One of the most popular tips any entrepreneur seeking to grow her business receives is to do more public speaking. After all, could anything be more beneficial to entrepreneurial success than a well-positioned soapbox?

However, after attending more than my fair share of dry salmon luncheons and rubber-chicken dinners, I might argue that some entrepreneurs would do more to help their businesses by not speaking in public. If you're thinking Ouch! right now, the good news is that you don't need to be Tony Robbins to be a fabulous public speaker.

To ensure you give professional-quality speeches, try a couple of things: Prep like a pro and charge like a pro. Here's how.

Prep Like a Pro
As a public speaker, nothing you've accomplished before you walk up to the podium or after you leave it will matter as much to your audience as what you deliver that day. In other words, act as if your speech is your only product. Here are six keys to delivering value in every speech:

1. Define clear personal goals for yourself each time you speak. Mine are usually as follows: Entertain every audience member (make her laugh or cry) as I inspire each to take home at least one important realization that will positively and immediately impact her life or business. This goal guides the format for all my speeches and keeps me on track for a high-impact speech every time.
   
   
2. Customize your speech to your audience, and back your stories with real substance. It's imperative not only to draw your audience in with interesting anecdotes they can relate to, but also to back up those stories with plenty of substantial data pertinent to that group. Recently I was hired to speak to a religious organization on time management, so I researched historical religious views on the value of time that made my speech more credible and interesting to them. Research and references are essential to move your talk beyond entertainment into valuable and credible infotainment.
   
   
3. Be unnervingly authentic. Too often entrepreneurs feel compelled to smooth the edges, conceal their losses and avoid mentioning failures. But these are precisely the "shares" your audience craves and can learn from the most. Go where you're afraid to: Authenticity moves people and is the source of the highest-impact speeches.
   
   
4. Practice, practice, practice. Deliver each speech at least a dozen times to yourself, so you're familiar and comfortable with the content and how you articulate it. Crafting a message is half the battle--delivering it effectively, even for pros, takes rehearsal. Don't skip this step.
   
   
5. End before it's over. Always talk for a little less than your allotted time. This leaves time for questions and, more important, leaves your audience wanting more . . . and your client/host wondering where the time flew.
   
   
6. Provide takeaways. Provide enough "meat" in your speech so that everyone in the room can leave with at least one "nugget" (actionable item, useful tip, important realization) she can put to use immediately in her life and/or business.

Charge Like a Pro
Many business owners do public speaking for free. Because there's no compensation, however, more often than not, they don't adequately prep for these appearances. As a result, the quality of the speech suffers and attendees walk away unimpressed. It's human nature, but the audience members are also less likely to value your message--and may view you as a non-credible self-promoter--if they didn't pay for it. Don't fall into this trap. Instead:

1. Establish your credibility--charge for speaking engagements. Requesting and receiving payment for your time is a critical part of establishing your credibility and setting the tone for your value as a speaker. While speaking may not be your full-time profession, if you want to be taken seriously as a speaker, it's an important step. Yes, you can still provide special rates or honorariums to nonprofits and select other organizations--but get paid.
   
   
2. Give a money-back guarantee. One business owner I coached believed no one would pay her, though she knew she could deliver a quality speech. I suggested that she give a money-back guarantee: If the speech was not high-impact, she would issue a refund. Providing this guarantee required her to deliver an outstanding speech as well as trust that, if the organization that hired her was pleased, it would not request a refund. She was hired, did not disappoint and was well-paid. In fact, she noted that her first paid speaking experience was far more professional and well-received than any free ones she had given in the past.

Removing the pressure of self-promotion that stems from "speaking for free" lets you focus on delivering value vs. serving self-interest. It also encourages your audience to take you more seriously. Next month: Secrets of the Silver Tongued: Part 2 . . . which focuses on five high-powered public speaking secrets that reveal how you can leave the audience wanting more of whatever you're selling.