You spill ketchup on your dress pants on the way to the event. You come down with a bad cold right before you have to speak. The church can't use your USB drive with your Powerpoint, and now you're stuck. Every speaker needs an emergency kit--things that you take with you so that if trouble comes, you're still able to climb up on that stage and Continue Reading
How to Practice Before Giving a Talk
You're going to be standing at that podium for 45 minutes, looking into the faces of all those people who have paid to come out to this event and hear you speak. You have to fill that time. You have to sound professional. And most of all, you want to be effective for God. But how do you practice so that the talk goes well? Yesterday we were Continue Reading
How to Prepare Well Before You Give a Talk
I asked recently on the Facebook Page: Speaking well is a combination of giftings, preparation, and practice. Which one is hardest for you to feel confident about? And the overwhelming response was preparation! So I thought it was time I wrote a post on how to prepare to speak. What's the difference between preparation and practice, though? Continue Reading
How I Came to Peace with Giving the Same Talk Over and Over Again
It starts with the loathing. I'll be in the car, driving to a speaking engagement, and the negative thoughts will start. Why are you doing this? You don't have anything important to say. It's all been said before! You don't have anything new! You have no right to speak to these women. Then I'll arrive at the venue, talk to the chipper women Continue Reading
What Should a Speaker’s Boundaries Be?
I was once asked to speak at a retreat which was 8 months away. Between the date that I was asked and that particular retreat I had four other retreats and numerous one-time events. I was also writing a weekly column, homeschooling my kids, and volunteering at my own local church. The way that I handled my speaking engagements was I tried, as Continue Reading
Use Your Words: Finding the Work/Life Balance
Well, somehow I got through another Use Your Words show with a throat that is absolutely killing me! So if I sounded funny, forgive me. But today's show was inspired by an email I received from Lisa, who said, "how do you find the time for everything? How do you balance your work and your family? How do you figure out how to find time to Continue Reading