The Meat-Loaf Expert

Where should you go to get advice when sharpening your speaking skills? Think meat-loaf!
When I first took my speaking business full-time, I waited tables at an upscale restaurant in Tulsa to help make ends meet, [The Polo Grill]. The owner and executive chef said he made the best meatloaf in the country. I asked him how he knew. How can you really tell whether your meatloaf is better than another, first of all, and above that, how do you know that it is actually "the best meatloaf in the country?" His answer was that he sought out the leading expert on meatloaf (talk about a weird choice of profession) and he said it was indeed the best.

When you seek out advice on developing your technical speaking skills, make absolutely certain you seek out a "meatloaf expert" - someone who knows what works and what doesn't work for a broad swath of audience members. Anyone can tell you whether they personally like or dislike what you are doing up front, but that is just one opinion. Seek out a professional and have them tell you what to add and what to take away.