They say public speaking is #1 on the list of the greatest fears people have.  I of course make my living at speaking in front of people so I’m always amazed by this number. However, it wasn’t easy getting to that point.

Although I’ve always loved performing, getting on stage in front of people or having all the attention focused on me when I’m presenting wasn’t all that comfortable. But after being a Speech, Theatre and Broadcasting major at Emerson College, and having to deliver 17 public appearances a week through classes, I got over it.

And when I went into my first business at the age of 21 with no money for promotion, speaking was the quickest and easiest way for me to get myself known. By the time I went into professional speaking 21 years later, I had given 10,000 free speeches.

It’s how I built my first business, it allowed me to work in 50 countries and 49 states all expenses paid, and now it let’s me do 12 radio shows a month and TV appearances all over the country.  You too can become an outstanding presenter by following these tips:

• Whenever the situation allows this, position yourself at the door when your audience comes in. Shake their hand, greet them warmly and try to use their name so you remember it.
• Make sure your body language is warm and welcoming and look them directly in the eye.
• Grab them in the beginning with your opening statement. You need to hook them with an attention-getting statement that targets their “hot buttons.”
• Be professionally dressed. You’re the authority figure and you need to look the part. It doesn’t matter if the setting is informal or not, you MUST still look professional.
• Be sure to tell a story when you want to emphasize a major point. People seldom remember facts but they do remember stories. So make sure you tell one that ties to what you’re saying and tell it with enthusiasm and emotion.
• Personalize your presentation as much as you can. The more you can tie it to the people in the room, the better the connection you will make with them.
• Try to give them just 3 key things you want them to remember.  Most people can’t grasp more than 3 points and by the time you give them along with the story, they don’t need much more.
• Always “pre-frame” your presentation by following this age-old public speaking standard – tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them. This simply means let your audience know as you start what you plan to cover from a 30,000 viewpoint, then go into detail as you present your information, and then recap what you explained to them at the end of your presentation. This reinforces your main points and will make you a highly successful and in-demand speaker.
• Use a variety of voices—softer, louder, faster and slower.  You also speak at different rates of speed depending on where you are. The Northeast speaks 180 to 200 words per minute and the South prefers 140 to 160 words per minute. However, human beings can actually process 600 to 800 words a minute which is why you yourself have, in the past, found yourself finishing a speaker’s sentence before they did.  So build variety into your presentation.

One of the things I learned in studying broadcasting was to use “baby books” and play the parts of all the characters in the book.  From high female baby voices to low strong male voices, it’s a great learning process. Plus you use sound words like “thump,” “stomp,” “crush,” etc. It’s great training!

All of these things helped me get ready for my broadcasting career and I recommend you think about doing some radio and TV so that people get to know who you are. When you manage your message, you manage your money.