Practice your presentation in a dim, soundproof room. Forget your notes and slides. Walk around. Pace. Visualize being on stage. Feel the momentum building up inside of you. Use your vocal range. Use your body.

Go through your talk. Then do it again. And again. And again.

Always visualize being on that stage. Always move. If you do that, you'll find the pace that is right for you and, in turn, for your audience.

Love it. Identify the target audience that you'd like to serve very precisely. It doesn't have to be forever. It just has to be enough to begin. Then write a kickass session proposal of what you can offer that precise audience and why you should be on a stage in front of them. From there it's a number and sales game of finding the decision maker information, building relationships, offering value, and making the ask. There's a great resource for this by Pete and his team over at Advance Your Reach. Good luck!

Invite members to share their story of why they are part of your community and their journey. It works wonders to give space for sharing. Ask direct, provocative questions, lead with honesty and vulnerbility and the rest will take care of itself.

Instead of purchasing views, think creatively about your brand and content. Then reach out to folks you look up to, both on YouTube and not, and share your mission transparently. By doing that, you will have word of mouth traction from the get-go... provided your story is great. We aren't impressed by high views anymore. But we are impressed by truth and stories. Good luck!

Simple. Be honest about what happened along the way. Potential employers and HR folks are people too. Tell them the story of what happened, what you learned, and why you are coming to them now. By being honest and transparent, you'll have a differentiation that other applicants won't have: your story. And in the sea of fluffy resumes and stiff cover letters, everyone loves a good story. Good luck!