While your reputation or the topic of your presentation may keep an audience with you for a while, you have a much better chance of convincing them of the value in your ideas if you support your talk with current, believable, easy-to-understand evidence.

Where to begin? Well, starting with your own experience, knowledge and interests is probably the best. If you are genuinely interested in the ideas you plan to present, your audience will pick up on that and respond accordingly. You will also know where to look for the most interesting, most believable support. If you like a particular subject, chances are good that you know which publications to read, know which experts are cited most often, and know a great deal about the latest developments. The confidence that comes with all of this information will not be lost on your audience.

Second, consider new ideas, information and techniques. You and your audience may together know a great deal about the subject of your talk, but they may not know about the very latest information. That's where your interests can help them. Bring them up-to-date on the subject, share the latest innovations and developments.

Next, as you consider how to support your speech, think about the availability and quality of support material. You may have a special topic that you simply can't support because you will not have access to the right information by the time you must speak.

Talk to some experts. Not all credible evidence is found in books, magazines, journals, newspapers or on the Internet. Some of the most interesting, compelling evidence comes in the form of direct testimony from people who are genuine experts on the subject. Where can you find them? They're all around you. A punch-press operator working on a factory shop floor may not seem especially expert, but if he's been at his job for a number of years, chances are good that he knows a great deal about the machinery, the materials and the processes involved in the 19 job. Ask him a few questions. You might be surprised how much you can learn if you listen carefully.