Use Your Words: What Should I Charge for Speaking?

photo © 2008 Tyler | more info (via: Wylio) What are the going Christian speaker fees? What do Christian speakers charge? And how in the world do I ask for it? That’s the most common question I get from people–how do I figure out what to charge for speaking? What do other people charge? And [...]

Answering Your Questions

Yesterday on my Use Your Words BlogTalkRadio show I answered a bunch of questions that you all had put up on the wall of our Facebook group! Do listen in and get answers to questions like: How do I decide what to speak on? Do I need more than one talk? How do I branch [...]

Accepting Where You are in Your Ministry

This morning, for my mom blog, I wrote a post about accepting where you are, and not berating yourself for not reaching goals. I thought it was a message we speakers needed to hear, too. Many years ago, when I was in my early twenties, I made some career goals for myself. One in particular I [...]

When You Feel Like an Impostor

I smiled, hugged, and waved at the women who organized the women’s day as I opened the trunk to deposit my props and books inside. Clicking the unlock button, I climbed in the driver’s side, and turned the car keys as I rolled the window down. One more wave, I thought, as the smile was [...]

Planning a Speaking Tour

Recently I wrote a post on how to handle gaps in your schedule. We all have them, because speaking is an insecure existence. You will find you are busy at times and very light at times, and that’s just the way the flow goes. I told you that I’m to the point that I accept [...]

Incorporating Humor into Your Talk

“She laughed. She cried. She came home changed.” That’s what we’re aiming for. We want people to come home changed, and that usually means that we need to appeal to different emotions in your talk. I’ve talked before about the different elements that go into a talk, and the ways in which we can plan [...]

What If I Don’t Want to Tell My Story?

I’ve been talking a lot on this blog about the importance of telling your story. But what if your story is painful, and you really don’t want to go into all that? In 2006, my book How Big Is Your Umbrella was published. In that book, I talk about the things that we yell at [...]

Launch Your Speaking Ministry Teleseminar!

This Thursday, at 9:00 p.m. EST, I’m doing a one hour teleseminar that will help you launch your speaking ministry! You’ll learn: * The Key Difference Between Speaking and Teaching * How to Develop a Life Changing Talk * How to Tell Your Story! * How to Generate Bookings * How to Create Promotional Materials [...]

Creating Rapport with the Audience

Because speaking is different from teaching, and because our aim is to inspire transformation in some aspect of people’s lives, we have to connect with the audience. If we don’t connect, they won’t feel the need to change in the same way. That’s why I always begin every talk I give with an anecdote, usually [...]