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Sometimes we get so caught up in the idea of public speaking – be it from nervousness or excitement – that we often do not have a clear idea about those to whom we will be addressing. In truth, you cannot even begin to create your presentation until you know about your audience. And, the best way to gain that information is to ask.

Someone is going to email you, phone you, or send you an actual letter with an invitation to speak to their group or at their conference. Your job is to then ask questions. Speak directly to the individual inviting you. If the person inviting you is calling you on behalf of someone else, ask the questions anyway. Make a list of the questions for which you need answers; refer to them throughout your conversation; and, if the individual inviting you does not know the answer, make sure he or she gets back to you.

If a company is hiring you to speak to their employees, find out the level of the employees. Will it be just the managers and/or the top level administrative staff or will it be a particular department within the company?

If you are speaking at a convention, find out who is invited to attend. Is it a real estate convention in which your audience will consist of realtors who have paid hundreds of dollars for a Vegas weekend or is it a flower show in which your audience will pay at the door to browse the displays?

Should you be invited to speak to a local club or organization which meets monthly, for example, ask the same questions. The more information you can gain about your audience, the better prepared you will be.

After you have gotten your answers, go to their website and do more research. Whether it is a convention, a business, or a local club, read all the literature you can about that organization or company especially press material. You may find something in your research that could be very advantageous to know before addressing that group.

Even if you are speaking to a local chapter of a club, search the internet for any press coverage they may have had recently. Businesses and clubs will be impressed if you are familiar with their firm or organization. Being on top of current events makes you more knowledgeable and thus increases your level of credibility.

No matter how much money you are being paid, or whether you are doing it for free, no matter where and when your presentation, no matter if it is 10 minutes in length or 40, no matter what your topic, no matter why you are speaking, the most important question you must answer is: to whom are you speaking?

When you are in conducting a credit card debt negotiation, its important to know that you are negotiating for a position of strength. The Credit card companies don’t want you to default. They make their money by receiving consistent payments from you. Payments that can go on for years and years.

You are the one in control. You have something that they want to get from you, your payment. If your polite, professional and firm, you will get what you want.

This is a serious situation. They do have the ability to instigate legal action. This is unlikely on smaller balances, but is always a possibility. I have seen balances as high as 15,000 dollars end up being charged off without legal action. I have also seen balances as low as $500 go to court after just a few calls. But even court action is a fairly slow process, and you have time to react and negotiate the debt before the court date.

First, you need to make sure that you communicate by mail. Don’t give the collector a “no way out” situation by telling them to never contact you again. You have them backed them into a corner where they have little recourse but legal action. Credit card debt negotiation involves a level of compromise.

Instead, tell them they can contact you only by mail. And that they can never contact you at work. You will need to draft a letter to this effect and send it to them by registered mail, return receipt. In fact, all future communication with the collector will be by registered mail. And you always want to make sure you have a file of the delivery receipts and a copy of the letter available so that they can’t dispute that it was mailed, and that they received it.

The problem with phone calls is that when you are involved in credit card debt negotiation, you need to have verification. If it wasn’t written, it wasn’t done because you have no way to prove it if you end up in court.

Begin your credit card debt negotiation at 20-25% of the original debt amount. The collection agency may have added on fees and charges that you should not include in the settlement amount. These fees just amount to the collection agency trying to make more money, and have nothing to do with the debt to be settled.

Since on the “secondary market” debt is traded at literally a few cents on the dollar, the collection agency is making plenty of money, even if they end up settling at 30 or 40% of the original debt.

Don’t sound to eager to settle. Be calm and collected. Don’t get angry, don’t show hesitation. One thing I really want to add is NEVER let them know that you have some specific reason for settling the debt. Many people make an effort to settle before applying for a home loan for instance. This information is none of the collectors business. If they find out that the reason you want to settle is so that you can buy a house, you will never get a settlement.

So, in review.

1. Never talk to a collector on the phone. Always use registered mail with a return delivery receipt.

2. Start your negotiation at 20 – 25% of the original loan amount.

3. Don’t include the collection agencies add on fees as a part of your credit card debt negotiation.

4. Be calm, educate yourself to the process so that you can speak from a position of knowledge.

Just be patient. And make a good deal. Soon, this will all be behind you. Your credit card debt negotiation means you can get on with your life.

How many conferences and events have you been to where you have been preached at by someone in a pinstripe suit, drowning you with countless volumes of PowerPoint slides? Most people that stand up at a conference are brilliant at what they do – they are truly experts in their field and have more knowledge than they could be possibly share with you the audience in half a lifetime, let alone their current allocated time slot. Many (not all) of these speakers haven’t got a clue about engaging and connecting with you and as a result they are totally forgettable. When asked afterwards who you remember, the chances are the most you’ll remember will be the fact that they all wore pinstripes.

When I started speaking publicly I was what I call a competent corporate presenter – meaning I had a strong voice, spoke with authority and got my message across in an effective and professional’ manner. I use the word ‘professional’ here in an ironic way, as I believed that I was presenting professionally because I looked and sounded the part – I wore the corporate mask of professionalism. I had a serious tone to my voice, had plenty of facts to pass on and had a grown up expression on my face.

Therein lies the issue – the Corporate Mask – this is where professional people stand on stage and present as they have been conditioned to do so, having seen colleagues and peers get ‘through it’ by using “Pinstripes @ PowerPoint”.

By contrast the memorable presenters and speakers are having fun, they are enjoying themselves and are carrying the audience with them. Hiding behind vast reams of data, facts and statistics does not connect with the audience – however telling stories that relate to the important messages, reinforce the message and potentially inject some levity into the room will make most speeches and speakers memorable.

You can use Google to get some top tips for using PowerPoint – my strong advice is to avoid using PowerPoint at all. If there are any acts and figures then use a hand out afterwards to remind everyone of the key points mentioned. Nearly all presenters and speakers that use PowerPoint are guided by the slides, thereby making their speeches stilted and lacking in flow – without it they become more natural and expert in their delivery.

Also, why is it that when someone delivers wearing the “corporate mask” you rarely see them smile? Is it because smiling doesn’t look professional and serious? Yet without a smile on stage the presenters look grumpy and angry, as though they do not want to be there. Try using some simple anchoring techniques and positive associations in the mind to make you smile more. There are many tricks you can play on yourself whilst presenting that are not visible to the audience but will make you feel relaxed and smile – I’ll let your imagination go wild now as these triggers need to be personal and have a positive effect on you.

Pinstripes & PowerPoint with a grumpy looking face will turn off the audience before you have even opened your mouth. Start with a smile, warm up before you go out, have loads of energy and speak from the heart not from the head, this will make you truly memorable for all the right reasons.