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Dealing in foreign currency might often be a difficult type of business - the rates regularly swing, and so, if you do not enjoy the ability to access to the most current data and accomplished knowledge you might well end up forfeiting a significant amount of money. Foreign Currency Direct are unmatched when you are working with currency exchange rates - in business since 2000 the firm has gone from strength to strength.

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An excellent remake, starring Al Pacino, of Scarface, the Shame of the Nation (1932). This story structure has 53 stages and is best understood by watching the film simultaneously. Using story structure templates like these helps the screenwriter to quickly expand an idea into a step outline and treatment and then rapidly reach a words-on-paper first draft from there.

Incredibly moralistic but executed in a thoroughly enjoyable and realistic way. A great way to plot the story of a hero’s turn to the dark side and then attempt to return from it. Main archetypes include the (anti) Hero, Achilles Heel, Demon King, Dark Mentor, Loyal Ally, Threshold Guardian cum Shape Shifter, Mother and Goddess.

Stage 1: The intro explains the context of the story - visuals and narrative summarising the expulsion of Cuban criminals by Fidel from Cuba. This is in contrast to, for instance Star Wars, where the context is only given in narrative in the famous roll on.

Stage 2: We powerfully meet Tony Montana as immigration officials are interrogating him. We learn a little of his character and back-story.

Stage 3: We meet Manny, his Loyal Ally who is one symbol of the (anti) hero’s strength. Their relationship, relative status and dynamic is introduced.

Stage 4: We meet them in their Ordinary World - prisoners, refugees, in jail, surrounded by criminals and low life. They fit perfectly into this world and are itching to get out of it.

Stage 5: Manny acts as the Herald and brings the Call to Adventure - they are able to escape their Ordinary World on condition that they pass a trial (killing the communist Rebenga).

Stage 8: Omar acts as a Threshold Guardian and attempts to divert the hero from the Ordeal, but he will not be diverted. Omar sets a condition: to pass the test of the First Threshold and sends them into the Belly of the Whale of the First Threshold (retrieve the cocaine from the Colombians).

Stage 14: This is a complex and seminal stage of the story. Hero et al are tempted by the Goddess (Pfeiffer) into the World of the Ordeal, symbolised by the Babylon Club. Here the rewards of embarking on the Ordeal are apparent. The Hero acts like a bull in a china shop - symbolising his ineptitude in this world, at this moment. The relationship between the Hero and Dark Mentor is expanded upon. The Goddess (the Sword) is the prize to be gained once he has undergone the Ordeal. There is much more to this stage.

Stage 21: The Hero meets the Demon King (Sosa) in his lair and they agree to journey together. A Threshold Guardian (Omar) is removed.

Stage 29: The Final Downfall is set up with Gina and Manny romancing in the car.

Stage 34: The Rewards of having successfully undergone the Ordeal are displayed. The Goddess symbolises the reward - the Hero has earned her.

Stage 40: The Goddess (Hero’s strength) leaves him. Hero et al do not have the “appetite for the adventure” any longer.

There is much more complexity to the stages above. The complete 53 stage story structure of Al Pacino Scarface and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at http://www.managing-creativity.com

I will lift up mine eyes to the hills -from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Ps 121:1-2

What a wonderful statement of Christian faith! It gives me profound hope to know that during times of confusion and despair, all we need to do is raise our weary eyes to the hills and He will be there to comfort us with outstretched arms.

His outstretched arms. I can’t help but think about the point of Christ’s Passion. Mel Gibson’s movie had raised much controversy throughout the world. I had heard mixed reviews and comments regarding the information presented in the film. It had been called anti-Semitic and violent. Historical scholars analyzed the film to pieces and tried, as academia always does, to deny everything Jesus did in his all-too-brief lifetime. What point is all this leading to? Sometimes as mere human beings we get so caught up in little details of something that we fail to see the big picture. It’s all too easy to do.

The blood that was shed on Calvary was indeed shed for each and every one of us. We must look deep into Christ’s eyes and feel, through His pain, the tremendous love He showed us with his outstretched arms. To focus on the beauty of the Passion, the reason why it occurred in the first place, is to understand the point of it. For someone to go through what Christ did and still have the strength to love us, the passion to die for our sins, is pretty remarkable. The depth of His love for us knows no bounds, and I think His Passion is proof of that. What a tremendous gift for a fallen humanity to receive.

As Christians, we need to challenge each other to keep our minds free of the little details that clutter our minds. Only when we do this are we able to give back to the Lord what He so freely gave us to us. The next time you lift up your eyes to the hill, to Calvary, ponder the mystery of his outstretched arms and remember what He gave to you - His undying love. By opening our minds to the point, we, as a church, can open our ministry to the possibilities this point brings.

*Dear gracious Father in heaven, we thank you for giving your son to us. Help us to open up to the wonderful possibilities new ministries can bring to our church. In your name we pray, Amen.

About the Author

About the Author
Kathy Simcox, Columbus, Ohio, United States
hrdude28@hotmail.com

Kathy works as an Administrative Assistant in the College of the Arts at The Ohio State University. She holds a BA in Psychology and is currently working on a second BA in Religious Studies. In addition to writing, her passions include hiking, biking, kayaking, photography, and singing in her Lutheran church choir. She is also known to read an occasional book.

There really is a foolproof recipe for true inner peace. It really
is simple if you are one who is determined to use it the way
it is directed. It doesn’t cost money, you don’t have to have
an insurance plan in order to get it. On the contrary, if you
persue this foolproof plan for peace, you will attain the
ulitimate insurance plan for life.

God who is the Creator of everything, has this plan laid out
for all who are willing to receive it. He guarantees it’s
success in bringing peace into your life. But, there are some
requirements that are expected of you in order to activate it.
God is not a God that makes our lives more complicated.
We are the only ones who are to blame for that. God has
lined out a very simple peace plan, in fact it’s so simple, you
could say it’s as simple as your A,B,C’s!

Face it, if you don’t have peace within your soul, you are
living a life of torment. The odds of that happening are
practically 10 to 1. I would say that if you have no trials in
your life, you aren’t living. You would be an exception if your
life was just cruising at a constant pace. But, God knows
this is not the norm for His children and so for all those who
want His perfect peace, He laid down this perfect recipe.
God loves us with an undying love, and He wants us to have
His peace in order to serve Him better while we are still
aliens in this world. So, here it is, very simple, very basic
and is guaranteed to work for all who use it the way He
intended.

A is for ABIDE
Abide means to live, dwell in something. It’s home and
home is where the heart is. Jesus said, “IF…you keep My
commandments (if you continue to obey My instructions),
you WILL abide in My love and live on it, just as I have
obeyed My Father’s commandments and live on His love.”
(Jn.15:10). Jesus represents love and peace, and He
instructs us to abide in Him in order that we can obtain
these things from Him. The apostle John says, “But as for
you, the anointing (the sacred appointment, the unction)
which you received from Him ABIDES (permanently) in you;
(so) then you have no need that anyone should instruct you.
But just as His anointing teaches you concerning everything
and is true and is no falsehood, so you must ABIDE in (live
in, never depart from) Him, (being rooted in Him, knit to
Him), just as (His anointing) has taught you to do.”(1
Jn.2:27). John even goes on to say that to ABIDE in Him is to
live by truth. Living by truth brings peace, there is no more
condemnation. John also writes (vs.28) that to ABIDE in
Him is to have and enjoy perfect confidence (boldness,
assurance) and we will not shrink and be ashamed from
Him at His coming. Again he tells us in (1 Jn. 3:6) that
anyone who ABIDES in Him can NOT deliberately,
knowingly, or habitually commit sin. Sin is what keeps us
from knowing the perfect peace that God has for us in the
first place. So when you ABIDE in Christ, you will be at
peace from sin! This is to have the nature of God, which is
perfect peace. Simple so far?

B is for BELIEVE
Once we can abide, we will also have the belief in Christ.
This to credit or to expect with confidence. After all,
BELIEVING is the main theme behind God’s Word. Many
miracles were performed for those who believed. Jesus
Himself said, “All things are possible to him who
BELIEVES.” (Mk. 9:23) Jesus said “ALL” things, not just a
few things would be possible. ALL encompasses just
that…EVERYTHING that there is. What does it leave out?
Nothing! Again God made this promise, “that to as many as
received and welcomed Him, He gave aurthority (power,
privilege, right) to become children of God, that is, to those
who BELIEVE in (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on) His
name.” (Jn. 1:12). I don’t know about you, but this brings a
great peace to my soul just knowing that I am a child of
God’s, the God of Peace! If this hasn’t gotten your attention
yet, then how about this. By believing in His name, you will
never perish, but will have everlasting life! God says we will
live forever with Him in His kingdom, (Jn. 3:15). This is truly
a main ingredient for peace, to know that we will never die,
that our lives will live on in another realm with God Almighty.
The Bible is full of these promises from God to those who
are willing to BELIEVE in His Son for attaining eternal peace
and everlasging life.

C is for CHRIST
This is the last ingredient. Actually the first and the last. He
is the Alpha and Omega. He is the Rock, the Savior, The
Comforter and Friend. These names alone should bring you
great peace. Christ alone is the reason we can ABIDE and
BELIEVE in the first place. He is the reason for our salvation,
which spells out peace to perfection. Christ in His own
words tells us that even the person who offers us a cup to
drink because we bear the name and belong to Him will be
rewarded. (Mk. 9:41) Here’s the best assurance of all. Paul
said “Therefore, (there is) now no condemnation (no
judging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus,
who live (and) walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but
after the dictates of the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:1). Just knowing that
Christ will not bring us condemnation of judgement. This
should be adding a great peace to you right now. Christ is
the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24) We
are Christ’s just as Christ is God’s (1 Cor.3:23). In fact, the
Bible says that we are INgrafted in Christ (which is receiving
from Him) and we are now “new creatures” altogether. (2
Cor. 5:17) This is a fresh and new way which has come.
The things that hold us back from peace is hanging onto
our old things; such as contempt, sin, pride, stubborness
of unforgiveness. All the things that won’t leave us alone to
ABIDE and BELIEVE in CHRIST. But when we can do these
things, He washes us clean as snow. You have to admit
that there is something magical and pure about a first
snowfall. We describe it as pristine, pure and clean. We
reflect that pristine innocence and beauty when Christ is
done cleaning up our act.

To sum this all up is as Paul stated; “May Christ through
your faith (actually) dwell (settle down, abide, make His
home permanent) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in
love and founded securely on love.” (Eph. 3:17)

When we ABIDE, BELIEVE in CHRIST, making Him our
permanent residency, (remember; home is where the heart
is) we will be rooted and sercurely grounded in His Peace!
Perfect love, truth, peace is having freedom from sin and
death. It’s having God’s power and wisdom which spells
relief for PEACE.

Now we know our A,B,C’s!!!

Christ invites all to come to Him for eternal life and peace in
this life. If you don’t know Him today, ask Him to come into
your heart and confess your sins to Him. He loves you so
much that He died for them. When you exchange those sins
for His peace, you will know that He is worthy to be praised.
He will be your everlasting JOY, PEACE, COMFORT,
TRUTH, and LOVE in a world where sin is running rampant.
He is all you need. Just ask, listen and receive, it’s there for
the taking!

In order to know PEACE, you must first know God.

Vivian Gordon writes inspirational and spiritual articles
in which to help strengthen the Believer’s walk in Christ.
They are often taken from today’s point of view and
used in conjunction with what God says about certain
situations and how we are to handle them. There is
always an answer for every problem. These articles are
not all about asking God “why?” but in finding the
answers.

When you are just about to start to play cricket it’s not always straightforward to know what you need to get. If you go into a sports equipment high street retail shop and ask them what you require, you will most likely finish up coming out with a large amount of equipment that you don’t need. Hence, it’s better to understand what you may require ahead of you going shopping. That way you are considerably more likely to obtain what you want, as opposed to what the store manager recommends you require.

Below, is essentially a comprehensive cricket equipment list, you do not require to get all the kit on this list, as numerous clubs will provide you kit especially at junior level:

Cricket whites, cricket bats, balls, helmets, gloves, batting (wicket keeping) inner gloves, wicket keeping gloves, batting pads, wicket keeping pads, box, chest pad, arm guard, inner thigh pad, cricket boots (bowling boots; batting boots), box (groin guard), stumps and bails.

For the majority of cricket games you will ever partake in you will require to have your own set of whites. Cricket whites include white cricket trousers and a cricket shirt. It is therefore important that you find a correct set of cricket trousers as well as a good white cricket shirt & jumper as it can turn cold if you are standing out on the field for a long time especially if you are playing in England (the start and end of the cricket season are the coldest).

If you can not rent equipment from your club the other most important items of equipment are a cricket bat and box. A descent cricket bat is essential if you hope to score plenty of runs and is a very personal piece of cricket equipment, therefore spend some time selecting your bat, if possible you would be recommended to go to a sports shop and pick one up before you buy so you know how it feels to hit with. When you know what you want you can often get bats on the Web noticeably cheaper). You need a good box to defend your groin from the ball, as getting hit down below’ is tremendously painful, so investing in a good box before you start is a must - you can not play cricket without one. Find great offers on cricket bats at Sportswear-Equipment.com.

Related topics of interest include: Formula 1 Merchandise & Toys Online.

In the realm of having to do battle with demonic spirits from time to time - I believe there are 4 basic levels in which a Christian may have to face. Having the specific knowledge on what each one of these levels are all about can really help with planning and carrying out the appropriate battle strategy in which to defeat them should demons ever move in for an attack on either you or any of your close loved ones.

Every time that Jesus told His apostles to go out and walk with His anointing to save the lost and heal the sick - He always had the command in there to also cast out demonic spirit where and when needed.

So if Jesus was constantly casting out demons, always telling the apostles to cast out demons - then it should only be logical that the church should continue to cast out demons.

It has been estimated by many Bible scholars that approximately 25% of the miracles Jesus had performed were Him casting demons out of people. Satan and his demons are not confined to the Bottomless Pit at this time. This event will not happen until Jesus returns back to us in His second coming. Until that event happens, Satan and his demons are still free to roam in the “air” seeking who they are going to try and devour next.

As Christians, we always have to remember that the devil and his demons are already defeated animals. Jesus has already defeated Satan at the cross when He was crucified.

What is now left is that all Christians have to realize that the victory is already ours. We thus have to learn how to engage and defeat the devil and his demons when they do try to move into a person or a situation - and sometimes this means a real live deliverance - because demons can and do attach themselves to people when they do move in for an attack. And once they do, the only way to be able to drive them out is by the power of God!

Here are the 4 different ways and avenues that demons can move in for an attack on someone - whether the person be a Christian or a nonbeliever. There are rules to the war games that are going on behind the scenes between God and the devil for all of our souls. To be forewarned is to be properly armed.

1. The first level is when demons move in for an attack with no real legal right to be able to do so. This is exactly what happened to Jesus when He was out in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. Satan had no legal right to be coming after Him, but he did anyway and Jesus drove him away by quoting the Word back to him.

2. The second level is when demons do have a legal right to be coming after you. And one of the ways that you give demons the legal right to be able to attack you is by crossing over and entering into some of the heavier sins and transgressions expressly forbidden by our Lord from His Word.

3. The third level is when demons attack as a result of what someone has may have done to you. Sometimes victims of crimes such as rape and assault, or receiving severe abuse from a parent or spouse can cause demons to try and move in to attach to the victim - trying to feed off the negative emotions of hate, anger, unforgiveness and wanting to get revenge on the attacker or abuser.

4. The fourth level is when demons will try and attach to someone as a result of a generational curse line coming from a severe sinning, dysfunctional parent or parents. For instance, an alcoholic father can end up producing children who end up becoming alcoholic themselves. Demons will attempt to jump and transfer from the father onto some of the children trying to get them to commit the same type of sin their parent had been committing.

As Christians, we have to have knowledge of our enemies and how they will try and attack us. Many Christians are getting defeated or taken home too early from this life as a result of not having some basic 101 knowledge in spiritual warfare.

Article written by Michael Bradley of Bible Knowledge Ministies. You can learn more from his Bible teaching website with over 150 free bible articles.

Article written by Michael Bradley of Bible Knowledge
Ministies. You can learn more from his href="http://www.bible-knowledge.com" target="" rel="nofollow">Bible teaching
website with over 150 free bible articles.

There’s so much public domain content available all over the internet, with Master Resale Rights available and sites springing up left and right with Private Label articles you can use to create your own products, but what do you need to bear in mind, what is the best way to use all this content and what can you create with it?

What to Look Out For:

Copyright - you absolutely must check on this - violating someone’s copyright is not clever and can be a really expensive mistake not to mention seriously damaging your reputation. Is it really public domain? All those lawyers fees can really mount up when checking into all this but believe me, you really don’t want to end up in court over it.

Public Domain Content - If you have the money to have a lawyer look at copyright for you then fine, go ahead and get started. Where can you find this type of content? It can be difficult to find content that is free to use but here are a few links to get you started:

http://www.gutenberg.org/ http://www.wikimedia.org/ http://www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html

Master Resale Rights - If you can’t afford expensive lawyers what else can you do? One rather less pricey way is to buy Master Resale Rights to a product - this gives you the opportunity to name yourself as the author, use the content in another product, rewrite the whole thing - the possibilities are endless. Just be aware with this that you will need to look at the terms and conditions of what you are allowed to do with the product before you buy.

On a budget? - not to worry, there are still many ways you can find great content without spending a fortune or worrying about whether you can legally use it. Sites such as http://www.infogoround.com and http://www.thelostfiles.com provide guaranteed public domain or private label content for a monthly fee. You could also sign up to some of the well known internet marketer’s newsletters. Why? Well if you’re serious about internet marketing you should be checking out all the latest happenings anyway, but a lot of newsletter owners will have free ebooks, giveaways and articles to download - some of which you will be able to use as your own.

So you’ve got your content ready to go and you’ve checked your rights and permissions but there is one more thing to think about - sites such as http://www.copyscape.com can check for duplicate content on the internet and of course so can the search engines. This could mean anything from the search engines deciding they won’t rate your site as highly because the exact same content is available elsewhere to some smarty pants asking you if you really did write that incredibly good article because they’ve seen someone else claiming that they wrote it too, so you do need to be aware of this when looking to use content you haven’t personally created, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go ahead and make the most of all that wonderful information.

What Can You Do?

You could just read the information to learn from it yourself; you could read it to get ideas for businesses, more articles, content, the list is limited only by your imagination.

How about:

Ebooks Print Books Presentations Membership Sites Face to face courses Mini courses Teleclass content Webcast content Podcast content Blog content Content for your Autoresponder Ezine content Articles for your site to build AdSense income pages Viral Reports Tips Lists

When it comes to using all the content you have gathered, you need to look through it all and decide what you want to produce. If you plan to use content from more than one source, such as 2 or 3 articles by different authors to be combined into a report, you will need to go through and change the content into a similar style, check that it is all written in the same tense, make sure the formatting is the same throughout, check for spelling and grammar (for example - spelling for some words is different in the US than the UK) and look through all the articles to see if any of the points made are duplicated.

Once you’ve done this, make a list of points you want to make in your report, read the articles through again and start combining them together to fit what you want to say - cut and paste to copy sections into the right place.

Next, look at the way your draft reads now and see if it fits your style of writing, your personality and your business. Reword it to fit with this - there’s no point in producing a very formally written, stiff sounding report for a hobby site.

At this point you could just tweak it, proof read it, and then go ahead and publish it but to take it a step further and make it really unique, why not look at how you might rewrite it so that all of the content is yours - now you’ve got the basic idea down and laid out, it shouldn’t take you long to reword things, add in some of your own ideas and keywords that fit your site, and maybe a few quotes and suddenly you’re looking at something that no-one else has got, that the search engines will love and that no-one can claim you copied.

Time to start creating!

NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the “About The Author” resource box. Thanks!

Why Submit To Web Directories

Many people are paying alot of money to submit their urls to web directories mainly because of 3 reasons: a) To get permanent 1 way link. b) To get a good Google PR page linking to your site. c) To get traffic / leads from directories.

Coincidently, the first 2 factors are part of the mathematics that determine how well your site will rank in Google Search Engine. Because of that, the “Web Directory Industry” exploded and you see tonnes of new web directories appearing eveyday. Even Yahoo and Microsoft have their own web directories.

The Problem

When everyone starts doing that, the World Wide Web becomes a place full of directories and links with no real content. So, our big brother Google decided to flex its muscle by treating directory websites as “Link Farms” and banned them. If you stumble across any old directory websites with PR of 0, you know that these websites are the victims of Google slaughter. The implication is that your one way link in their website will not help your google ranking at all. Many webmasters who depended on their directory site for income cursed and sweared.

The contradicting part is that Google actually uses data from dmoz.org which is another web directory! I do not believe that Google can ban all the web directories around but I think they can come up with valid excuses to ban any sites they do not like. This is like being able to sentence someone to death with any reasons that you can come up with…scary?

Are Web Directories Dead

Many people do not think so. I do think that Google will eventually make Web Directories useless in providing one way links and PR unless these directories can show that they are different. Google has already changed their ranking algorithm such that PR becomes devalued. One way links have to pass through strict filter to really make any impact. So, to rely on factor a) and b) to boost Google ranking is no longer valid (See on top). If you want to rely on directories to get hits would be even harder. Statistics show that directories do not provide leads many other webmasters. Unless you are doing some sort of advertisements in the directory site, it is unlikely that anyone will notice your url especially when you are with hundreds of urls.

MSN and Yahoo Search Engines

Unlike Google, most of the traditional SEO linking and directory submission tactics still works for MSN and Yahoo search engines (You will notice that your msn ranking will climb up much faster than your google ranking). However I believe that in the near future, MSN and Yahoo will try achieve Google-like ranking algorithm. It is possible that they might choose not to follow google.

Invest in Web Directories or Not?

Submitting urls to good web directories is a quick way to get strong 1 way links and can help your site be spidered quickly. Dmoz especially, can make significant impact to your google ranking. I am not really concern about other directories but to be included in famous directory like business.com or botw.org gives my site recognition and prestige. In short, I would not want to spend too much time and money in submitting to web directories.

What Directories To Submit

1) If you decide to submit to directories, you will definitely want to start with dmoz.org. I would recommend you to just go for a deep category with very few sites but with an editor available. You do not need to worry about the page rank of the category because the chances of you getting into a high Page Rank category is slim and not worth waiting. Just submit and heck care. Personally, I do not believe that DMOZ will survive for long because it is maintained by volunteers and that the data could be subjected to manipulation. To me, the main reason why it is still surviving is because Google is using their data.

2) The next directory to submit is MSN small business directory. If you want value for money, this is the one. Though the categories are cluttered, you can get your urls into a few categories. They also give you a personal page where you can promote your company.

3) The next one you want to try is botw. The submission fee is $40 per site but because they have been around for quite a while, it is unlikely that google will kill them. Many directories with high PR might have their PR dropped to 0 overnight and you would be heart broken if you submitted your site to their directories. I wrote an article on how to submit to BOTW: http://www.sitecritic.net/articleDetail.php?id=76

4) You may submit to other web directories if you want but generally, I would not recommend spending more that $200 for web directory submissions. If you think you are rich, pay $300 and go for Yahoo Directory.

Conclusion

There will still be future for web directories but directories that do not provide extra services other than just listing URLs will die off slowly. Web directory submission is not the best way to get your ranking up in Google and will not provide you with impressive leads. However, submitting your site to a few famous directories will built up your reputation and web presence.

Business communications researchers have studied the phenomenon of stage fright experienced by would-be public speakers. Let me summarize most of the findings in very down-to-earth terms: Most people would rather die than stand up before an audience and deliver a speech.

To suggest that these individuals are as “nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs” may be something of an understatement in describing these public speaking “scaredy cats.” The symptoms are similar to food poisoning: a queasy feeling in the pit of one’s stomach, shakes and jitters, and a sincere desire to roll up into a fetal position.

As a public speaker and one who has provided instruction to others to help them develop their own skills, I have found that certain approaches work. Other approaches “look good in theory,” but are not as helpful. One of the oft-repeated suggestions for overcoming stage fright includes the classic advice, “imagine everyone else is naked.” However, it is rare that everyone else is naked, upon the speaker’s arrival to the podium and as he or she surveys the audience. In fact, I have spoken extensively, and I have yet to spot even one naked audience memberI do think I would have noticed.

Another typical suggestion is to arrive early, meet attendees, and establish personal contacts with audience members. In keeping with this, speakers are to “find a friendly face” in the audience, and imagine “you are merely having a conversation” with that one person. That’s not a bad idea, except that it would not alleviate the problem that arises with a large audience sprinkled with several unfriendly faces, or one that includes even one hostile heckler.

Now we’re getting into the root of the problemthe one thing that most public speaking scaredy cats are deathly afraid ofthe fear of ridicule, rejection, and public embarrassment. We were kids before we arrived in this predicament of being asked or told to deliver a presentation (usually by a boss or a teacher, the first time around). We know that some people can be real “meanies,” and maybe a few readers even have something to feel guilty about. Perhaps this article will serve a dual purpose, and encourage audience members to become kinder, more attentive, more supportive, too. Maybe more people will quit whispering (sometimes not so quietly) and turn off their cell phones. Smiling would be nice, for both fellow audience members and from the point-of-view of speakers. (If not, don’t worry would-be speakers, I will give you tips to roar like a lion and put those meanies in their rightful placeprofessionally, and politely.)

Let’s review a few more of the standard suggestions. There is some value in knowing that you should relax. You should try to relax. However, individuals who have those occasional sleepless nights have been told that they should go to sleep. Swimmers should avoid sharks and avoid sinking. This advice, while true, is about as helpful to would-be speakers as an anchor is to one of those swimmers (of course he or she could possibly fend off a shark by striking it with the anchor, while on the way down to the bottom of the ocean). Practice breathing, stretch, exercise, think positive thoughts, learn from other speakers, rehearsedon’t get me wrongthese are not bad ideas at all, but they are not enough.

What really works? Training. You can attend a workshop and receive formal training, or you can train yourself. Why haven’t most people been trained before? A detailed explanation would require a treatise on the education system and a discussion of how to improve upon typical results (critics complain that graduates at any level lack strong oral and written communication skills).

Let’s summarize by reviewing three problems that often exist: 1) New speakers are often forced to address topics that are unfamiliar to them. 2) Speakers are put under undue pressure, prior to developing basic skills. In academic settings there are egg timers and grade point reductions. In professional settings there are hopes for promotion and fears of demotion, pegged to the performance. 3) Athletes practice five hours a day; students may not accumulate that same amount of podium or stage experience during the course of earning an entire degree, unless speech becomes a personal pursuit.

Let’s turn this around, for the sake of your academic progress, career potential, and (or) self esteem. First, you need coaching, training, and practice. You need role models. You need to make “speaking,” as an activity, a pursuit that you engage in with at least the same amount of vigor as a hobby that you enjoy.

Here are some of the elements of a good training regimen: Practice speaking several times per week. Have you seen those exercise equipment infomercials that say, “in just twenty minutes a day, three times a week, you can have the kind of body you’ve always wanted”? Well, that sounds about right, except that what you need is a podium and an audience. You can join a speaking group such as Toastmasters (as a member of a chapter near you). You can offer to read announcements in a business, religious, or school setting. You can introduce yourself, often, in organized networking meetings. You can introduce yourself to other groups. You can introduce other speakers to groups (that might be a great way to get coachingassisting an established speaker as an intern).

The nice thing about following the above training regimen advice, is that you can start small, and take care of the challenge of developing basic skills in bite-sized increments. There is one catch, which has to do with the fact that you’ll have homework. You must read other people’s speeches, and practice writing your own. One source for studying the heavy hitters is to visit your local library and look for access to a “Vital Speeches of the Day” database. You may also want to do what I just did on a popular search engine. I ran the term “speech writing” and came up with over three million hits. Now, as we all know, some of those hits will lead to services that require commercial payment. Later, that may be appropriate for some resources.

If you develop basic skills and progress to a level of mastery, you can actually get paid for speeches. How much do speakers make? According to the National Speakers Association, an average professional speaker’s fee is around $3,500, plus expenses such as travel, accommodations, and program materials. Newly established speakers charge less, often an honorarium is given in the range of a few hundred dollars. On the other hand, nationally recognized “celebrity speakers” often charge fees ranging from $5,000 to $100,000. Now that’s what I would call a built-in incentive program for you, if being promoted or passing an academic course with flying colors is not enough.

If you’ve been following my article writing progress, you have probably deduced that the other critical component of public speaking success is to know your subject. This is not just knowledge at an intellectual level, however. It’s also the kind of knowledge that you embrace with all your heart.

A passion for your subject gives you a sense of commitment and self-assuredness. Deep down, people feel your spirit, and that is what resonates with any speech and with any audience. In marketing it is said that one should “sell the sizzle, not the steak.” In performing as a public speaker, it’s the inspiring delivery of desirable information that sways an audience.

Finally, let’s talk about rejection, the “thing” that you fearthe imaginary monster that is keeping you awake at night. The monster that makes hands tremble, voices crack, and podiums shake as though they were in the shadow of a giant carnivore; a ferocious “speaker eater,” that will devour you and anything you have to say like a tasty snack. This one critical insight will help you slay that monster: People want you to make them feel good. They want you to help them with insights that they do not have. Audiences want an “experience, not words.” They want you to succeed. For self-serving reasons, audience members do not want you to fail, because then they would feel disappointed, and would be no better off than they were prior to giving you their time. It’s only logical. Audiences want to accept you, and they want you to accept them as they are, and make their lives better by the time you leave.

No critic or heckler is a match for an expertit’s not even a fair fight (but it does create an outcome that’s in your favor, if you develop your own area of expertise). The heckler, kind of a critic on steroids, is someone who yearns for attention. Knowing this, we can give that individual all of the attention that he or she deserves, in a calm and completely confident manner.

Our weapons are factual, credible sources, which carry far more weight than any heckler’s opinion; you are merely a humble messenger whose basis for speaking is facts in evidence. Ironically, the combination of credible information delivered with conviction, a bit of humility, and a sense of humor will transform your audience. Audience members will see you differently. They will respect you, and in time, adore you. You, too, will change and metamorphose from a scaredy cat to a majestic lion. You will be known as a speaker whose message, and whose passion and delivery, roars.

Dr. Robert Lahm is the founder of several businesses and Web sites, an entrepreneurship professor, a public speaker, and a writer. His typical topics include creativity and innovation, careers, start-ups, and small business marketing. Webmasters and other article publishers are hereby granted article reproduction permission as long as this article in its entirety, author’s information, and any links remain intact.

Copyright 2005 by Dr. Robert J. Lahm, WebPreneurship.com.

The mysteries of the “Golden Age” featured amateur detectives who became embroiled in solving crimes accidentally, meaning they just happened to be ‘on the spot’ at the time the crime occurred.

In modern mystery novels, however, there seems to be a trend towards making the protagonist/amateur detective become involved with the mystery through his or her profession or hobby. One of my favorites of this type is Vicky Bliss, an assistant curator of the Munich National Museum in the series penned by Elizabeth Peters. Vicky’s adventures revolve around missing antiquities or stolen art.

Recently, I began reading The Blue Rose: An English Garden Mystery by Anthony Eglin. In this novel, two amateur gardeners experience crime and mayhem when they discover blue roses growing in the garden of the home they’d just purchased.

I believe, very strongly, that one should study the current market of one’s chosen genre to learn what is being published because, naturally, those are the novels that are being purchased. And it seems to me these types of novels are in much more demand than the usual “house party” mystery novels, in which the motives are purely personal.

Luckily for us, any type of profession or hobby can be used as the plot for a mystery. Below are a few suggestions.

1) A stockbroker uncovers an insider trading plot.

2) An English professor learns of a missing “Tale” written by Chaucer.

3) A fashion designer stumbles upon a gang of knock-off artists, when it’s revealed her Gucci bag is a fake.

4) A homemaker finds out unscrupulous people will do anything to obtain her great-grandmother’s recipes.

5) An amateur genealogist discovers an infamous branch on a family tree that someone will go to great lengths to conceal.

I appreciate these types of novels, rather than ones starring professional detectives, because they help me to imagine that ordinary people, like myself, can still achieve a little mystery and adventure in their lives.