With endorsements from two of the largest and most influential public speaking groups -- the National Speakers Association and Toastmasters International-- this book is written by an expert speaker and consultant who has received prestigious awards from these two organizations. Public speaking is vital to anyone interested in advancing in their careers or improving the ways in which they present themselves. This book offers a realistic look at the world of public speaking, from corporate trainers and motivational stars to beginning luncheon speakers. Through it all, the author guides readers step-by-step, helping them turn their dreams into reality. Readers will find the personal stories of successful speakers, along with answers to some intriguing questions: How do you break into public speaking? What skills do you need and where can you learn them? Can you keep your regular job and still make money from speaking engagements? What does it take to make a living at public speaking? This power-packed guide is brim-full of practical information. Readers will learn which skills and personal characteristics are essential, easy ways to get started, how to practice, the requirements for becoming a certified speaker, how to make contacts, what today's audiences expect, and much more. Anyone interested in speaking for "profit or pleasure." Part of the Essence of Public Speaking Series.

A provocative history of the changing values that have given rise to our present discontents. We pursue power, pleasure, and profit. We want as much as we can get, and we deploy instrumental reasoning—cost-benefit analysis—to get it. We judge ourselves and others by how well we succeed. It is a way of life and thought that seems natural, inevitable, and inescapable. As David Wootton shows, it is anything but. In Power, Pleasure, and Profit, he traces an intellectual and cultural revolution that replaced the older systems of Aristotelian ethics and Christian morality with the iron cage of instrumental reasoning that now gives shape and purpose to our lives. Wootton guides us through four centuries of Western thought—from Machiavelli to Madison—to show how new ideas about politics, ethics, and economics stepped into a gap opened up by religious conflict and the Scientific Revolution. As ideas about godliness and Aristotelian virtue faded, theories about the rational pursuit of power, pleasure, and profit moved to the fore in the work of writers both obscure and as famous as Hobbes, Locke, and Adam Smith. The new instrumental reasoning cut through old codes of status and rank, enabling the emergence of movements for liberty and equality. But it also helped to create a world in which virtue, honor, shame, and guilt count for almost nothing, and what matters is success. Is our world better for the rise of instrumental reasoning? To answer that question, Wootton writes, we must first recognize that we live in its grip.

This book is about the business of speaking. Specifically, it's for those who are paid (or want to be!) to deliver their message. You'll find what you need to jump start a business as well as how to take an already successful speaking business to the next level. You may have the most interesting and important message in the world but it will go unheard if you don't have a platform. This book illustrates not only how to get the platform, but how to be well paid for your work. Some key takeaways include how to:-Develop a powerful positioning statement that describes you by concept and outcome-Identify target markets and discover who makes the decision to hire you-Leverage social media to find prospects and attract followers-Utilize additional revenue streams to compliment your speaking income

PREPARE TO TRANSFORM YOUR VOICE AND BE HEARD Step into Your Moxie is a soul-stirring call to action to speak up for yourself and the ideas and issues that matter most to you. Dubbed a “Moxie Maven” by President Obama’s White House Office of Public Engagement for her potent approach to women’s empowerment, Alexia Vernon has helped thousands of women (and men) slay diminishing self-talk and speak with moxie. She has created a timely, refreshingly playful guide for women to communicate with candor, clarity, compassion, and ease every time they open their mouths to speak — in their careers, communities, and homes. Step into Your Moxie is the book women want by their side as they have that daring conversation, give an important presentation, run for office, or simply tell the people closest to them to step back from the boundaries they’ve trespassed.

In defiance of the brutal military government that took power in Uruguay in the 1970s, and under which homosexuality is a dangerous transgression, five women miraculously find one another—and, together, an isolated cape that they claim as their own. Over the next thirty-five years, they travel back and forth from this secret sanctuary, sometimes together, sometimes in pairs, with lovers in tow or alone. Throughout it all, they will be tested repeatedly—by their families, lovers, society, and one another—as they fight to live authentic lives. A groundbreaking, genre-defining work, Cantoras is a breathtaking portrait of queer love, community, forgotten history, and the strength of the human spirit.

WHY versus WHY NOT? Why did God place us in a world full of pleasures if we aren’t meant to pursue them all? In an imaginative dialogue, Oscar Wilde asks Jesus Christ to respond to this question about critical lifestyle choices. Their talk vividly illustrates the arguments for both sensual pleasure-seeking and moral moderation. Playwright, dramatist, poet, critic—Wilde openly defied the mores of Victorian society. His literary repartee fueled an “if it feels good, do it” humanistic philosophy that is still prevalent in the world today. SO WHAT does JESUS SAY?

Within the pages of this book, you'll find the combined wisdom of over 600 years (more or less) of meeting planning expertise, all aimed at helping you book more business as a speaker. The four of us sat down and had a very candid conversation on fifteen different official topics (and many unofficial ones...) to help speakers of all experience levels navigate their prospecting and relationship-building with planners. Our goal is to give a rare peek inside the planner's brain (it can get scary in there, but we've got your back!). We want you to be more findable, likeable, memorable, and bookable! What speakers are saying: "WOW! OMG! This is the most powerful, realistic book I've ever read (and I've read hundreds!) that is laser-targeted to those of us in professional speaking. These four wonderful ladies are coming from the real world, nitty-gritty reality of what works and what doesn't. They make it clear what is NOT working and what IS in today's meetings industry. If you're thinking of or are already practicing professional speaking, get updated as to what works now, get the money-losing habits out of your system, and find out what is needed in today's white-hot competitive speaking world. Get this book. Learn from it. Profit from it!" - Terry Brock, MBA, CSP, CPAE, Cavett Award Winner "Frankly Speaking is like stealing the playbook on getting booked. If you want better relationships with meeting planners and more business than you can handle, then pick up a copy." - Kate Delaney, Global Speaker, Emmy-winning Journalist, and NBC Sports Radio Talk Show Host "Frankly Speaking is packed full of helpful nuggets of information professional speakers can use to navigate their work with meeting planners. It's irreverent, funny, and 100% useful. You will benefit hugely by devouring this book and heeding these secrets from 4 people who want to help you succeed!" - Phil Gerbyshak, Sales and Marketing Speaker and Trainer

Businesses are built by growing relationships with customers. Culture is created by the stories those relationships tell. Two of the most important differentiators of a business are its talent and its culture. Talent energized by a compelling culture will drive organizational success and provide innovative growth opportunities for both the business and the individual. Based on her more than thirty years at Chick-fil-A, most of which have been spent as Vice President, Corporate Talent, Dee Ann Turner shares how Chick-fil-A has built a devoted talent and fan base that spans generations. It's My Pleasure tells powerful stories and provides practical applications on how to develop extraordinary talent able to build and/or stimulate a company's culture.

The first detailed guide that shows how to build a substantial second income or enhance a consulting practice as a public speaker. Written by a nationally known consultant and seminar leader, it provides the contacts, savvy, and skills needed to market your expertise as a public speaker. Contains tips on getting started and making contacts; a complete directory of lecture bureaus and convention managers--the people who broker and book speakers on commission--with advice on how to deal with them; a step-by-step guide to marketing yourself, including promotion and publicity services; total coverage of fee structures and expenses; how to break into other income-expanding activities such as writing, holding seminars, and selling tapes; even proven tips on beating fear on the platform.