The best salespeople in the world know if they try to sell the features of their product or service, they will not be in sales very long.

To remain in the sales profession, they must sell people on the transformation they will experience with the product or service. People are more interested in this transformation than product/service features.

Have you ever thought about the transformation you experience as a speaker? It is your prime motivation to keep speaking, believe it or not.

Below are three transformations you will experience by speaking often:

Increase Your Self-Confidence

I’ve been a member of Toastmasters for over thirty years. So why am I still a member of this organization? Because I know that speaking regularly through Toastmasters is, in considerable measure, responsible for my confidence in my speaking ability and other areas of my life.

You make many daily minor and major decisions in your life – what route to take to work, what flavor latte you buy, and whether to get that graduate degree.

The confidence you have in yourself is an accurate measure of your success. The more confidence you have in yourself, the more success you will experience. It’s as simple as that.

You have dreams for your life – big dreams. The greater your confidence, the greater the fulfillment of those dreams.

Regular speaking gives you confidence that “spills over” into other parts of your life.

Another transformation regularly speaking gives you is higher esteem in the eyes of your community.

Raises the Community’s Esteem of You

Before you even utter your first word in your presentation, you have credibility with your audience. Audience members would not attend if they did not think you were credible. This credibility directly affects the esteem your audience and community have for you.

There are a few keys to fostering the high esteem of your community.

• Select a niche subject on which to speak. People are looking for experts, not generalists. Speaking on different aspects of the same niche subject makes you memorable. For instance, I speak, write, and coach on public speaking. People know me as a speaking coach. If people are confused about how you can help them, they will not ask you for help.

• Always be honest in your speaking. Assume there will always be someone in the audience that will catch you in a lie. However, we are not perfect. Therefore, admit it and move on when you are caught in an unintentional mistake.

• If an audience member brings up a fact you don’t know, say so and ask to see them during the break or after your presentation so you can learn from them. Speakers do learn from their

As a speaker, your gratification comes from your audience and your community. Give them what they desire and need, and you will always be welcomed to speak again.

So two transformations you will experience during your speaking career are greater self-confidence and high esteem from your community.

Another transformation you will experience during your speaking career is helping yourself by helping others.

Helps Yourself by Helping Others

Our society is full of people who are not satisfied with their lives. They need help, but they don’t know how to find it. Sometimes the support people need is within themselves. One of the best ways to discover this internal help is to help others.

Isn’t that what you are doing as a speaker, helping others? The best speakers know who their audiences are. They know their wants, needs, and aspirations. As a speaker, you must satisfy these wants, needs, and aspirations. So how do you do this?

First, talk to the event planner about the audience’s wants, needs, and aspirations.

Second, if you know what your audience reads on your subject, read the same material. This will give you a sense of their knowledge level of your presentation subject. This is important because you don’t want to talk down to your audience about things they already know.

Third, ask questions of your audience during your presentation. Their answers will give you vital clues on your subject so you can adjust your presentation “on the fly.”

Maybe the bottom line for your speaking is you are making the world a better place by enriching others who will, in turn, enrich still others.

So three transformations you will experience during your speaking career are greater self-confidence, high esteem from your community, and helping yourself by helping others.

Remember, you are selling yourself as a speaker on the transformation you will experience through your speaking.

This transformation will make you a better person and speaker and help you realize your dreams!

Call to Action

• Take note of the increase in self-confidence you will experience through your speaking

• Speak often and realize the higher esteem by your community

• Always seek to help your audience through speaking – it is the fastest way to help yourself.

Frank DiBartolomeo is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and award-winning speaker, presentation and interview skills coach, and Professional Member of the National Speakers Association. He was awarded Toastmasters International’s highest individual award, Distinguished Toastmaster because of his outstanding work in public speaking and leadership.

Frank formed DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC (www.speakleadandsucceed.com) in 2007. The mission of DCI is to help technical professionals to inspire, motivate, and influence their colleagues and other technical professionals by improving their presentation skills, communication, and personal presence. Reach Frank at frank@speakleadandsucceed.com and (703) 509-4424.

Don’t miss Frank DiBartolomeo’s latest book!

“Speak Well and Prosper: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Better Presentations”

Available now at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com