Peter Fogel's "How to Be a More Effective Public Speaker!"

Have you ever really sat down or studied what it takes to become and effective speaker? Well, to begin, you should first determine where you are in the speaking world.

Do you want to be a professional speaker who makes this your livelihood? Are you a weekend warrior who does this part-time to make a few bucks and sell some product?

Or are you a sales person or an executive who was asked to speak at a company meeting? No matter what type of speaker you want to evolve into -- you should determine what your dedication to the craft is.

For example: When I entered the martial arts -- I had two goals in mind -- to get into shape to and to push myself to eventually become a black belt. I eventually did, becoming a second-degree black belt in Kenpo Karate.

It was THIS dedication to the art that inspired me. Hopefully, it will be the same for you in regards to public speaking.

Look - whether you are speaking for a fee or for free you should still do everything you can to be totally prepared and totally committed to your subject matter.

Doing so will enable you to deliver the most effective speech you can so you can move your audience to ACTION! Actions to help improve audience's lives, buy your products, or solve a major problem they have.

Get the Audience to See Things Your Way!

Right about now you might be thinking, "That sounds great. But how do I get an audience to respond in the way I want them to?"

Well, when you have in your mind what you want your audience to leave with after your speech (and I don’t mean gift bags), THEN you are on the path to becoming a more effective and captivating public speaker.

Why are you on the platform speaking anyway? Well, I hope your goal is to persuade your audience to- see-your-point-of-view. And to do that YOU must first have a strong-point-of-view on your subject matter and believe 100% in what you are saying.

Find Your Passion!

The way to do that is to know your true passion. For instance, I have three passions when it comes to effective public speaking. Number 1 is teaching public speaking to entrepreneurs, beginning and intermediate speakers. Number 2 is reinvention strategies and number three is speaking about copywriting and guerilla marketing techniques.

These are the subjects I am most interested in and feel comfortable sharing with my audience.

Why? Because I do all three for a living. I also wrote two books on reinvention, have been speaking for over twenty-five years, and earn a living as a copywriter.

And because I have the PASSSION, it gives me the confidence and faith to deliver this KNOWLEDGE to my audience.

But this article is NOT about me, it's about you. What is YOUR passion for your subject matter? If you don't have it -- or if you are on the fence about it -- then I assure you, you will end up being a mediocre communicator.

And guess what? Mediocre communicators aren't asked back to speak again. You don't want to cheat your audience, do you?

Of course, in the perfect world you shouldn't have to dig deep to find it. In a way, your subject matter should find you. The best part is once you have your passion, and deliver it to your TARGETED audience, they'll hang on every word you say.

And there is another golden nugget to examine in the right light. The RIGHT audience.

No matter how much passion and knowledge you have for a particular subject, if you present it to the wrong audience it will FALL on deaf ears. No matter how much you try, you cannot sell meat to vegetarians.

For instance; speaking on home based businesses to seniors in their 80's who are retired and have health problems -- is not the best use of your speaking talents!

Morphing into a Convincing Speaker

The best part about public speaking is that if done correctly over time you vastly improve. (Unlike sports where there is usually a decline in performance.)

It's true, as you get more stage time and more comfortable and improve your platform skills you will also have more confidence as a public speaker.

The best part is once you do, you will instinctively know how to be more convincing to your audience and help them get better results.

Don't get me wrong: And I'm not asking you to be a Slick Willy, "put on an act," or give them "a dog and pony show" when you take the microphone. No, I am asking you to truly share yourself with your audience… to reveal who you are truly are… because YOU are more than enough!

My friend, I want you to be excited about being on the platform and sharing your passion and knowledge with your audience. I want you to be excited about solving their problems and moving them to take positive action AFTER your presentation so their lives are transformed.

But most of all -- convince yourself that what you have to say is significant enough to share with them.

Believe in it… believe in your talents… and your audience will believe in it, too. Remember: Have passion for your subject and for sharing it with others… and then you are on the path becoming a truly effective speaker.