Even if you don't know of talented women speakers in your organization, you can consult with the vast number of women's speaker bureaus. Ask the women's committee, a local university or state agency, or put out a call for submissions targeted to women speakers, to spread those opportunities around: Legal issues are covered by the American Bar Association's Women and Minority Speakers bureau is a national U.S. For many women focused on public speaking, half the battle is getting an invitation to speak. Getting women on the program at your community meeting,

Here's a site that uses technology to help women working in high-tech get closer to speaking opportunities : GeekSpeakr allows you to post a profile, including your topics and expertise, to help event organizers identify women speakers. The site also includes a graph showing the top 25 topic tags for registered speakers. In my interview with Elizabeth GeekSpeakr's in beta, and needs you to register for its launch. There was the usual rolling of the eyes and comments like “Don’t we want the best?”

Did you know that great speakers are often nervous with butterflies in their stomach before giving a presentation? My 13 years as a professional speakers bureau owner allowed me to hear several thousand speakers give their presentations. One speaker suggests that you curl your toes and get rid of your adrenalin. And there are many actors/actresses who can not speak to live audiences without cue cards. Here are a few tips I learned from them.