Five Reasons to Send Thank You Letters to Employers After the Interview

Five Reasons to Send Thank You Letters to Employers After the Interview
Thank you letters are an excellent self-marketing tool and
a critical component of your job search strategy. The time
spent crafting a targeted thank you letter after an
interview will be well spent and can contribute to a more
credible and efficient search. Below are five reasons to
incorporate thank you letters into your search strategy.

A thank you letter creates an opportunity to reconnect with
employers.

Chances are you are one of many candidates being
interviewed for an open position. Writing a follow up
letter allows you to build a relationship with the
interviewer and develop rapport. By expressing your
gratitude for the interview and recapping the highlights of
the meeting, you revisit the reasons you believe there is
an appropriate fit between you and the organization.

Following up keeps your candidacy top of mind.

Often candidates make the mistake of putting too much
control in the interviewer's hands. They believe that if
they are the best candidate, the interviewer will remember
them and keep them in the loop regarding the selection
process. But this is often not the case. It's critical that
candidates remind prospective employers of their interest
in a position and the thank you letter is the perfect
vehicle for communicating this.

Written correspondence allows you to sell your strengths
again.

While part of the reason for the thank you letter is to
express gratitude for the meeting, the document serves a
much more strategic purpose. It provides an opportunity for
the candidate to repackage their skills and accomplishments
into another format and market their value added to the
employer.

The document enables you to address points you neglected to
discuss during the interview.

Many candidates report that after they leave the interview
they think of all the other things they could have said
during the meeting. Rather than labeling this a liability,
turn it into an asset by discussing these points in the
thank you letter and remind the reader of your ability to
produce similar results for their organization.

A letter helps develop rapport and increases employer's
comfort level with your candidacy.

A good strategy is to recap a part of the conversation
where you and the interviewer shared similar views on a
job-related topic. The thank you letter can also be a forum
for demonstrating your consultative problem solving skills.
By addressing current issues the employer is facing and
proposing solutions, you are contributing to the company's
success even before you are on board.

Thank you letters continue to be an important component of
a successful job search campaign. But the focus has shifted
from a simple courtesy and show of appreciation to a
targeted self-marketing tool. By creating letters that
validate your candidacy, build rapport, and remind the
reader of your value added, you can significantly influence
potential employers and increase your chances for
subsequent interviews.

----------------------------------------------------
Barbara Safani, owner of Career Solvers
(http://www.careersolvers.com ) has over twelve years of
experience in career management, recruiting, executive
coaching, and organizational development. Ms. Safani
partners with both Fortune 100 companies and individuals to
deliver targeted programs focusing on resume development,
job search strategies, networking, interviewing, and salary
negotiation skills.

The Presence Of Business On MySpace

The Presence Of Business On MySpace
MySpace is now truly a household word. On its face that
would seem to be a good thing, but a closer inspection may
reveal something different. There's a tendency among the
public, sometimes, to tune out or even become resentful
towards highly popular brands, whether those brands be
people or products. Maybe this reflects enviousness towards
the material success people presume popularity brings, or
maybe it's just that something people see or hear about
often becomes tiresome.

In the case of MySpace, what was once mostly a virtual
gathering spot for teens has been covered from every
different angle by the mass media. As the mass media has
told the story of MySpace, naturally millions of people far
and wide have heard. This is the nature of the media, after
all. The appearance of the media in MySpace land however
may have given core MySpace users the impression that their
territory had been intruded upon, and even sold out to
mainstream interests.

The feeling of MySpace going corporate may have left a
particularly significant impression on MySpace users. At
one time, mega companies Burger King and WalMart had
MySpace profiles. Both profiles have since been abandoned
and at least in WalMart's case it appears their profile was
removed as a direct result of generating bad publicity. It
seems many MySpace users were not happy with WalMart's
presence on MySpace, and expressed as much through harsh
comments left on WalMart's MySpace profile. So the profile
is now gone.

The WalMart scenario may have been a lesson not just that
for that company, but for MySpace as well. MySpace has
apparently been surpassed in popularity by Facebook, the
networking site explicitly for students. Is this due to the
general feeling that MySpace had become overrun and
corrupted by commercial interests? It's certainly a valid
possibility. It's notable that Facebook does show
advertising, but under the Facebook format corporate
profiles are not allowed: not yet anyway. Perhaps users of
any online site have accepted seeing advertising, but not
the notion of embracing advertisers as regular members of
the community.

All of this isn't to suggest that MySpace is now somehow
irrelevant: there are still hundreds of millions of MySpace
profiles, and almost certainly millions and millions of
MySpace members. But if there is something to be taken from
the response to corporate presences on MySpace it may be
that business sites should be presented with a light touch
and without an obvious motivation to increase sales or to
generate publicity. As with any other community, becoming
an accepted part of MySpace takes time and a respectful
effort.

----------------------------------------------------
Zinn Jeremiah is a freelance author. To read more of Zinn's
writings, visit
http://www.hubonline.biz/website-content.htm . For MySpace
profile assistance, visit
http://www.hubonline.biz/juice-your-profile.htm .

More Companies Using Job Interview Phone Screening

More Companies Using Job Interview Phone Screening
Planning and preparing before you begin to send out resumes
could save you some embarrassing moments when you receive
that unexpected call.

You just never know when that phone is going to ring. Let's
say the phone rings just as you are about to sit down for
dinner, but this time it's not a pesky telemarketer -- it's
a company recruiter calling. The voice on the other end of
the phone says she is calling about a resume you sent in
six weeks ago. "What -- six weeks ago? I sent out 40
resumes in the past six weeks? Who exactly are you and what
was the job you are calling about?" You've been caught
off-guard!

The telephone "screen call" can come at any time -- day or
night. Some interviewers find evenings the best time to
catch people at home, where they will be able to talk more
candidly. That being the case, you should be on-call and
prepared to receive a telephone interview at any time.

Even though you cannot control the timing of these calls,
there are some steps that you can take to not be caught
off-guard.

1. Get organized. Set aside your materials as though you
were going to a face-to-face interview. Have a folder with
job postings or ads you have answered, along with company
information. If you have several versions of your resume,
attach the one relevant to the particular job posting. Keep
this folder in a specific place so you can get to it in
less than a minute. When the phone rings at an unexpected
moment, tell the caller to hold and then grab your folder.

2. Be prepared. This is key to any interview, but for the
telephone interview it is essential. Practice with a tape
recorder to hear the level of enthusiasm in your voice. The
key to telephone interviews is projecting an upbeat image
through the sound of your voice and the words you use.

3. Know what they are looking for. Look over the job
description to see what the company is seeking in a
candidate. If you don't have a good description, look at
other postings of similar positions to see what is being
asked for. Compare what you have to offer against what they
are looking for. Be ready to let the interviewer know what
a good match you are for the position.

4. Alert the household. Be sure everyone in your household
-- children, roommates, etc., are aware that you will be
receiving calls from recruiters and companies. The phone
should be answered in a polite, professional manner. While
you're at it, make sure your voice mail message is also
professional and upbeat.

Telephone interviews, typically conducted by a human
resources staff member or a hired recruiter, are used as
screening tools to save time and money. By asking key
questions, the interviewer determines whether or not it's
worthwhile to pursue you further as a candidate. The
screenings may consist of a few quick questions or as much
as a one-hour grilling.

Some general questions you might expect in a telephone
screening are:

1. Why are you leaving your current job?

2. What kind of salary/job are you looking for?

3. Tell me three adjectives that describe you.

4. Tell me about a time when you had to solve a problem
using creativity.

5. Do you have any questions for me?

If there is some particular skill that qualifies you for a
job, for example technical skills or languages, there may
be some qualifying questions about the "tools of the trade."

Getting through this screening is critical for advancing to
the next step: the face-to-face interview. This puts added
pressure on you to present yourself in a positive, focused
manner. If you attempt to wing this call, you may reach a
dead end in the process. By organizing and preparing you
will feel less stressed when these calls do come.

----------------------------------------------------
Carole Martin is a celebrated author, trainer, and mentor.
Carole can give you interviewing tips like no one else can.
Try her practice interview and pick up a copy of her FREE
9-part "Interview Success Tips" report by visiting Carole
on the web at http://www.interviewcoach.com

Buying Used Office Furniture: Cubicles vs Case Goods

Buying Used Office Furniture: Cubicles vs Case Goods
Buying used furniture is a smart choice for many companies.
The furniture typically sells for pennies on the dollar and
can be found in “like new’ condition. There are
many different types and looks of office furniture but the
budget usually determines the available choices.

Because offices are layed out in many different
configurations, choosing the right type of furniture is
imperative to utilizing the available space. Some
furniture can hinder high traffic areas, and some just
wastes a lot of space. There are offices that can barely
fit 10 people because of the furniture layout. If the
office only had different furniture, that was layed out
properly, it would bepossible to comfortably fit 15 people
and still have plenty of room to walk around.

Many people like the aesthetic appeal of case goods
furniture. This is your standard desks, bookshelves, and
file drawers. Case goods can look attractive but they only
do well in private offices. Case good furniture typically
offers very little privacy which is why it usually
necessary to put them in an office that has a door. A lot
of times a private office can be oversized and could
comfortably fit 2-3 employees. The problem is that the lack
of privacy makes this very unappealing to everyone involved.

A solution when buying used office furniture is to consider
cubicles. Cubicles are like a self contained office. They
can be stand alone, or connected to two or three other
cubicles. The walls vary in height and can satisfy a call
center with low walls, to an owner or manager with high
walls. A private office that used to hold one employee, can
now hold two or three employees thanks to cubicles. The
walls of the cubicle help create an artificial private
office.

A growing company can sometimes add employees without
having to get a new office space. By changing just the
furniture, it is possible to add up to 30% or more
employees. This can save valuable capital dollars for the
company wishing to expand in other directions.

The storage and efficiency of these cubicles make life very
easy and organized. They typically come with overhead and
below desk storage. The desk space is also a lot larger
than most case good desks allowing more working space and
the ability to not be cluttered. Cubicles also come with
full power electricity wired into them. This allows for
lights, computers, fax machines, copiers, and more to work
just as effectively in a private office.

For those offices with big open spaces, cubicles are a must
have to properly utilize the space effeciently. Thanks to
the varying wall heights of cubicles, it is possible to
create the perfect set-up depending on the situation. The
ergonomic height selections allow for just enough privacy
and just enough open space to not feel boxed in.

When you buy used cubes and case goods, you can save 70-80%
off of the retail price. There are many companies who offer
these good values around the country. Some companies will
even come out to your office space and make a
recommendation that will utilize the office space to the
fullest extent. Most offices or parts of them will perform
better with cubicles or case goods, but not both.

----------------------------------------------------
Buying Used Cubes is easy and much less expensive. If you
like qualtiy at lower prices, check out
http://www.buyusedcubes.com

The Dark Side of the BlackBerry

The Dark Side of the BlackBerry
With BlackBerry owners numbering in the multi-millions, and
new devices and applications coming on the market every
day, mobile messaging devices have become a essential
business tool.

Yet these devices represent a larger potential threat to
your career success than any economic slowdown, company
setback, or aggressive new competitor.

The problem is not with the technology, of course. Having
the ability to work on collaborative projects while on the
go, and access to information wherever you are, is a real
advantage.

The problem with the BlackBerry, or any messaging device,
lies in how you manage it.

The very existence of mobile messaging devices - like
pagers before them - implies that the messages they carry
demand an immediate response.

It doesn't matter what time of day it is or what else you
are doing. A text message, like an email or cell-phone
call, can make something seem urgent when it's not. It can
also distract your attention from more important things,
whether it's the project you're completing, the
conversation you're having, or even the road you're driving
on.

If you're not suffering from the symptoms of a "Blackberry
Addict" who can't seem to attend a child's school play, eat
a family dinner, or sit through a meeting without
acknowledging and responding to messages, you may think
you're OK. But think again.

While rudeness to companions and the inability to ever slow
down and relax may be cause to limit your messaging, the
major compelling reason is what messaging does to your
productivity.

A study by researchers at London's Kings College found that
workers distracted by email and phone calls suffered an IQ
drop of 10 points. While the effect was temporary, it was
more than double the IQ drop of people under the influence
of marijuana.

To many people these findings are astounding, however to
psychologists, they are no surprise.

Whenever you engage in multiple tasks, like text-messaging
while having a conversation, or driving while talking on a
cell-phone, whether you realize it or not, you decrease
your ability to perform well in either one. Switching back
and forth between activities isn't much better. It takes
time for your brain to shut down one function or thought
process and start up on another.

So what can you do to avoid the dark side?

KNOW YOUR GOALS - Decide what matters most in every area of
your life. When you know what's really important, you can
decide what to respond to right away and what to defer.
Everything isn't critical!

CHUNK YOUR ACTIVITIES - Set aside a block of time to work
on writing that report. After a brief break, review and
respond to emails. Schedule another time for phone calls,
etc. You'll increase your productivity and your efficiency
when your brain doesn't have to constantly switch tasks.

KEEP YOURSELF FOCUSED - Be proactive, not reactive. Set
clear priorities in advance. Ask yourself, "what's the most
valuable thing I can do with my time right now." Schedule
that task first, then the next most important and so on.
Focus in one thing at a time. Shut down message alerts and
direct all calls to voicemail until your next scheduled
time to check messages.

There's no denying the advantage of technological tools,
but keep in mind their dark side as well. Concentration is
the key to productive efficiency. You can't afford to let
every incoming message or call break your focus. Make sure
you stay in control.

----------------------------------------------------
Dr. Robert Karlsberg and Dr. Jane Adler are leading experts
in maximizing career and business performance, and
co-authors of How to Become a Rising Star in Your Career in
60 Days or Less. Discover the Expert Performance System
that Gets You Where You Want to Go in Your Career, Visit
http://www.StarIn60.com

10 Benefits of Submitting Articles To E-zines to Become a Wealthy Marketer

10 Benefits of Submitting Articles To E-zines to Become a Wealthy Marketer
Do want to know the number one method how the wealthy
marketers on the Internet achieved their fortunes in record
time? Here are 10 benefits how to become one of the
wealthiest marketers in online marketing.

1. Writing and submitting articles to e-zines brands
yourself and a leader, as builds a relationship of trust
with your reader. Because when you know what you’re
talking about, people obviously are going to want to work
with you because you are providing a solution to their
problem.

2. You will become an expert in the particular area of
focus you are writing about. When others know you are an
expert, you now have an advantage over your competitors who
aren’t writing and submitting articles. Thus you will
increase your wealth as you increase your marketing
knowledge to the world.

3. You obviously will receive added exposure when your
articles are officially published in reputable e-zines.
This added exposure will undoubtedly increase your traffic
to your site. This traffic is also going to be high-quality
traffic too.

4. If the publisher of reputable e-zines archives your
articles, your exposure will continue to increase for many
years and decades to come. The higher quality your article
is, the more likely your articles will be archived.

5. Articles are free advertising and you will make
consistent sales from your publications is they are truly
knowledgeable. Once you are making consistent sales with
free advertising, you will then be able to put a portion of
what you make back into paid marketing and make ever more
sales.

6. You can earn extra income on the side from those who
would like to pay you to write articles for them and help
them become wealthy marketers. You could get asked to speak
at seminars or group trainings.

7. Your articles could get published in free marketing
e-books some e-zines give to their subscribers. Your
articles could spread like a virus all over the Internet
for years to come.

8. Your articles will continue to spread across the
Internet forever. Once you submit an article to an e-zine,
you give them permission to allow other publishers to come
and re-publish your articles on countless other sites. Keep
in mind they can only re-publish your articles if they keep
your resource box intact with credentials and link back to
your site.

9. You'll build valuable relationships with people by
gaining their trust. Once someone trusts in you and your
marketing knowledge, they will surely follow you, so that
you can lead them to have the same success in becoming a
wealthy marketer.

10. You can run your own e-zine and exchange articles with
other e-zines as long as they guarantee to publish your
articles in their e-zines.

----------------------------------------------------
Go to the author's blog
http://www.wealthymarketerdirect.blogspot.com to subscribe
to the newsletter where the author reveals how he
consistently averaged more than $10,000 a month with only
two marketing methods. Or also see:
http://www.wealthymarketerdirect.com

Giving your clients a little something extra: The concept of lagniappe

Giving your clients a little something extra: The concept of lagniappe
The other day, I visited my friendly local dentist for my
six-month checkup. As I was leaving, I received not only
the traditional toothbrush, but also some floss and, wow, a
little supply of toothpicks in a carrying case. This might
not sound like much to you, but consider this: Have you
ever been driving along on your way to an important
appointment only to discover you had something stuck in a
tooth?

As I was contemplating this generosity, I ran across a
wonderful word – lagniappe. Pronounced
“lan-yap” or “lanny-yapp,” the word
means “a little something extra, a bonus.” You
could also say it’s something thrown in for good
measure. The 13th donut in a baker’s dozen is
lagniappe. If you are a fan of Wheel of Fortune or
Jeopardy, you’ll remember the phrase, “Lovely
parting gifts.” These are lagniappe (unless you
don’t have a hankering for press-on nails).

The word has Creole or Cajun origins, and the custom is
believed to originate in the Spanish quarter of New
Orleans. Certainly the spelling is French in origin. Mark
Twain ran across the word “lagniappe” while
traveling to New Orleans, and he called it “a word
worth traveling to New Orleans to get, a nice limber,
expressive, handy word” (in Travels on the
Mississippi).

In the modern world of customer service, the concept of
lagniappe is a useful one to remember. Giving your clients
or patients something extra has several benefits:

• Receiving lagniappe makes people feel special. Ask
a child what he remembers about the doctor’s office
and most likely he’ll tell you it was the sucker he
received on the way out.
• Giving lagniappe differentiates you from your
competitors.
• Giving lagniappe helps people remember your
practice and your services, like the pen you give with your
practice name on it.
• Giving lagniappe helps tie you to your customers.
When people receive something for nothing, they feel a
sense of obligation to the giver. This could make them
more likely to give back to you, possibly by referring
others or just making them feel obligated to come back. A
perfect example is the little gifts given by charities, to
get you to feel obligated to donate to them. There’s
nothing evil in this concept; it’s just human nature
to want to give back in return; it’s called
“reciprocity.”

The possibilities for lagniappe are limited only by your
imagination. Here are some possibilities, just to get your
creative thinking process started:
• When a new patient fills out paperwork, give
him/her the pen to keep. Of course, it has your name on
it, but it is still a nice thought.
• If your new patients have a lot of things to take
home with them, give them a folder or canvas bag to carry
everything in.
• Give a cookie to clients who fill out a
satisfaction survey.
• Provide a coupon for a free ice cream cone to every
patient on “patient appreciation day.”

Some tips for using lagniappe:

1. Keep it small and simple. You don’t need to spend
a lot of money to make people feel special. That pen you
give to new patients should work, but it doesn’t have
to be expensive.

2. Don’t do it all the time. If you gave out
presents every time a client came into the office, it
wouldn’t be lagniappe. People don’t value what
is expected. Only give once in a while. The exception to
this is children; they expect that lollipop every time they
come in, and you and their parents won’t have a good
day if they don’t get it.

3. Give on unexpected occasions. Avoid the traditional
holidays and celebrations and find a meaningful day on
which to give lagniappe. One doctor I know sends
Thanksgiving cards instead of Christmas or Hanukkah cards,
to express his gratitude to patients who have been with him
for a year.

4. Finally, the best lagniappe is a sincere “thank
you,” which costs nothing and gives huge payback.

----------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2007 Jean Wilson Murray, MBA, PhD.
Dr. Jean Murray has been advising small business owners
since 1974. As the founder of Planning for Practice
Success, she specializes in assisting health care
professionals with business plan construction and startup
details. She can help you gain the knowledge to act and the
confidence to begin. Learn more at

http://www.professionalpracticesuccess.com

Why You Should Post Ads On Craigslist

Why You Should Post Ads On Craigslist
Would you like to know a secret that most people have no
idea about? Well then listen closely because what I’m
about to reveal to you can skyrocket your business to a
whole new level, and guess what? It wont cost you a signal
penny. I’m talking about why you should post ads on
craigslist.

Craigslist is one of the most visited sites on the
Internet, and easily gets millions of searchs every month.
What does this mean for you? This means your ads you post
will be seen by millions and millions of people. Its
completely free to post your ads to craigslist, and its
probably one of the best things you can do for you business.

However there are a few things you should first know before
you jump into the drivers seat and start posting ads. If
you want to be successful, and get the best return for the
time you put in there are some critical things you must
first do.

1. Make sure you change your IP address every 5 – 10
ads you post.

2. Setup at least 5 – 10 different craigslist
accounts.

3. Use one craigslist account when posting this way you
wont have to verify your ad

4. Buy a domain name of Godaddy and create 90 sub domains.

5. Have all your sub domains redirect to your lead capture
page.

6. Write your ad and make sure to use a different sub
domain in each ad.

Following the above steps I’m able to draw in 20
– 30 optins to my lead capture page every day, and it
doesn’t cost me a dime. You too can start doing the
same exact thing. This will without doubt help skyrocket
your profits in your business no matter what it is you
promote.

People every day log on the Internet and search a number of
different topics on Craigslist, and if your ad is there and
informational you'll get their attention. I find that the
best places to posts ads for business opportunities are in
the job section under sales, and in the small business
section. You can also try the marketing and real estate
sections as well.

So if your not yet posting ads on craigslist think about
how it can help grow your business to a whole new level. I
suggest you start posting ads right away, as it will only
help you grow your business bigger and bigger as time goes
on.

----------------------------------------------------
Chris Rohrer has been working online for over 3 years, and
has been helping people make extra money working online. To
learn more about Chris and how he can help you visit
http://www.arbtrader.net

Why Your Knees Shake When You Speak in Public–And What You Can Do About It

Why Your Knees Shake When You Speak in Public–And What You Can Do About It
You’ve heard it before - fear of public speaking
ranks #1 among all common fears – ahead of DEATH!

Now I don’t know if it’s really true that most
people would literally rather die than speak in public. But
having conducted numerous presentation skills seminars, and
coached countless individuals on their presentation style,
I do know that many people are pretty shaken up when asked
to make a speech or a presentation.

The question I hear most in my work is, “How can I
get over my fear of public speaking?”

Well there are actually lots of things you can do to
minimize or even eliminate the jitters. But before I get to
them, let’s consider for a moment just what fear is.

It’s important for you to understand that fear
isn’t actually real.

You’re probably thinking, “It sure feels real
to me, when my palms start sweating, my mouth goes dry, my
heart starts racing and I forget my name.”

But fear is nothing but anxiety or concern over an imagined
outcome of some yet-to-occur event. The thing we fear
hasn't happened. And there's a pretty good chance it never
will. Some self-help gurus have even created an acronym to
explain this:

F.E.A.R. - False Evidence that Appears Real.

There’s a story about an old man who was chatting
with his grandson. "Grandpa, you've lived a long
time,” the younger man said. ”Would you say
that life is hard or easy?" "Life is very difficult," the
older man answered. "Over the years, I've endured
thousands of horrible experiences. And one or two of them
actually happened." Of course, while they exist only in
your head, lots of fears are reasonable. The fear of
getting hit by a bus racing towards you, for example. But
when it comes to speaking in public, you just IMAGINE that
you’ll stutter. You IMAGINE that you’ll forget
what you’re supposed to say. You IMAGINE that your
words will sound foolish or your accent will come through
or you’ll perspire too much or tongue will get thick
or, or…and all that imagining freaks you out!

In fairness, there are lots of variables when we speak. We
feel like most of these things are out of our control; so
it’s understandable that we might obsess about all
the ways disaster can strike.

So just what can you do to stop yourself from all that
destructive imagining, or at least keep your worrying down
to a manageable level?

Simple: get rid of the variables.

In other words, PREPARE.

I tell my clients this all the time: I wish I could give
you a magic bullet. “Imagine your audience in their
underwear.” “Breathe deeply and exhale hard
one-hundred times before you begin.” “Rub your
head and pat your stomach for five minutes.” But
there’s no such solution.

If you want to stop being afraid, you must take
responsibility for creating a situation in which the things
you fear won’t happen. Like I said, get rid of the
variables.

Afraid you’ll forget what you’re supposed to
say? Spend adequate time learning and understanding your
presentation. As a member of the National Speakers
Association, I had the opportunity to meet and observe some
of the best professional public speakers in the business.
Their styles varied, but they had one thing in common: they
knew their material cold. They could give their
presentations anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances.
It takes that kind of preparation to ensure a professional
result every time.

Worried your mouth will get dry? Make sure you have water
nearby and bring along some lozenges or hard candies.

Concerned that your presentation will sound unimpressive,
take the time to develop and organize your content
thoroughly. Write it out. Rewrite it. Test it on others,
people who can offer honest, valuable suggestions for
improvement.

Then practice. When you’re done, practice again. And
when you’re finished with that round, practice some
more. Practice out-loud, not just in your head. Practice
exactly the way you will present – standing (if
that’s the case), using PowerPoint or flipcharts or
whatever. I wrote earlier that there was no magic bullet.
Well the closest thing to one is practice. I’ve seen
it hundreds of times. The people who practice most are the
most at ease – and give the most polished and
professional presentations. Practice is the one thing that
can turn the deadliest public speaker into a master
presenter.

Finally, public speaking is no different from any other
skill. The more you do it, the better you get. If you are
only called upon to speak in public once a year, how can
you possibly hope to become accomplished, and thus, more
confident? Look for opportunities to present. Volunteer
(perish the thought!) to speak at the local Chamber or
community organization, your kid’s school, place of
worship, family gatherings, etc. Work your public speaking
chops, and before you know it, presenting will be second
nature.

Public speaking really isn’t rocket science. Think
about it. You stand up, open your mouth and say what you
have to say. Most of us can speak quite eloquently –
as long as it’s a casual conversation with family,
friends or co-workers. Put us in front of a roomful of
strangers or worse, business colleagues, and we freeze.

Take the time to prepare your content. Anticipate any
potential complications and plan accordingly. Practice,
practice, practice. And seek out opportunities to gain more
experience.

And before long you’ll push your imaginary
“fear of public speaking” way down to the
bottom of your list. After spiders, maybe.

A final thought... Pretend you're surrounded by one hundred
hungry tigers. What would you do? I don't know about you,
but I'd stop pretending.

----------------------------------------------------
Keith Harmeyer is EVP of Marketing and Creative Services at
C2 Creative in New York City. He is a marketing,
communication and presentation skills expert, author,
speaker and creator of The SuperSkill (sm), a proven method
for using traditional marketing techniques to achieve
personal and professional success. You can email Keith at
kaharmeyer@gmail.com, or visit his website at
http://www.thesuperskill.com .