about the commute perhaps, make the audience laugh - break the ice! Then begin.

Hopefully these tips will be of use to your public speaking, remember don't feel like you are on your own in group speaking, you are part of the whole room, you have a key part, enjoy yourself, entertain your audience and look forward to the applause and pat on the back when all of your hard work has been put to good use.

Planning a speech or conference? Mere Country Club is an excellent Cheshire conference venue. Head to the site to see their Manchester meeting rooms and the packages on offer.

2Mar/100

What Causes The Fear Of Speaking In Public?

At times people have such a fear of speaking in public that they'd say that they'd rather die than get up in front of a group of people and give a speech or even a short talk. Public speaking phobias are well known and it is easy to find information on the internet to work through these fears. Most of us will have to give a talk or speech at some point so learning why we have these fears is the first step towards recovery.

In studies, genetics plays a major role in this fear of speaking publicly. A shy parent will pass on a gene that creates shyness in their off-spring. Communication skills play a major role in helping a shy person to learn to express themselves. If they can begin with a small group of friends and learn to talk in a social situation, then they can take these learned skills to the job or to other areas of their lives where it is necessary to speak in public. Depending upon how severe the shyness is, it only becomes a problem if it isn't dealt with at a young age and the individual continues to be fearful of speaking publicly or making a presentation.

Through this information, an individual will become more aware of why they are shy and thus use tools to reduce or even eliminate the fear of speaking in public. Knowing how an individual developed this fear is very important and while a person can do this on their own, it is helpful to work with a counselor. Learning to let go of old negative tapes in your head from your childhood, or just writing down times when you did feel comfortable speaking to strangers are both helpful tools.

Even a person that is shy as a result of heredity can overcome their shyness and anxieties. Jotting down what you are fearful of if you are called upon to give a presentation or speech may be useful, and it can open you up to discovering that the majority of fears are of the unknown and the majority of our fears simply won't happen. However, you will need time, patience and learning public speaking techniques to be at ease when talking to a crowd.

There are those who actually suffer from panic and anxiety attacks as a result of their fear of speaking in a public situation. This terror of giving a speech can lead some people to isolation and avoidance even if their jobs demand that they talk in front of others. Like all fear-based conditions, the root cause needs to be examined first in order to find tools which will help to rise above this dread.

Going on a job interview actually requires some basic public speaking skills. If you'd like to learn some effective interview speaking tips, or just want to improve your speaking skills in general, drop by our site on Public Speaking Skills.

1Feb/100

Teleprompter Rentals – Speaking Made Easy And Read With Confidence

Teleprompters are a common machine used by many companies and groups at seminars and meetings. This is a machine that scrolls words on a display and makes them easily seen so they can be read. Teleprompter rentals make it very easy for companies and groups to get ahold of these machines.

A teleprompter works on the same idea as cue cards. As words are written on cue cards and the cards changed, a teleprompter takes the words and scrolls them through so the speaker can read them.

Teleprompters make great tools for speakers because they allow the speaker to have what they want to say right in front of them. They do not have to worry about sorting through note cards or shuffling through papers. There is no losing your place since the words are right there.

Large groups and companies have meetings many times throughout a year. A teleprompter can be rented for events like these. Renting them makes it easy to get them where you need to be and for a minimal fee.

Rental prices for a teleprompter will vary by region, by company and by how long they are being used for. These devices are large and take up some space and are not recommended for the basic user.

The most famous teleprompter user out there is the President of the United States. Every time an important speech is given, he is using his teleprompter. A lot of press has been given to this teleprompter.

A teleprompter is a great machine to use for any speaking event. You will be able to see all the words you would like to say and with having them there, you will not have to deal with any distractions and can just talk. Teleprompter rentals make these machines available for anyone who wants to use them.

Learn just how you can rent your own Teleprompter. Many methods are online that you can find autocue rentals. Head online today and find out more.