Sustainability Law (Take home exam) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sustainability Law (Take home exam) - Essay Example This so because their actions contravened the provisions of these Articles, which requires that no person should pollute any waters in way that would make the waters harmful, poisonous or noxious to animals health, human beings, aquatic life, wildlife, birds, fish, or vegetation; or in a way that the poison, toxins, or pollutants become detrimental to any meaningful use of the said waters. It is clear that after 6 months of BBAD and Heisenberg fracking operation, Block the gas community group was able to determine that the waters in the local streams such as the Connedagain River, which drains its waters into the Murray Darling system had been contaminated; its salinity had greatly increased as a result of chemical contamination, which appeared to be related to BBAD’s extraction of deep ground water and the chemical used for fracking. Further, these contaminants seems to exceed the inland waters standards set by the Queensland Environmental Protection Authority (Department of Employment 2010); which contravenes the provisions of Article 39 sub-section (2)(a)(i)(ii) and sub-section (b). (b) Do the Landers have any common law remedies that could assist them to stop the project and/or to obtain full compensation for the losses they have sustained? There are a number of common law remedies that the Landers could use to seek legal redress in order to stop BBAD’s project all together and obtain compensation for any losses they have incurred. First, Common law considers the environment as an ecosystem of property with entitlement, where ownership is a must (Bates 2013). Thus, whether land is publicly or publicly owned, the owner has the right to do anything he/she likes with it; that is to say, if the owner chooses not to look after the environment, then that is his own problem. However, in the case where landowners’ activities are considered to infringe on the rights of the neighbouring land; then common law takes note and considers what is happe ning to the environment and to protect the property rights of the owner. In this particular case, the activities of BBAD had infringed on the rights of the Landers; the water table in their land had dropped by close to a metre, thus affecting the drinking water that their cattle depended on. Further, the contamination of the Green Acres waters means that the Landers can no longer sell their beef at a premium price. Further, water, considered by common law as a non-static resource (Bates 2013), means that BBAD although have the property ownership right to do as they see fit with the mining site, have no such right with regards to water. Thus, the Landers can rely on this remedy and argue that BBAD exploitation degradation of the waters in Green Acres unreasonably affected the Lander’s enjoyment of their property. It should be noted however, that the common law has never regarded and does not regard harm to the environment, prima facie, as being worthy of remedy under common la w. The Landers, however, can seek compensation under the common action in nuisance, which as has already been mentioned, common law considers to be an infringement on the property rights of the land owner, although not a breach of duty. Usually, these remedies are sought through trespass or nuisance actions, which are forms of civil wrong or tort, under which there is compensation for any injury or loss, and an injunction to stop all together, such injurious and unlawful activities (Meiners & Morriss 2000). Thus, its

The role of a school leader during an era of high stakes accountability Essay Example for Free

The role of a school leader during an era of high stakes accountability Essay No doubt, the definition of the role of a school leader is has over generated debate amongst educationalist in America. This has left principals with the same questions. What is expected of them from the parents, students and their teachers? In this era of result oriented age, visionary leadership is an undisputed ingredient in the effective running of any organization especially a educational establishment like the school. This is why the governments have demonstrated interest in the development of programs, trainings and empowerment seminars for educators. The significant roles played by these set of people in the development of the nation can be left alone in their hands because they are producing the leaders of tomorrow that will develop the nation. This is why high quality and qualitative pedigree is required in handling of schools and educational organizations. The person of a school leader must understand that leadership is not about the title but the responsibility and the achievement of their objectives. The failure of any ward has been linked to the leadership and leader of the school. Parents do not ask themselves the same questions but they demand answers from their child’s school leader. This signify the enormous task attached to the position of the school leader as a failure on his /her path will lead to the poor quality of the academic results which further leads to withdrawal of wards by parents and without mincing words it will lead to the closure of the school. On the other side of it, even in business leadership error leads to the collapse of such company while effective leadership will generate improvement of the company. An example is former Ceo, of GE, Jack Welch. The world is moving fast and responsibility are been shifted the to the leaders whom they believe should not fail in discharging their responsibility for effectiveness. One of the important roles of the leader in this era of high accountability is effective communication. The ability of the principal to communicate between the important personalities will increase his/her chances of productivity as a break down of communication will lead to the collapse of the school.   The leadership style employed will hence the accountability simply because it will be a transparent administration. This will give room for broad base participation in the administration. Without this the role of creating effectiveness will be grounded as leadership is all about influence and not the post you hold. Intellectual stimulation has an important role of principal during this period as they are to encourage and work on the intellectual development of their students whose parents will be busy and have no time for them at home. Performance expectation and achieving the expectation have won the heart of parents, educators and even the government as tends to put smiles on the faces of their parents. Every average American parent has less than 5 hours for their children making their educational success in the hands of their teachers in school. No doubt the role of school leaders are constantly changing as they are also to serve in the capacity of parents, advisors and counselors to their students who may have difficulty in their studies or emotional issues that are afraid to discuss with their parent at home. In America today, life has changed and school leaders have gradually taken the important role of foster parent to their students towards productivity as they are the only person to be held responsible for whatsoever happens to organization. In conclusion, leaders are men who are always held responsible for whatsoever happens to their organizations either good or bad. This is the reason why they accountable for every single that happens within their school. Some leaders have suffered as a result of this while others have been praised. Reference: Mulford Bill. Changing roles and impact on school effectiveness. oecd.org Linda lambath.   Leadership at all schools nsdc.org webpage By Larry Lashway.   Role of the School Leader Revised July 2003. College of Education University of Oregon. Colin Powell. The art of leadership Michael Fullan. The Moral Imperative of School Leadership

Reflection Of Communication Skills Relevant To Clinical Scenario

Reflection Of Communication Skills Relevant To Clinical Scenario In 2006, a patient named Robin became pregnant. In the 5th month of pregnancy, the patient began having trouble with diarrhoea and then developed a severe infection in her upper respiratory system. Robins obstetrician immediately hospitalized her and within 24 hours, Robin had a temperature of 105 degrees and was in preterm labour. Just before Christmas, Robin was diagnosed with Acute Viral Pneumonia. After getting permission from the doctor to go home for Christmas, Robin was back at the hospital 15 days later because she was in preterm labour yet again. It was then that Robin was introduced to a gastroenterologist who diagnosed her with Crohns Disease. Robin was immediately put on medications to try to save her and her unborn childs lives. On 3rd February, Robins contractions were five minutes apart but her due date was the 17th of March. Robin came to the hospital and within one hour, I performed an ultrasound only to let her know that her unborn baby boy was no longer alive. Afte r the funeral of her son, Robin was diagnosed with Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in her inner thigh. Reflection: Interpersonal communication skills Listening is an active and basic process that involves not only taking the content of the person speaking by looking at their body language and listening to their words, but also being perceptive (Boyd, 2007, pp. 654-683). Good listening skills are shown by attending behaviour that is practiced by establishing eye contact, maintain a relaxed posture and sending appropriate messages to the patient through gestures (Timby, 2008, pp. 298-312). Attending behaviour works well in that it encourages the patient to verbalise their feelings and ideas freely (Hart, 2010, pp. 287-299). During listening, the nurse paraphrases the words of the patient in fewer words so as to make sure that the nurse understood what the patient wants. Paraphrasing is an important part of listening because it exposes and clarifies any mixed or double messages sent when the patient fails to make a direct statement (Huber, 2006, pp. 754-783). The third part of listening is clarifying. Clarifying goes beyond paraphras ing with an intention of bringing vague material into sharper focus (Kneedler Dodge, 1994, pp. 258-295). Perception checking is an effective part of ensuring accuracy of a communication because it is a method of giving and receiving feedback from the patient (White, 2004, pp. 634-683). When helping Robin, I can say that I had effective listening skills. I made a point of listening to what Robin told me and I made sure that when she was talking, I made her feel comfortable and showed that I was interested in what she was saying. Leading is a communication skill that encourages the patient to respond in an open communication so as to invite verbal expression (Chitty, 2005, pp. 512-554). The helper slightly anticipates what the patient is thinking and where those thoughts are headed. In anticipating these thoughts, the nurse leads the patient so as to stimulate the communication. Leading encourages the patient to retain primary responsibility for the direction of the communication and helps them to be active in the process (Ray Donohew, 1990, pp. 112-148). Leading also encourages the patient to explore and elaborate on their feelings. One of the tools used in leading is using open questions that can be answered by more than just a yes or a no (Giger Davidhizar, 2004, pp. 212-237). Choosing appropriate questions lead to clarification for the patient (Sully Dallas, 2005, pp. 37-82). Another tool used in leading is by being indirect when leading the patient. Indirect leading keeps the responsibility of keeping the communication going on the patient. Indirect leading allows the patient to control the direction of the communication and protect their ideas (Knapp Daly, 2002, 145-187). Direct leading on the other hand specifies a topic and the nurse uses suggestions to direct the patient. Direct leading is important in elaborating, clarifying and illustrating what the patient has been saying (Miller, 2008, pp. 284-325). In the case of a patient who has multiple problems or is vague, focussing is an important aspect that should be used in leading the communication (Marrelli Hilliard, 2004, pp. 213-263). Focussing is a way that emphasizes on a certain idea or feeling and helps the patient get in touch with their feelings (Williams Davis, 2005, pp. 27-39). I did not use leading skills when communicating with Robin and this is a skill I should in the future. I will enhance my abilities in leading skills by using open questions that will encourage the patients to share their ideas and feelings freely. Reflecting feelings, experience and content of the patient expresses that the nurse understands and wants to perceive the world as the patient does (Chase, 2004, pp. 278-317). Reflecting the patients feelings brings those feelings into clear awareness from the vague expressions that they were (Sheldon, 2009, pp 87-113). Helping the patients to own their feelings is done by identifying both the obvious and subtle feelings that are hidden behind words (Rosdahl Kowalski, 2007, pp. 1563-1612). In reflecting experience, the nurse broadly observes the patients verbalised feelings and their nonverbal feelings (French, 1983, pp. 116-145). Like paraphrasing, reflecting content involved repeating the essential ideas of the patient in fewer and fresher words (Hegner, Acello Caldwell, 2003, pp 744-763). When the patient is having difficulty in expressing an idea, reflecting content helps the nurse to clarify those ideas. During communication, reflecting helps the patient to recognise and expre ss their feelings effectively (Lipe Beasley, 2003, pp. 267-301). In communicating with Robin, I sounded monotonous and insincere when I began my reflection with saying, It seems you were very upset even after yelling for everyone to get out. In saying this I also said words that that Robin was unprepared for because they had too much depth of feeling. In future communication with patients, I should not read more interpretations into the statement than was intended, and I should use less monotonous words that sound sincere. Confronting the patients is intended to help them recognize what is going on or what the nurse infers is going on (Cherry Jacob, 2005, pp. 478-501). A patient may feel threatened and anxious at first when they are confronted. However, the patient is also grateful for the honesty albeit direct expression that shows that the nurse cares (Perry Potter, 2002, pp 1114-1163). Confronting the patient presents feedback that is difficult to hear, and as such, the nurse should poses good timing to ensure that the patient is ready for honest feedback (Fitzpatrick Wallace, 2005, pp. 341-367). Sometimes I find it hard to confront patients. In Robins case, I was finding it hard to understand and deal with her. I know that confronting the patient is one of the crucial skills that I must poses. I must recognize my feelings as the nurse and share those feelings with the patient. I must be able to involve myself in self-reflection as a form of confrontation. I believe that by practicing, training a nd observing others, I can develop my confronting skills. Using interpretation helps the patient to see their problems in new ways (Barnum Kerfoot, 1995, pp. 256-298). Unlike paraphrasing where the patients frame of reference is maintained, in interpreting, the nurse offers the patient a new frame of reference. The nurse adds his or her own meaning to the patients basic meaning (Ellis Hartley, 2004, pp. 114-146). When the nurse adds on to the basic message from the patient, and the patient understands the new idea, then communication is accelerated. Interpreting is useful in helping the patient get a broader perception their feelings (Ferrell Coyle, 2006, pp. 542-568). Interpretation is a communication skill that I used with Robin. While talking to Robin, she mentioned that she felt that the nurses around her were angels who lit her fire up in a time when she needed much encouragement. I told Robin that the way I saw it, she could join also become a nurse. Due to the Crohns disease, Robin could only live a stress-free life. However, afte r living the hospital, the first thing that Robin did was to go to Upper Valley Joint Vocational School where she applied for pre-requisite classes in the Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) program. Robin graduated in November 2009 and has been working in the nursing profession since then. The most important thing that a nurse can do for the patient is sharing simple facts (Crisp Taylor, 2008, pp. 1112-1196). Informing is a communication skill that is integrated with giving advice (Maurer Smith, 2005, pp. 360-378). Under some circumstances, where advice giving does not foster dependency and is not arrogant, giving advice can be helpful to the patient. Communication through informing gives the patient a recommended course of action that the nurse has experience with. Through giving suggestions, the patient can decide the course of action that he or she will take (McConnell, 1993, pp. 96-118). Crisis situations where the patient has to adjust to a readjustment in life are an appropriate situation for giving the patient advice. In Robins case, after she had a stillbirth, I advised her to take her time with her son, Benjamin. I encouraged Robin to spend as much time as she wanted holding the five pound fifteen ounce baby boy. As much as Robin did not want to, I took pict ures of robin and Benjamin for the memory album. I knew that that was the best albeit hardest thing robin had ever done. Summarising skills involve paying attention to what, how, why, when and the effect of what the patient said (Antai-Otong, 2007, pp. 116-128). After communicating with a patient, the nurse should try to gather all the ideas and feeling expressed in one statement (Sines, Appleby Frost, 2005, pp. 273-312). Summarising is important in that it gives the patient awareness of progress in exploring ides and feelings, problem solving and learning (Clark, 2009, pp. 45-96). In summarising, the communication ends in a natural note that clears a way for new ideas and clarifies scattered ideas (Quinn, 1989, pp. 324-364). Patients also gain confidence in that the nurse was attentive to them throughout the conversation. The nurse can use summarising as a means to check the accuracy of the ideas and feelings that were communicated by the patient. When communicating with Robin, I did not use summarising skills. In future communications, I should use the ideas from the patients to make a summary of th e statements made. Instead of making the summary myself, I could ask the patient to summarize the themes, agreements and plans made during the communication. Enablers and impediments to interpersonal communication While communicating with Robin, the physical environment did not pose as an obstacle. However, my discomfort as a nurse was an obstacle when communicating with Robin. This discomfort originated from death and dying in general terms. I dealt with this discomfort by thinking that it was not my responsibility to communicate with Robin about hospice care and prognosis. My desire to maintain positive thoughts in Robin and her parents was also an obstacle. I would put off discussions about Robins possibility of a stillbirth until I felt that Robin and her parents could handle that conversation. In the future, I will initiate communication on prognosis and hospice care without thinking it is too much trouble. I will also control fear that emerges after telling the patient bad news. The patient can also be an obstacle to effective communication when he or she is unwilling to accept prognosis or hospice care (Mauk, 2009, pp. 374-412). This unwillingness that was evident in Robins case is ascr ibed to her non-acceptance of her sons death and her diagnosis with Crohns disease. In helping with Robins acceptance, I encouraged her by letting her know that I would be there to help her and listened to her. Because this worked well, I will continue being an encouraging factor for future patients. Cultural and social issues did not act as an obstacle while I was communicating with Robin. During Christmas, Robin when home to celebrate the holiday with her family, and when she was admitted back a few days later, I gave Robin a Christmas present that facilitated communication. Conclusion and recommendation Nurses play an important role in communicating with patients because they are always in close contact. A nurse-patient relationship is improved by communication and as such, having effective communication skills is an important factor and a priority for every nurse (Daniels, 2004, pp. 1312-1325). I must develop my skills further in leading, confronting and summarising by participating in training activities. By participating in learning activities, I can develop strategies and acquire new skills as well as effectively employ those skills. Another strategy I will use is practicing key skills with actors and simulated patients because I will be able to control the nature and complexity of the task. Lastly, I must use the communication skills acquired in practice.

The Age Of Comets :: essays research papers

The article summarized below is from THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC (issue Dec.97) by William R. Newcott. It tells about how comets are important and their effect on earth and its people.Comets are leftover scrubs of material that did not make it to planethood in the events creating our solar system. They orbit in a perpetual Deepfreeze until some subtle gravitational nudge upsets the delicate balance. The Great Falls begins. First a snowball drifts towards the sun and steadily accelerates. As solar radiation heats the comets the ice within sublimates, escaping as gas from vents from the surface. Sometimes jets of sublimating ice whirl off the rotating comet nucleus like a firework pinwheel. Dust trapped in the ice breaks free. Pushed back by the pressure of the sun’s radiation, the dust streams out behind the comet in what appears as a fairytale. The comet is among the fastest thing in the solar system.The most important new results are that the comet contains carbon compounds with trace of nitrogen sodium and sulfur. These ingredients are essential for life on earth. That is why scientist believes that a comet might have crushed on earth and from that moment life began. The ion tales are believed to be a kind of wind sock for the solar wind and NASA scientists are hoping to use it to get weather reports from distant solar system.Most comets can be only seen with a telescope but every once in a while an impressive one is visible to the naked eye. People through out history gave importance to comets. For example the Romans made a coin about a comet orbiting the sun that shows how its tail points away from the sun. The Babylonians recorded a comet sighting. One of the Astic leaders gave up his land to the Spanish upon seeing a comet.Definitely we are living in the age of comets where scientists detect it through telescopes and e-mail it to the central bureau for Astronomical Telegrams in Cambridge Massachusetts USA. The Age Of Comets :: essays research papers The article summarized below is from THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC (issue Dec.97) by William R. Newcott. It tells about how comets are important and their effect on earth and its people.Comets are leftover scrubs of material that did not make it to planethood in the events creating our solar system. They orbit in a perpetual Deepfreeze until some subtle gravitational nudge upsets the delicate balance. The Great Falls begins. First a snowball drifts towards the sun and steadily accelerates. As solar radiation heats the comets the ice within sublimates, escaping as gas from vents from the surface. Sometimes jets of sublimating ice whirl off the rotating comet nucleus like a firework pinwheel. Dust trapped in the ice breaks free. Pushed back by the pressure of the sun’s radiation, the dust streams out behind the comet in what appears as a fairytale. The comet is among the fastest thing in the solar system.The most important new results are that the comet contains carbon compounds with trace of nitrogen sodium and sulfur. These ingredients are essential for life on earth. That is why scientist believes that a comet might have crushed on earth and from that moment life began. The ion tales are believed to be a kind of wind sock for the solar wind and NASA scientists are hoping to use it to get weather reports from distant solar system.Most comets can be only seen with a telescope but every once in a while an impressive one is visible to the naked eye. People through out history gave importance to comets. For example the Romans made a coin about a comet orbiting the sun that shows how its tail points away from the sun. The Babylonians recorded a comet sighting. One of the Astic leaders gave up his land to the Spanish upon seeing a comet.Definitely we are living in the age of comets where scientists detect it through telescopes and e-mail it to the central bureau for Astronomical Telegrams in Cambridge Massachusetts USA.

Impact of Patient Confidentiality on Carers of People Who Have a Mental Disorder Essay

Patients disclose important information to their attending physician or health care professionals because of this patient-physician confidentiality. This information should not be divulged as much as possible so that the patients would continue trusting their attending physician. With this confidentiality, carers are hindered to get the needed information about their patients. The article, â€Å"Impact of Patient Confidentiality on Carers on People Who Have a Mental Disorder,† authored by Dianne Wynaden and Angelica Orb, is about the effect of absolute confidentiality of patients’ pertinent health information. With the help of 27 carers, the authors were able to justify the not-so-good effects of health care professionals not sharing the health information of patients with mental disorder to their carers. Summary Sharing information is necessary. Health care professionals value the legality of patient-physician confidentiality agreement. However, carers need information about their patients in order to help carers attend to the needs of the patients. Health care professionals and carers must work together in order to assist or guide their patients. Regarding legality, the authors suggested to have the patient-physician confidentiality agreement reviewed in order to include the rights of carers to know the pertinent health information of their patients. Generally, carers find it difficult to ask assistance from health care professionals. Carers are not usually health care professionals. Carers are anyone interested or willing to provide assistance to patients. They can be family members, friends, or neighbors. For this reason, health care professionals must be willing to share information to carers. Analysis Psychosis is one mental disorder. It affects the way an affected person’s perception, cognition, mood, personality, behavior, and movement. Hallucinations or seeing things or hearing sounds that are not really present characterize hallucinations. (Psychosis 2006) Symptoms of psychosis include disconnected thoughts, difficulty in concentrating, mood swings, and having thoughts of death or suicide. (Psychosis Mental Health Fact Sheet 2001) A person with mental disorder needs special care and attention. Normally today, these persons are â€Å"confined† inside their houses and there are carers attending to their needs. Carers could be their family members, friends, or neighbors. Most likely, carers have little or no background at all in providing medical aid to ill persons. So, health care professionals must guide carers in attending the needs of their patients. One help health care professionals could offer is the pertinent health information of the patients. However, due to the existing patient-physician confidentiality agreement, carers could not get the health information they need to know about their patients. To substantiate the effect of not sharing vital information to carers, the authors had interviewed 27 carers. The results of the interview were identical making the findings credible. The carer participants have related almost the same stories in terms of acquiring information from health care professionals. They have experienced difficulty in getting information from health care professionals. Carers believe that there are important pieces of information that should be shared to them in order to perform their tasks well. Because limited bits of information are provided to carers, they could not attend to all the needs of their patients. Worst, their patients’ recovery is at stake because of unshared information. Why is it so hard for health care professionals to share information to carers? Again we go back to patient-physician confidentiality agreement. In legal terms, the parties or persons involved in the confidentiality agreement must abide by it. This means no information must be divulged to anyone, even to carers. No one must breach the agreement, in respect to both parties. This is the reason health care professionals are hesitant in giving information to carers about their patients. In ethical means, not sharing information to carers could worsen the condition of the patients. Since carers have no complete information about the real condition of their patients, carers could miss some important details that could affect the health of their patients. Applying ethics, we need to stand firm on the agreement. No matter what, the parties involved must respect what they have agreed upon. Applying ethics also, both the health care professionals and the carers must consider the recovery of their patients. They must help one another. Conclusion Patient-physician confidentiality agreement is both guarded by legal and ethical issues. But one thing is important—how to help the patients with mental disorder? Since carers have difficulty in acquiring information for their patients due to patient-physician confidentiality agreement, patients must be informed of the importance of sharing information to carers. Health care professionals must work together with carers in order to provide the needs of their patients. The patient-physician confidentiality agreement must be reviewed so that information could also be shared to carers. Patients should be informed that carers could attend best to their needs if they are well-versed of their condition. Also, carers can adapt fast to the patients’ needs when all information are properly accounted for. Patients are important. Sharing information between health care professionals and carers is also important.

9 Things You Need to Know About Getting Paid to Speak

9 Things You Need to Know About Getting Paid to Speak When I first published How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile, I had big dreams of becoming a sought-after keynote speaker. Some part of me thought that just because my book was a best-seller on Amazon, speaking opportunities would be knocking down my doors. I had a magic number in my head for my speaker fee: $2,000 plus travel. It didn’t take long for me to get an inquiry from a national organization, to whom I quoted $2,000 plus travel. They didn’t blink at the price, but they decided my topic was not right for their needs. I was inundated with other speaking offers – albeit mostly free ones. I accepted them. I spoke for free for women’s organizations, educational institutions, and local networking groups. I traveled to California to speak at a Connect – Work – Thrive conference. I did radio and TV appearances, and was interviewed for several BlogTalkRadio spots. After a couple of years, I started getting more offers to speak for pay. I received $500 for a webinar, $350 for a talk for a local networking group, and $1,500 for three appearances at Project Management Institute meetings in Wisconsin. I was granted 100% of the entrance fees when I spoke at the Yale Club in Chicago, and a percentage of the fees paid when I presented for The National Resume Writers’ Association. Things were looking up. The idea with giving presentations, whether free or paid, is that you get access to potential clients. But I was not getting clients, even when I spoke to audiences theoretically comprised of my target market. Still, I kept speaking, and holding out for paid opportunities. Finally, a breakthrough happened. I was asked to speak at a software company in Madison, and they agreed to pay me close to $2,000 for a 2-hour workshop, plus an additional amount for individual coaching of their staff. Shortly following that win, I was asked for a proposal by a business school on the east coast. I submitted it, and was granted – at long last – $2,000 plus travel expenses! How I reached this milestone is a complex story. I wasn’t even clear about how I did it until I attended a webinar by Denise Hedges, presented for Career Thought Leaders. Here’s what I learned, both through my own experiences and through the webinar, about how to make money as a speaker: 1. Become an author. This one is obvious isn’t it? Right or wrong, authors are considered authorities on the topic they write about. If you can become a best-selling author, even better. I have no doubt that having written How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile is responsible for much of the interest in me as a speaker. Writing content for a blog helps too, as does creating a monthly or quarterly newsletter. Build an audience through your writing and you are more likely to attract an audience who wants to see you live. 2. Market yourself confidently as a speaker. I realized early on that if I were going to get paid to speak, I had better have a great head shot. I believe my new head shot, a vast improvement over the home-made one I had used previously, made a difference in the interest level for my services. In addition, once you reach a certain point, create a speaker brochure that includes topics you can speak about, pictures of you speaking, where you have spoken before, enthusiastic testimonials, and a persuasive bio about you as a speaker. It took me years to do this, and once I did I was able to send it to the university who hired me for $2,000. I don’t know what would have happened if I had not had that brochure to promote myself. Finally, show up professionally when you get an inquiry. Over time, I learned what questions to ask to make it clear I know what I’m doing: What is the organization’s budget if any? How big is the audience? Who will be in the audience and what are their goals? How long is the presentation? Who will pay for my travel? Who will pay for printing any materials I want to distribute? Do I need a parking pass? Asking these questions demonstrates that you are experienced and in control of the situation. You will command respect. 3. Say yes. Before I got the paid speaking engagements I so desired, I said yes to a lot of unpaid opportunities. Through those events, I became a better speaker and garnered testimonials and photographs to use in my brochure (see #2). I built credibility so that more prestigious organizations would ask me to speak. Notice I said I garnered testimonials. Yes, I asked for them! Testimonials don’t often drop in your lap. But many people will be happy to write them when you ask. Also, you never know who might be in attendance at one of your presentations. I have had attendees at a free talk connect me with future paid opportunities. 4. Choose a punchy title and write an effective program description. In your session title, describe what you’re going to speak about. Don’t be cryptic. Keep the title short – and add a subtitle if appropriate. Most important, don’t promise something and then not deliver! You want people to be satisfied that you gave them what they expected (and more). For the description promoting your session, write a paragraph or two about the problem and the solution you will provide, then list 3-5 takeaways of what the audience will get from the presentation. Here’s Denise’s well-crafted title: Build Your Business By Speaking:  What They’re Not Telling You About How to Get Started And here’s one of my upcoming session titles: The Human Guinea Pig: How to Put Personality into LinkedIn Profiles 5. Capture their attention Always start your presentations with a story! Personal stories are relatable and create likability and trust. Then tell them your objective and what they can expect to learn during the time you’re together. Set expectations not just for what you’ll be saying, but also for when they will be able to ask questions. These practices will create an attentive audience who is not distracted with wondering why you’re saying what you’re saying or when they will get to ask their questions. 6. Address the concerns of your audience. I often ask the organizer of an event ahead of time to collect questions from people who will be attending my presentation. That way I have an understanding of their needs and can craft my material accordingly. I tailor what I’m saying to the group to make sure I provide value. I don’t hold back. I provide as much value as I can provide in 45 minutes. It never works to look like you’re trying to sell something. I reserve just the last two minutes for an offer. 7. Give something valuable to your audience. Denise Hedges recommends making an offer to your audience for a complimentary consultation. If you do this right, you can get a 10-20% response from your audience, and about half of them will hire you after the consultation. I’ll admit that while I’ve sold a fair number of books after my presentations, I have not been successful in obtaining many clients from my speaking engagements. I have made offers to attendees, but based on the low response I’ve gotten, those offers have not been attractive enough to create interest. I am going to follow the advice I got from Denise from now on! Here’s what she recommends for the offer portion of your speech: Make it flow seamlessly Offer a complimentary session – talk about what difference your services can make for them Directly address the people in the room who are ready to take action. Tell them if they want certain results, you want to talk to them. 8. Watch your body language. Remember, 93% of your effectiveness is in your NON-VERBAL communication. Make sure you look good, aren’t fidgeting, make eye contact with the audience, and speak in a conversational manner devoid of â€Å"ums† and â€Å"uhs.† 9. Practice! How do you get to Carnegie Hall? You practice. While you can practice in front of actual audiences, it’s much less risky to mess up and tune up by speaking to friends and family, or in front of a video recording device, so you can see what you look like and how you sound. As painful as that can be, it’s more painful to get negative feedback during your real speeches. Do you have more tips for successfully turning speaking engagements into income streams? Please share below!