Public Speaking: Bribes

. . . or, as I like to call them, "Tips in advance" are a part
of my speaking life. Does that mean I am an unethical person.
ABSOLUTELY NOT! It means I am a realist. It means that when
I am 30 minutes from the beginning of a presentation and I have
been trying to get a projection screen for two hours, it might
be time to grease a few palms. I just consider it an investment
in my image. I am the one who is going to look bad if I am not
prepared to begin on time. If it costs me five or ten or even
twenty bucks to get some action, so what? I don't believe in
penny pinching when you get in a pinch.

Am I happy about this? No, I am not happy, but I am always
willing to invest in excellence. Also, I would rather lose a
few bucks than get all worked up and upset before a presentation.
In addition, any problems I am having are probably not the fault
of the maintenance or set up person who gets the money. It makes
me feel good to give them a little boost in their pay for that
day. So, have a few small bills handy before every presentation,
just in case you need to get something done quick.

One more thing . . .This also works when you have too much baggage
at the curb side check in. An extra bag costs 50 bucks at the airline
ticket counter, so I give the skycap 20 and save myself 30. It
doesn't work every time, but most of the time it does.

Learn more public speaking tips!