You may not be a professional speaker, but there's no reason not to act like one.

If you want to get speaking engagements to promote your business, for example, you are more likely to be invited if you have a professional presence. Just because you're not a pro, it doesn't mean potential organizers are going to let you get away with bad practices, and you will not be invited back -- if you are even invited in the first place.

I have a presentation tonight, and I've got a head cold!

Somehow I've been very lucky all these years. I can remember being sick enough to need cold meds during a presentation only once. Just recently I gave a presentation on two hours of sleep, first thing in the morning, and I guarantee no one could tell I was impaired.

How many times have you sat in the audience during the Q&A portion of a presentation (either live or on the Web or phone), and felt frustrated by one audience member dominating the questions? Perhaps this person has several questions that go on and on, or perhaps she doesn't have a question at all and tells long stories.

Here's another illuminating post I'd like to share with you, by Heather Stubbs at the Tips on Talking blog.

The concept is simple: Your skill level has nothing to do with your worth as a person. So simple, yet so hard to embrace!

Here's an excerpt: