Storytelling is one of the true lost arts of the digital age. For years, people relied on storytellers to provide them with news, information, and entertainment. Now, with so many sources for information at our fingertips, the few stories we are entertained with in our lives are played out in front of us on screens of varying sizes. People fail to realize just how important and powerful the art form of telling stories can truly be.

Historically, stories were used to pass down historical records from generation to generation. In an age where there was little use for written language, storytellers would spin the tales of important persons and events in the history of a specific area. Many of today’s history books include the information from some of these tales that were developed hundreds and thousands of years ago.

Another very powerful aspect of a story is its ability to drive home a specific point. Readers connect with a good storyteller, as they take the words they are presented with, weaving them into images in their minds. The emotion and drama that is set forth in a powerful story will leave the audience with a clear picture of the events that had unfolded.

Finally, telling a story feeds creativity. As one listens to a story or begins to share a story of their own with someone else, their imagination may start to run wild and they might create their own additions or variations on a tale. If a tale is told well, the ideas that are presented within a story can be reworked and reused for hundreds of different purposes.

There are many different places where the power of storytelling can be put into use. Stories can lull restless children to sleep or hold the attention of an audience during a conference. A story can be used to demonstrate customer service principles to a staff in a training meeting or to explain a moral principle to someone who is heading down the wrong path. Stories have been used since language was created and they will continue to be a part of our society and culture forever, as long as the art form is not allowed to die.

Are you a new travel writer looking for travel writing jobs? Would you like free travel? There is a way that few writers know about to help them get the funds they need – funds that could take you to a destination that you’ve always wanted to write about. The same way that many high-school graduates get funding for college, and many start up business get funding to help them open the doors and put up the shingle – it’s grants! Yep, good old-fashioned grants.

Grants exist to fund all types of projects, so there’s no reason why you couldn’t apply for a travel grant. If you’re passionate about the environment and the effects that travel has on it, apply for a grant to go research and write about it. You could head an expedition to the Amazon Rain forest or some of our national parks. You could write about how tourists have taken a toll on these areas. Some possible topics could be “How can we sustain these areas?” “Is it time to stop tourism to the Amazon Rain forest?” You could help to preserve such beautiful areas for generations to come.

First you should decide exactly what it is that you want to accomplish – a series of, a book, etc. – and the topic. Next, make sure that you read through the grant guidelines before you write your proposal. Think of it as sending a letter of inquiry to an editor at a publication. You need to make sure it’s perfect, otherwise it could be rejected.

If you’re considering applying for a travel grant, make sure you write a compelling grant proposal. You wouldn’t send an editor a mediocre inquiry – don’t write a mediocre grant proposal. It’s imperative that you make your case in a way that is clear, concise, and intriguing, in order to get your grant approved. You might also consider the services of a grant-writing person or firm – these are people who are extremely knowledgeable about the process and how to get an approval.

There are a huge number of resources online to help with tips and advice, examples of well-written proposals, and people and companies that specialize in writing grant proposals for others — do a bit of surfing to help you get started.

Don’t be discouraged if you apply for one (or more) travel grants and get rejected — there are many sources of grant funding, so just rewrite your proposal and try again. All it takes is one grant approval to speed you on your way to an intriguing new destination and writing career. Many travel writers come back from a trip with enough material (notes, journal entries, photos and videos) and inspiration to write a large quantity of for weeks — or even months — to come.

So what are you waiting for? Go apply for a travel grant and get out there!

Are you’re spending a lot of time writing but not getting many clicks? If you answered yes then it may be time to give your article marketing a spring makeover. Even though writing can be very profitable, if they aren’t attracting enough traffic then you could be wasting your time. Get these instant makeover tips to make your irresistible again and get more clicks.

Makeover Tip #1: Follow The Latest Buzz, News and Gossip

Staying up to date with the latest information in your industry gives you a great advantages. First it makes your relevant and in the moment, which readers relate most to. Second, your gain popularity (and more traffic) as more people begin to read your for the latest buzz in your market.

Makeover Tip #2: Make Your Headlines Sizzle

It doesn’t matter how well you write your article if your headline doesn’t get attention. Next time you start writing your article, take a look at some magazines to get inspired and make your headlines really stand out. When you think you finally have a great headline, show it to some other people and get their ideas. Try writing 3-4 other headlines and see which ones stand out the most and get your attention.

Makeover Tip #3: Give Your Readers A Reason To Click

In order to get more clicks from your, give your reader a compelling reason to click and visit your website. Having a free report these days just isn’t enough. Make your readers an compelling offer with great benefits and a strong call to action. This will help you make your article more appealing and give you more traffic.

Everyone can find the right words – all it takes is practice and some guidelines to help you structure an effective presentation.

Firstly, and most importantly, start with the end in mind. Set aside enough time to determine your purpose and intention in preparing and presenting your speech. Your purpose may be to entertain, to educate, to inform, to persuade or even a combination of the fore mentioned. A clearly defined purpose is a blueprint or a template that structures a meaningful and focused speech.

Your second step to finding the right words will be to brainstorm the topic by spontaneously writing down your keyword ideas.

The third step is the planning phase. People tend to rush through this important phase, but it is time well spent. Plan your speech here. You may wish to use a mind-map, a flow chart or even a horizontal plot-line to help structure your thoughts. Concentrate on the introduction, the development of the body of your speech and finally the conclusion.

These three phases can be likened to a sausage dog. Picture a sausage dog in your mind.

The head is your introduction. It should introduce your topic, capture your audience’s attention and lead the audience into the purpose of the presentation. Remember, that the sausage dog’s head is relatively small in comparison the rest of its body – so short, pertinent and gripping work well here.

The introduction is followed by the body of your address. A visual reminder is the long body of the sausage dog. This section of your speech should consist of four or five paragraphs that individually develop a different aspect of your speech, but at the same time are all linked to a common purpose – pretty much like the body of our dog.

Finally, the tail – possibly with a twist or a loop? The conclusion should sum up your speech. It may tie up loose ends, finalize an argument or highlight the end of your speech. Either way, your audience should clearly see that this is the end of your speech, just like the tail is the end of our dog!

It is only now that the planning phase is over, that you will choose your words to achieve your initial aim and the purpose of writing your speech.

This is the easy part. There are so many resources out there to help you to find the right words to say it best. The Internet, book stores, friends, magazines and libraries are all invaluable resources at your disposal. Finding the resources is relatively easy, but it is very important that you personalize the content.

If you are one of the many who want to know how to write a book, the good news is that there are endless resources available to help you in your quest. There are aspiring authors all over the world who are working full-time jobs, who want to write a novel in their spare time. It can be done, but it takes hard work and a lot of dedication to the process. Knowing what to expect is critical to keeping at it and avoiding burnout.

Brainstorm and Outline – If you spend considerable time brainstorming your topic and outlining your idea, then the actual writing of the book will take less time. In general, the more organized you are, the easier the process will be for you. Many writers find it beneficial to have each chapter thoroughly laid out in a way that only takes filling in of the gaps once it is time to actually write.

Research and More Research – Besides the outlining of your book, the research will be the most time consuming part of writing a book. The length of time this takes will depend greatly on your subject and how much expertise you have in it. However, even if you are skilled in your topic and even if the book is about your own life experience, don’t underestimate just how much research it will take to get your facts straight.

Keeping with It When You Want to Give In – Perhaps the most important ingredient when writing a book is to never give up! As with all dreams, your goal of writing a book can only be realized if you persevere and remain motivated. The best way to do this is to remember that slow and steady wins the race. Give yourself time and enjoy the process so you don’t become burnt out on it.

Aspiring authors interested in learning how to write a book should do some research and if able, ask other successful writers how they began. Often it comes down to just doing it – sitting down at the desk and writing or typing out your ideas page by page. With one page a day, you could have a 365-page book after a year of writing, and a byline in print to show for it.

When most people think of storytelling, images of toddlers cuddled in bed and ready to drift off to sleep spring to mind. While at its most basic, this is precisely what storytelling is, the principles of storytelling can have surprising applications in the real world. Storytelling for business allows messages to be presented in a way that is easy to understand and appealing for a variety of audiences.

Stories allow complex ideas to be broken down into easy to understand terms. Consider the most prominent religious figures throughout the world. Nearly all of them were storytellers on some level. Their talent for drawing in their audience and captivating them in to believing that everything they spoke was true and important was what made them into the religious icons seen today. Businesses can harness this same power and draw in customers, or train their employees more effectively.

The personal connection felt between a storyteller and their audience is what makes this art form so useful in businesses. Trust is a major factor in relationships, whether they are between employer and employee, business and customer, or between coworkers. Good storytellers will gain the respect and trust of those around them, improving their business relationships and making themselves more useful and profitable.

There are two main areas of business where storytelling is the most effective. Stories are useful in customer relations and also in employee productivity training. These aspects of business provide one on one opportunities to connect with others and present important points to them. By finding ways to incorporate storytelling into these efforts, businesses stand a much higher chance of having their message heard.

Storytelling for business will only be effective if you have taken the time to learn just what it takes to be an effective storyteller. Having a grasp on public speaking will give you a solid advantage to put this powerful tool to use. Watch accomplished storytellers in action, then emulate the techniques you see. Once you have mastered this dying art, you can use it to drive business and to improve the performance of your organization’s employees.

Giving speeches are tasks that we cannot pass through life without doing. Speeches are required in school. Speeches are required during birthday parties when you have to give out your personal message to your guests and speeches are assigned at the workplace. I am sure if you are a lot like most people, it would be a wish granted if you could skip giving speeches in your life.

If you are about to give a speech soon, take yourself out of your misery and do something about it. Read up on tips on how to have better public speaking skills. It is like driving, you just need to learn and practice. Pretty soon you will get the hang of it. Although, I am not saying that the butterflies in your stomach will go away. It will always be there especially before a presentation. I am just saying you will become better in giving speeches and generally in public speaking that there may even come a time when you will enjoy giving speeches even if you do not want to admit it.

There are times when we think we had it going and then we suddenly make a mistake. Never apologize for it. The truth is you are the only one who knows about your speech anyways, why apologize? If you apologized, that’s when they take notice of your mistake. Plus, it will always help you to take a few minutes to relax before you give out your speech. Being nervous is normal, just channel to that energy to giving a great speech. Remember your audiences are human beings too and they are not out there to watch you make a fool of yourself. They are there to listen to what you have to say.

Feel strongly motivated to start your own online business? Have a limited budget to start marketing your amazing nigh market knowledge? In my opinion, article marketing, hands down, is one of the best Internet marketing tools available. For people just beginning their online business, they can appreciate the real value in doing marketing that only requires your time and sharing of your expertise. No post cards or letters to mail out. No trips to the post office. And, you can quickly develop a following using article marketing. As you write and submit them into article directories, others virally build your business for you. What a miraculous discovery to help keep marketing expenses low for businesses. Announcing 6 secrets to excel at article marketing.

1. Deliver information useful to your niche market readers. When you provide quality content for your target market readers, you easily build rapport and earn their trust and confidence. The content must be usable by them to achieve their niche market goals whatever they are. So, provide content they really need or want and your will be read and appreciated by them.

2. Offer simple yet effective problem-solving solutions to people in your niche market audience. These solutions empower them and leave them feeling a satisfied sense of accomplishment. There is no greater feeling than to feel fulfilled after achieving a personal goal.

3. Encourage your readers to apply the techniques you teach and to do things on their own. Remind your students that there is nobody who will treat a person better than themselves. They are the ones in control of their destiny. So, require them to reach out and involve themselves in situations where they must apply your techniques. This will build confidence for them, too, aside from get them to choose to effectively achieve their goals.

4. Remember to provide sound answers to your target market’s most frequently asked questions. Publish these answers on your website. By doing so, you will confirm that you are an expert in your field as you share you specialized knowledge. Also, you’ll be helping your readers achieve their goals and solve their most pressing problems.

5. Remember, to keep focused on sharing ideas that help your readers achieve their goals. Doing this, you are marketing and promoting your business. As you continually market your products and services, you will make sales. In your, write about niche related topics using keywords most familiar to people who are most likely to buy from you. Using those keywords, you “speak the same language” as your qualified prospects.

6. In your first paragraph, begin your with the most important information of value to your readers. Remember, give them what they say they want. When you start with “the big guns”, they will be hooked on your content. Keep satisfying them with the best content available. You will hook them again and again until they finally will buy your quality products and eventually join your coaching program if that is a good fit for them.

Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy may be historical figures for many reasons, but they are most quoted from the famous speeches for which each is responsible.

In order to complete a successfully written article, one needs look no further than how to put together a great speech. By drafting your piece as if it was intended for a live audience, you immediately add life to the words that will truly speak to the audience for which your article is intended. Here are some tips for writing a successful online article that grabs and keeps the reader’s attention:

Hook ’em

When delivering a speech, it is important to “hook” the audience right away with a strong introduction. The same is true for online writing. With the amount of information available to readers on every topic online, it is important to make your piece stand out from the crowd. Using a story, quote, joke or personal anecdote that relates directly to your main point is a great way to “hook” your audience and keep them reading.

Conversation is Key

The more conversational the tone of your article, the more successful it will be. Write your article as if you are sitting across from the target reader telling them the main points you want to get across. Writing as if you are having a conversation with the reader is more engaging, helps you explain concepts more clearly and will generally hold the reader’s attention longer.

Stay Goal Oriented

If you are sitting down to write an article, chances are there is a specific reason for it. When drafting your piece it is important to stay focused on your goal so that in the conclusion your reader is moved to the desired action. Just as great speech writers do, you should provide tangible solutions and expert tips that reinforce your point and provide readers with direction.

Article marketing is a powerful way to deliver content on the Internet. There are a large number of article sites that can get great search positioning. provide searchers with fresh and up to date content that can build your business and make you an expert.

Articles by nature deliver content filled information about any subject under the sun. The savvy marketer can use to drive traffic to their websites, sales letters, opt in pages and affiliate products. can be reprinted by others, if you allow it, which can help further spread your expertise around the globe. But how can a marketer use to make money?

Consider these tips:

* Write that are enticing to the searcher and highlight a certain keyword that relates to your business. Make this keyword “clickable” and use it to send readers to your sites.

* Repurpose teleseminar transcripts into brand new to get more mileage from work that you have already done.

* Use pages and excepts from your books to create fresh to drive traffic to your websites.

* Use a keyword selection tool and analyze the best the keywords for your business and use them in the titles of your.

* Make use of the tags in the article forms to help search engines find your quickly and easily.

* Write about your expertise in your field in your. Provide quality information that searchers can not find anywhere else.

* Make good use of the “authors box” or profile that most article sites provide. This is a great resource for driving traffic to any number of sites that you may own. It is in this authors resource box that you can leave clickable links to your sites.

* HINT: Make sure that your article pages on your main website are already indexed in Google and other search engines BEFORE submitting to major article sites. This ensures that your website gets credit from the search engines instead of the article site itself.

There is no limit to the amount of you can submit. Article marketing works so well in fact that it should play a major role in any Internet marketing strategy. The more you write, the more views you will get. Be creative and send qualified prospects to you websites and maximize your expertise and sales!