For some people, it’s easy and natural to “name drop†in order to impress others, especially potential clients.

Not for me.  And maybe not for you, either? I was trained since my teens as a journalist, to be neutral and nearly invisible, and never to insert myself into the story. But the world has changed – not only in journalism but in most industries.

Today, if you don’t promote yourself, and if there’s no way to check out your background on Google or sites such as LinkedIn, youA microphone on stand in front of red curtain. might as well be non-existent.

For me, the transition from behind-the-scenes player to a more center stage position hasn’t been easy. I learned to be comfortable as a speaker and a communications trainer mainly because my focus was on helping other people to master these critical public speaking skills so they could advance in their company, nonprofit, profession or industry.

Along the way, I realized that sharing my own experiences – some disastrous, some hilarious – made me a better speaker and trainer. My mission for decades has been to eliminate boring speeches and ineffective presentations from our planet. To do that, I found it vital for credibility purposes to include some of my success stories with clients, along with cases that didn’t work out quite as well as expected.  (You can read some of these episodes in my new book, Public Speaking for the Genius, to be released this summer!)

A hand holding a microphone with rays in the background.To help you become a more successful presenter, I invite you to attend my free webinars next week: Avoid These 5 Presentation Mistakes to Influence Your Audiences. You can choose Tuesday, May 3, 12 noon EDT or Thursday, May 5, 12 noon EDT. Please pass along the link to anyone you think might benefit, too.

(If you can’t attend, I encourage you to sign up anyway because the call will be recorded and you’ll get a copy.)

Here are a few questions for you to consider: How well are you promoting your own expertise? How are you regarded in your company or your industry? What opportunities are you missing because other “noisier†folks are promoting themselves better than you are?  What can you do about it?

I look forward to welcoming you on the call next week! Don’t forget to register! As a bonus for participating, you’ll get a free copy of my E-book, Getting the ‘Yes’ Start-Up Kit.