Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with publicspeaking

Why do people keep interrupting me?

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:58:14 -0800

People routinely interrupt me when I'm speaking in a group. Why does this happen, and how can I stop it? Apparently there's something about the way I speak that makes people think it's ok to interrupt me. I watch other people speak in small groups, and they mostly get to get to the end, period, before someone else speaks. They sometimes even pause, for effect, or to recall something, and then continue without interruption. I, on the other hand, seem to be interrupted the moment I stop to draw breath, and I think as a result, have developed this manic fast speaking style that often finds me getting ahead of my train of thought. Have you had this problem, and if so, how did you correct it? Is this a "public speaking" issue? I thought about Toastmasters, but this isn't really a podium problem, it's more a meeting problem.

Watch/Pen Audio Recording Device

thankyoumuchly — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:13:59 -0800

Looking for a discreet audio recording device (not one of the typical voice memo recording sticks you get at radio shack, this must be discreet). I am a public speaker at my company and I typically speak at multiple meetings per day, with no time to take notes for follow-up questions. I need a stand-alone audio recorder that is discreet (wrist watch, pen, etc.) and that can handle at least 8 hours of recording on 1 charge / 1 set of batteries. I've found multiple types of watches with recording similar to this one in the link below (mostly these watches all have the USB 1/8th inch headphone jack looking plug on the left side of the watch face by the "9" and seem to be crappy quality). Is this a piece of junk? It kind of looks like it is. I need good solid audio, that is my main buying point:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26493

Does anyone have any experience with these discreet recording devices (maybe an audio recording pen)? Please help hive mind!

Bonus if it's a watch and also has a stop-watch functionality built it so I can record audio and time myself!

Thanks in advance - TYM

How do I fight back these tears?

Del Chimney — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:59:13 -0800

I need some techniques to help me get through a relatively heartfelt wedding speech without crying like a big ol' baby... I shall soon be acting as Best Man at a close friend's wedding. I've written my speech and it is awesome. It's hilarious and, I think, pretty touching too. This is my problem. When I've been practicing the damn thing I can't help but choke up when it comes to the more moving sections and I really do not want to do this on the day. I want everybody else to be in tears, not me.

I've got no problem with public speaking; I've done it many many times for work and even on occasion been a cabaret compere. However, I've never been in a position where the speech I was making was quite so personal or emotional.

Does anybody have any tips to help me keep it together?

Is there some sort of service that will tell you how long it will take to read a certain number of words?

rileyray3000 — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:49:41 -0800

Giving a speech filter: IS there any online service or program that you can put in a block of text and it will tell approximately you how long it'll take to read it out loud? So I'm giving a speech next week that's got to be five minutes long. I'm usually better at writing these things out ahead of time. And I have no problem with the public speaking. I just want to know how many words I should shoot for with five minutes.

I realize I could just record myself and then trim but I really don't want to put in that much effort. It's not a super important speech. Just one that's supposed to go a pretty set time.

So is there any online service that estimates these things? I realize I could always put it in a speech synthesizer and time it but I'm hoping there's something little more cut and paste.

Does this exist?

Help me, uh, help me fix my, uh, my stutter.

Pseudology — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:20:57 -0800

I have a horrible stutter which just came to my attention about a week ago. Not only is "uh" my favorite word but I repeat myself a lot. Help me, oh hivemind, to learn how to fix this problem. Written and audio examples inside. First I will provide a written example.

"Hello, my name is... uh... my name is Pseudology"

Now I will provide an audio example. A word of caution, it only seems to work for me if I just click on the link and refuses to open in a new tab.

The event which brought the stutter to my attention was an interview I did over the radio. While I was a little nervous in the beginning, showing that the problem does get worse when I'm nervous, I was totally confident at the end where the problem was almost just as bad. I feel I made my points but the delivery was terrible. Since this is the only recorded conversation I have of myself let alone the only recorded conversation I have of myself online and ready to link so I could bask in my 15 minutes of fame through facebook, I've decided to use it as my audio example. It's seven minutes long so don't feel the need to listen to all of it (I'm Brock just so you don't get me confused with the other two people but I'm sure I could just say I'm the guy with the stutter).

After this I noticed I stuttered quite often and when asked if my stutter was is as bad as it was in the interview my friends all said yes. They also said it made me difficult to listen to at times.

I don't know anything about speech therapy because I've always seen it as something for people who get nervous when they speak publically. Being the attention whore that I am I've never had a big problem with nervousness in public speaking. As a result I know nothing about how/why I or others stutter let alone how to fix it which is why I'm asking mefi.

Help me be a good speech-giver tomorrow. Ready -- Go!

inatizzy — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:06:09 -0800

Public Speaking Filter: I've been asked to speak in front of a very large group at a public rally tomorrow. I'm excited, but I've never done this before. Help! I just learned that I'll be getting up in front of about 1000 people tomorrow to speak for about 5 minutes. My subject matter is all set, but I can really use help with acquiring that "certain something" that makes great speakers so comfortable to watch. They have a sort of command of the room that just makes you want to listen, you know? I know what it feels like to be an audience member in that situation, and that's the experience I'd like to provide for my audience, but I don't know what it feels like to be the speaker! Specifically, what are they doing? What are they thinking? What sort of preparation did they do?

I'm sure that I'm going to be nervous when I get up there, so I'm going to do my best to not talk too fast and to not have a jittery voice. But I think I can do even better if I know what things I can try to do (or not do) to make my speech come across in an easy, comfortable and confident way.

For what it's worth, I'll be talking about the importance of getting involved and volunteering for a specific cause. I spent my summer volunteering for it but there's still a lot left to do, so I'll be speaking from experience and talking about the importance of their continued efforts.

(And, I understand that I can't make an overnight transformation, but this is a rare opportunity and I want to be the best I can be! I hope it'll help to quell my nerves a little, too. ;)

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Professional panic filter

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:33:15 -0800

I had a potentially damaging lapse of ability at work today and need some advice on how to keep it from happening ever again. I consider myself a very decent public speaker, especially when well-prepared and rehearsed. But once every few years, when I am asked to speak extemporaneously in a pubilc venue, I lose it. My brain just freezes, my heart begins to race, I run quickly out of breath, and I can’t think of what I want to say, even when the topic is something I know well and discuss every day. Once my mind realizes this is going to happen, the situation snowballs and becomes worse and worse by the second.

This happened to me today on a thirty-person conference call, when asked a really simple question (by someone important at work) about something that I know intimately. It was so bad that I stumbled and fumbled and ultimately had to say, "I can't speak right now."

I have tried strategies like asking a clarifying question to give me time to recover, but it doesn’t always work; and frankly, there are some situations where it's hard or inappropriate to ask a clarifying question. Similarly, I can't have talking points with me all the time, about every possible topic.

To reiterate: This is a rare thing, and only seems to happen when I have not been expecting to speak in public and someone points to me and says ‘go!.’ At the same time, it has occurred a few times in pretty high-stakes situations, and it does not do me any favors, professionally.

What can I do to make sure these incidents don’t happen again?

How to get invited to speak on panels?

gottabefunky — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:10:17 -0800

How can I get myself invited to speak on panels at conferences? This topic has been touched on before, but I have a somewhat more specific question.

When I go to conferences for some of the professional organizations I belong to, I always wonder how they pick the people who sit on the panels.

Even though these folks usually just get their travel expenses covered, as I understand, I figure it's still a good way to ease in the direction of paid public speaking. I'm comfortable talking in front of large groups and have done it a few times already.

How are these things set up? Is is as simple as letting whoever's planning the conference know, Hey, I'm available, and these are my qualifications? Does it help to suggest a panel topic? (To whom? When?) You can't speak at a conference of a group you're a member of, right?

Drink your school! Stay in milk!

explosion — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 06:51:01 -0800

How do inspirational/motivational/informational speakers get started? In a MeFi from last week someone linked this video of Alvin Law, and it got me thinking. How do speakers like Mr. Law get started on the speaking circuit?

I understand that once they're established, with a few shining references, it's easier to promote oneself, and depending on success, may even have the luxury of picking and choosing. But how does anyone get those first few gigs? It's not like bands, where they can play at a bar or venue for free and get exposure.

If you're not already wildly successful or famous ("Come See Donald Trump next week at..."), how do you get there? I'm not talking millions of dollars or hitting the talk shows, just enough traction to make it a job.

How should I handle a public speaking component of a job interview?

playmobil — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:00:03 -0800

I have an job interview in three days at a large public university medical center in the U.S. As the job has a public speaking component, they are asking all the candidates to give a 3-5 minute presentation on a technology or academia topic. How should I handle this? The position is in a department that helps the medical center implement technology and communication tools. For example, if a department needed a medical illustration, a brochure or a video produced, they would use this particular department's resources. They have rolled out a web-based system that allows the medical center employees—and eventually the entire university—to put their resumes/curriculum vitae's online. I am pretty sure this position involves conducting classes on how to use the system.

The position is not a management position and the pay is not great but it seems like it would be a great place to work and I think I would really enjoy being there. My background most recently has been in computer desktop support. I have a Master's degree and have taught graduate-level classes about 15 years ago as well as classes to employees looking for tips on how to use Microsoft Outlook.

I have been on recent interviews and am comfortable with my interview skills but this little talk has thrown me for a loop. I am looking for advice on how I should best handle this public speaking component. I know it's for a really short amount of time but I am having difficulty trying to come up with a decent topic on technology or academia that I can discuss in 3-5 minutes. There will apparently only be about 5 people there to hear it. I think I am simply over-thinking things but I am not sure.

Do you have experience in this area? How do you think I should handle this?

What do you think about Kansans?

metricfan — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:38:34 -0800

What do you think about Kansans? What are the stereotypes? I teach a public speaking gen ed at a state university in Kansas, and at 9:30 I'm going to lecture about how some in the country perceive them and why that is motivation to learn to communicate well. I want to show them the consequences of not being informed about their opinions as well as not being able to argue for them. In the process of motivating them to represent their opinions well, I hope they begin to question where they got their ideas and why they have them. So, using the outrage/indignation they'll likely have when hearing the stereotypes of Kansans will hopefully drive them to become better informed and more reflective.

Obviously one potential problem is perpetuating a Midwestern distrust of the coasts, so I will be taking care to emphasize how it's only some people. But since I've identified myself as a Democrat, I am aiming to avoid the GOP v. Dems/conservative v. liberal trope.

I have found in the past semesters pushing them to voice their opinions on social issues and making them research and write good arguments leads them to a healthy reflection period they rarely have. The class is definitly focused on audience analysis, thus forcing them to connect their opinions with how others will understand and feel about them. It's a very valuable process I think avoids judgments about the student's opinions, but rather repeatedly asks "why?" and "what does it mean for others?"

So anyway, I'm basically asking fire fuel, but any other constructive comments about the above is welcome. I also like hearing about other people's experiences in public speaking classes, especially considering how many people loath it. My students think discussing politics or social issues almost always leads to fighting, and I think it's terribly important to help with that fear. We need constructive dialogue in this country, and we can't do that if everyone is afraid.

Public Speaking workshop in Toronto?

BeaverTerror — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:31:15 -0800

Please recommend a public speaking workshop in Toronto. I'm scared of public speaking, and it's becoming a serious problem.

Are there any workshops, courses, or programs in Toronto that can help me overcome my fear? I'm not interested in lectures or seminars, I need to practice giving speeches in front of people.

How do I do a presentation without Powerpoint?

valleys — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:32:53 -0800

How do I give an effective presentation without Powerpoint? While I've never enjoyed public speaking, I have had to do a number of presentations this year for work, and have got to the point where I'm comfortable doing the presentation, even though I know I'm not the most dynamic speaker. The presentations are on a subject I'm knowledgable in and passionate about.

I've used Powerpoint for all the presentations so far, with 2-3 pages of bullet points related to the informational part of the presentation, then 15-20 full screen photos to provide visual support for the 'stories' part of the presentation.

In mid-August I have to do a presentation without using Powerpoint (various reasons - outdoor location being the main one) and as I know I'm not a strong speaker, I'm a bit worried about keeping people engaged during the presentation, which will be about 30 minutes and for anything from 15-50 people.

I will probably make the information part of the presentation a little shorter than usual, though it is all valid information that needs to be included. How do I present it without having the bullet points on the screen? I'm thinking of bringing handouts which could have the usual bullet points - would people refer to these as I'm talking to follow along, or just take them away to refer to afterwards?

For the stories, I can have a few photos printed poster-size to display while I'm talking, but can't do that for all 15-20 slides I would normally use. I will bring 'props' related to the stories (i.e. physical items) which will help a lot, but not having the pictures makes me feel like I'm losing a big part of what makes the presentation interesting.

Any suggestions on making the presentation work without my usual visuals would be welcome.

Is there something to do at a workshop besides write on a flip chart?

jessamyn — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 10:34:12 -0800

What is a workshop? I have been giving public speeches at conferences and the like for years, but occasionally I am asked to give a workshop and I'm not sure what one is or how to do one under the specific circumstances that I am often in. I just gave a talk at a regional library get-together. They had originally asked me to give a workshop about social software and we were going to meet in a computer lab. That sort of thing, hands-on experimentation and exploration, I get. However the talk was changed to a conference room with iffy internet access and attendees with no computers. I switched format to more of a talk with examples and a lot of time for Q&A. It was appreciated, but got some feedback that it "wasn't very workshoppy" so I'm trying to work with this.

I get the feeling workshops include more "break up into groups and talk about these questions" sorts of things. I'm hindered by the fact that I present at many more of these things than I go to, so don't have much occasion to see other people doing this. My other problem is that I, personally, HATE being asked to do sort of fakey exercises and brainstorming especially if they are remotely touchy-feely in nature. As a result, I think I may overcompensate and have very few situations in my presentations where people are on the spot to do anything, even though I suspect most people wouldn't mind.

My general topic is software, social software and the online environment and "web 2.0" applications and how libraries can use them. I talk about twitter, facebook, and even things like email, IM and firefox/greasemonkey tricks. My audiences are usually librarians with low to medium levels of knowledge of these subjects but usually engaged and interested in them. Without internet access or computers I have no idea how to make this topic very interactive or remotely workshoppable. If you have suggestions, tips, or can just relate workshops you've given or attended (especially on technology topics) where something worked well I'd appreciate it. General feedback on what people expect when they go to something called "a workshop" would be useful as well. To repeat, I know how to do this when I'm in a lab, but outside the lab I'm wondering "what is a workshop?" Thank you.

Me No Speaky Good, Help Me MetaFilter!

willie11 — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 09:46:16 -0800

[ConversationFilter] Me no speaky so good no more. Please help! I've become what I can't stand... a boring conversationalist. Don't get me wrong, I have things to say. I just can't seem to say them in an engaging way. I have trouble structuring stories, anecdotes, or even simple statements of more than a few sentences in a way that keeps anyone's attention. I feel like I just end up either talking in circles, repeating the same points over and over, or going off on uninmportant tangents. The result is always that same "get to it" look on people's faces.

Things haven't always been this way. I've been hunkered down for the last few years spending most of my days and nights with my girlfriend, cat, and laptop, so it's obvious that lack of social interaction is behind this. But when I go out to be social, I'm at a loss for conversation.

Anyone have any ideas or resources? Been through something like this before? Should I just give up and adopt more cats?

Speech Anxiety - What to do?

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:54:45 -0800

How do I survive a presentation-laden semester w/ social-anxiety? I had my first day of classes today, and for the first time in my college career I've got a load of oral presentations I'm required to give near the end of the semester. The problem is i'll stress about these things for the next 4 months until I finally have to present and possibly freakout. Unfortunately I can't change any of my schedule around as I'm nearing graduation and all the courses are required.

I've been diagnosed with social-anxiety disorder and have sought treatment through the University in the past. Is it unreasonable to request alternative assignments from the professors instead of the assigned speeches? If so, do I need to approach them with a letter from ex-therapists/psychiatrists regarding my condition? Obviously I'm a bit embarassed about the whole condition and would rather not have to reveal all these personal details to my profs.

Are there any other options besides just taking some tranquilizers and suffering through the presentations?

How can I keep a long talk interesting?

so_necessary — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:58:33 -0800

I've been invited to speak at an event - for an entire hour. How can I keep the audience awake? I have a ton of flexibility on what exactly it is I talk about (although it will have to relate at least tangentially to The Music Industry) but I need to make it work in a 45 to 60 minute format.

My usual schtick is to do a "big" presentation fast - a kind of blitzkrieg of patter that leaves the audience chewing it over after I'm done. The obvious approach is to expand the scope of the talk even further, but then again, even TED knows to keep the greatest thinkers of our time to a 20 minute limit. Also, there are other challenges - like, it's harder for the audience to remember and grok an hour of talk than 15 minutes worth, and while pace might make a presentation exciting in shortform, over an hour it would probably get overwhelming and hypnotic.

It feels like it will affect the entire process (how I prepare, remember, and rehearse; how I deal with an possible bad vibe early on knowing I have 55 minutes to go rather than 10, and so on) so any help is welcome - what's worked for you, good examples of sustained one-person stage presence I could study, and so on.

Subquestion: I don't *particularly* have a central thesis (unlike, say, this talk on corruption) but I could develop one. Do you think it's a must have in terms of bringing structure and momentum to it?

How to talk to the board of regents (or city council, or...)

nebulawindphone — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:03:24 -0800

The regents of my university want to redevelop the land holding the student apartments where I live. There's a public meeting on the subject this Friday and I've signed up to speak. I'm fine with speaking in public, but I'm clueless about participating in local politics — never gone to a school board meeting or called my congressperson or anything. What can I do to make my comments as effective as possible?

Fear of speaking in a second language.

flibbertigibbet — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:10:10 -0800

How do I get over my fear of speaking in public... in a foreign language? I can barely function when speaking in my second language, partially because of this fear. Speaking in front of people, in English, and in an academic setting, is fine for me. It's academic, so I find that there's no real pressure. I can just talk.

But as soon as you add French/German/Latin to the mix, I become this quivering ball of nerves for at least 24 hours beforehand. In fact, I have a presentation tomorrow (French), and can only work on it in small chunks because the very idea of it is unbelievably stressful.

Speaking is by far the worst part of a language for me. Reading, writing and listening are all fine. My accent sucks, and my spoken sentences are just messy.

It's not a lack of immersion, or a lack of general French skill. I'm nearing functional bilingualism (except, of course, for speaking).

Immersing myself in the language is not the problem. Half my courses this term are in French (Greek history, introduction to political science, and a French-second-language course). I'm surrounded by French -- my textbooks are in French, my classmates are Francophone, my teachers speak French, I speak to my classmates and profs in French (at least at first, then I get too embarrassed with my mistakes), I listen to French music and TV and movies. I sing along, and memorize dialogue. I watch English films with French subtitles or French dubbing. When it's possible, I go to francophone social events. Barring a francophone SO, I don't know what more I can do on that front.

I understand that it's normal to have difficulty speaking in a foreign language when you're not quite fluent, but past simply translating sentences. My fear, however, isn't normal. This fear is preventing me from relaxing, which is preventing me from improving. In fact, my French is probably getting worse because of it, not to speak about how my other languages are suffering.

This isn't just affecting schoolwork (and my social life, in a bilingual university!), but my job, which requires me to be bilingual. I survive in my job by obsessively practicing the sentences I'll need to use. Even then, it takes me months to learn the sentences well enough to not stumble awkwardly through tenses, moods and subjects.

Writing those same sentences takes no effort at all. A verb here, a noun there, I'm done. It takes me months of work, and much fear, to speak them aloud. Help me out?

Help a former stutterer bolster her confidence before giving a presentation.

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 22:16:52 -0800

I'm looking for tips and tricks to ease public speaking anxiety in a former stutterer. Please help! I'm asking this question for my sister. She's currently enrolled in college, and has spent the past summer working as an intern with a lab group. She's been tapped to give a presentation in August to fellow students, researchers, and professors. Here's the catch: she struggled with stuttering--sometimes severe, sometimes mild--all throughout her middle school years, and the problem still occasionally rears its head when she's nervous. (She has mentioned that she's much less likely to have trouble during an impromptu speech or presentation--it's only when she has a lot of time to prepare that she begins to overthink things and get nervous.) The prospect of giving this particular presentation is extremely daunting to her, and I'm wondering if anyone here has any suggestions for alleviating her nervousness and bolstering her confidence? We've brainstormed about the following: meditation, deep-breathing, a shot of Scotch, half a Klonopin or Xanax, etc. You get the idea. Does anyone have any experience with this specific situation--can any fellow former stutterers recommend tips or tricks to help her overcome this intense anxiety and reduce the likelihood of stuttering during the presentation itself?

Besides "picture your audience naked"...

undercoverhuwaaah — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:21:35 -0800

What are some of the leading books/online seminars/workshops/etc. for learning great presentation skills? There are literally millions of books and speakers out there, but I'd like to find the cream of the crop. The top players, heavy hitters, most popular, gosh-darn-best resources for teaching some lawyers better presentation skills. No need to be lawyer-focused, but the top-tier of that category would be great too.

How do I learn to speak well in radio interviews?

jdroth — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 11:35:29 -0800

I'm generally a fairly confident guy. I write well. I can carry on an intelligent conversation. I'm a salesman by training. I acted on stage in high school. In college I could deliver (and enjoy) speeches of all sorts. I can even hold my own when interviewed for the newspaper or for a podcast. But when it comes to speaking on live radio, I'm a nervous wreck. What can I do to improve? I'm shaking all over. I was just interviewed by a Seattle radio station, and my mind froze. I couldn't remember even simple concepts. I was stumbling all over myself. I had stage fright. It was an embarrasment.

This has happened to me twice before, though many years ago. Each time it's the same thing: I freeze under the pressure of a live interview. Is there any way to cope with this? Or should I simply recognize this as a weakness and avoid radio interviews? (And are television interviews any different?)

I'd be all depressed about how poorly I just came off if I didn't find it so amusing in a sad and pathetic sort of way!

Good books/sites on acting/public speaking?

papakwanz — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 16:04:24 -0800

Are there any pro or amateur actors out there who can recommend some good books (or sites) on acting or public speaking? I'm a college instructor getting my PhD in literature, and I'm just looking for some books or advice on improving my ability to speak in public (prepared speeches and improvising), both in front of classes and at professional meetings and conferences. I have fairly bad posture and a tendency to start doing repetitive physical movements because of nervous energy, so any help on that would be great.

Also, since one of my main foci is Renaissance drama (Shakespeare et al), I'm interested in learning a bit more about the interior workings of acting and the stage and how to bring that to life in the classroom. Anything from the performance standpoint (rather than an academic standpoint) would be helpful. Books on acting methods, on stagecraft, on how to make the transition from text to speech & motion, uses of physical space in the theater, etc. etc. Anything on how to improve ability to memorize large pieces of text would be excellent as well; I'm always awed by my mentors who can belt out soliloquies in the midst of any conversation. Are there any acting "bibles" out there that address these issues in a definitive way?

How do I give a good seminar?

Anonymous — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:56:40 -0800

How do I give the best instructional presentation ever? I have to give a short (sub-15 minute) instructional presentation before a small group of people as the audition part of a job interview. The job has multiple roles, and teaching clients in the industry how to use the product is one of them.

For the audition, I'm being evaluated on my presentation skills and not on my topic, so I'm speaking on something I'm comfortable with and knowledgable about. I have a powerpoint outlined already.

I've reviewed posts tagged 'speaking' and also this. Through one of the threads I've found Presentation Zen, which is useful but awfully verbose.

I have past experience with sales and project presentations. More often in preparing them for others to deliver than in presenting them myself. What I'm looking for are tips from the pros specifically about giving good seminars: What works, what doesn't? What are some common presenters' bad habits? How do you keep the audience when the material bores them?

where one could find future speaking enagaments in one place?

Izzmeister — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 16:17:12 -0800

Any online repository where one could find future speaking engagements in one place? I am interested in several speakers, many of whom are non-authors.

is there any online site where i could put in the name of the person i'm interested in, and it would give me the next (open to the public, hopefully) speaking engagements by that person?

I know I could research everyone seperately, but I's love to know if there is a site that does it for you.

Think along the lines of the following speakers;

Richard Branson (Virgin Companies)
Jay Sidhu (CEO Sovreign Bank)
Steve Jobs (Apple)

along the same lines, does Amazon.com or anyone else have a service with when an author will have a speaking engagement within x miles of your zip code?

(having problems finding good tags. will add them as they come up.)