Colleague and public speaking expert, Suzannah Baum president of Ideal Communications, wrote this article for WomenEntrepreneur.com.

You’ll find great tips to help you get started public speaking (including a few quotes from yours truly!). Enjoy.

Speak Better: 5 Tips for Polished Presentations by Suzannah Baum
Public speaking is a marketing tool that keeps on giving, so get past your fear and nail every speech every time.

Most successful entrepreneurs agree that good public speaking skills are among the core techniques they need to propel their business forward. A well-delivered presentation can result in getting some extra funding, securing a new distribution channel, locking into a new referral stream or gaining new customers.

Read the entire article here.

It’s raining and gray in Montreal today, with a forecast of rain through the weekend. Perfect weather to curl up with a cup of tea and a good book. And I have just the one!

I know, I know… you’re saying “No, not another book! I still have 3 others on my desk, just begging to get read!” (I feel your pain. My desk has 2 semi-read books and 5 more to crack open. Oh yeah, and one on my night stand.)

Just indulge me, OK? You can thank me later.

I LOVE everything Mitchell Lewis Ditkoff and his company, Idea Champions, comes up with (in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a stalker). His book Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling, is no exception.

It’s a story about inspiration, ideas, taking action and applying the lessons in your life. Don’t fear — it’s not about systems,  processes, lists and all that boring stuff. No one tells a story quite like Ditkoff. He takes you through the life of Og the caveman, as Og follows his instincts, leading him to invent the wheel. It’s fictional, of course, and that’s what makes it so awesome.

That’s all I’m going to say, ’cause I don’t want to ruin it for you.

It’s a small book — perfect for a quick, powerful and inspiring read over the weekend. Ditkoff’s clever and witty style will have you wishing for more. You can easily read it in 3 hours, depending on how many kids are running around (my general formula is to add 1-2 hours per child).

Read it; I promise you won’t be disappointed. In fact, I’ll read it (again) with you this weekend.

Let’s talk about it on Monday!

Here are some of my stalker links (I’ll add more as I do more cyber-prowling):

• Awake at the Wheel (official book website with a bunch of extras)
• The Heart of Innovation (Idea Champions blog)
• Small Business Big Ideas Podcast (Lissa Boles from True Callings interviews Mitchell Lewis Ditkoff)