In doing this, you can ask questions such as:

"So what are some of the reasons you first started looking for a home business?"

* "What type of things would you like to achieve with a home business?"
* "What would you do with extra income?"

As you go through these questions, listen and look for tidbits of information that you can use to help them along. These tidbits are your little nuggets of gold, so keep your listening ears on.

I like to think of this process as a funnel, with the mouth of the funnel being general information and we work down to the small opening, to the specifics (yes, the nuggets of gold).

Using this funnel method, I work to find out what this individual NEEDS and what this individual WANTS (this will vary grea ... Read more »

1) Go to Google and Yahoo, and search for ... Read more »

Public speaking is the number one skill that's guaranteed to position you head and shoulders above the competition, yet it's frequently overlooked, according to female speaker, Patricia Fripp.

My own take on having the ability to give presentations is that it's probably the single most powerful thing you can learn to do that gives you the ammunition to say "If I can do that, I can do anything".

If you've ever marvelled at the abilities of a great presenter, the clever use of words to draw pictures, the confidence and charisma that exudes from the platform and the awe in which they are held, you'll agree with the above stat ... Read more »

You see, mostly when we talk to ourselves we keep it as an internal dialogue that nobody else can hear. But whenever we open our mouths and actually make a noise in front of another person we're speaking in public - hence "public speaking". So why do so many people find it so scary?

I think it's the eyes. All those sets of eyes fixed on you..... BORING into you. It's unsettling. So would it be any easier if your audience was ignoring you and all looking the other way? What if they all dozed off so it WAS as if you were talking to yourself? (Have you ever been a Rotary after-dinner speaker?)

... Read more »

Symptoms

Performance anxiety is quite a common phenomenon. More or less everyone has undergone performance anxiety in his or her lifetime. The common symptoms one faces during performance anxiety is usually damp hands, a feeling of fear in the pit of stomach, cramps, sweating, and nausea are just a few of them. As a result of anxiety one tends to become more nervous and jittery since anxiety leads to fear.

Hesitant to perform upon being called is a chief symptom of performance an ... Read more »

If somebody told me, "Go out there and ruin your voice for the rest of your life", I could do it in less than 1 year. Here is what I would do:

1. Nicotine: Crowded bars are notorious for their toxic air. Not only will singing in this toxic environment ruin your voice, talking can be just as damaging. Thankfully most clubs are aware of the dangers and are actually becoming smoke-free. Quitting smoking was VERY hard to do. I wasn't ready to quit until I was ready and even then it took a couple of years.

When you're ready let me know, I'll be happy to tell you what worked for me. But that would be a whole other article.

2. Alcohol: I don't drink. I know that is just as hard to hear as a musician who does not do drugs. But I saw it as an occupational haz ... Read more »

Your boss comes up and asks," Would you give the farewell speech to Joe in 10 minutes time?"

"I can't'" you splutter, "my vocal chords are paralyzed."

That doesn't work so now you wait for the floor to open up and swallow you.

That doesn't happen either.

Public Speaking creates a great deal of anxiety in most people and arises when they face the prospect of giving a speech, particularly for the first time.

The truth is that public speaking is always a mixture of terror ... Read more »