As trick-or-treaters descend upon neighborhoods this weekend, there likely will be a fair share of miniature vampires, witches and werewolves ringing your doorbell. Sure, those costumes don’t scare us like they did when we were kids, but there is something else that inspires fear in millions of adults. It’s inescapable in most business, education and social circles. And, it eclipses even death as people’s top fear in study after study. It’s – gulp – public speaking.

Toastmasters International offers several public speaking tips. No matter the size of your audience or the nature of your presentation, you can find helpful suggestions (and maybe even take some comfort!) in the list below:

• Know your material. Pick a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Use humor, personal stories and conversational language – that way you won’t easily forget what to say.  
• Practice. Practice. Practice! Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using. Revise as necessary. Work to control filler words. Practice, pause and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow time for the unexpected. 
• Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers. 
• Know the room. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.  
• Relax. Begin by addressing the audience. It buys you time and calms your nerves. Pause, smile and count to three before saying anything. (One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand. Pause. Begin.) Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.
• Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and confident. Visualize the audience clapping – it will boost your confidence.

Sure, it was fun when I dressed up like Alf when I was a kid (no, I didn’t demand anyone’s cat when trick or treating), but the best part of Halloween night was sorting out the loot.

Lollipop … ehhh. Bubble gum … trash. Chocolate … score!

My sweet tooth always has had a bias toward the creamy, smooth delicacy that is chocolate. While I won’t be knocking on neighbors’ doors this year in search of my true vice, I will indulge in some of Indiana’s finest treats for Halloween. Here are a couple Chamber members who put all of those fun-sized candy bars to shame:

South Bend Chocolate Company offers pumpkin fudge and caramel corn drizzled in chocolate and pumpkin flavor for the fall. You can find me at the downtown Indianapolis location at least once a month indulging in my personal favorite treat – South Bend’s milk chocolate double dipped peanuts. Read more about this maker of all things sweet in a recent BizVoice story.

DeBrand Fine Chocolates, based in Fort Wayne, makes chocolate that’s as beautiful as it tastes. I’m pining for one of its giant chocolate covered caramel apples.

What’s even better about these fall chocolate treats is I can fully justify indulging for Thanksgiving celebrations too. Score!

In today’s fast-paced, high-tech world, is bus transportation still important? Most major cities would answer a quick yes, as will some smaller communities. Take Valparaiso, the Indiana Chamber’s 2009 Community of the Year.

In an interview with city and community leaders (the story will be in BizVoice magazine and available online on November 10), Mayor Jon Costas explained a partnership with Valparaiso University that produced the V line. The city, with some financial support from the university, runs the service, which transports students and others requiring access to campus. Work is in progress to try and get the line extended eastward to the rapidly growing Ivy Tech Community College facility.

A commuter bus system to Chicago was also put into place earlier this year. Growth has been slow but steady, with a target of 100 daily riders within five years.

It’s all about working together and expanding opportunities for residents, Costas explains.

Valparaiso will be honored, along with the to-be-announced Business Leader of the Year and Government Leader of the Year, at the Chamber’s 20th Annual Awards Dinner on November 10.

On May 21, 2008, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) was signed into law by President George W. Bush. On November 21, 2009, employers must begin to comply with the law and it was recently announced that a new Equal Employment Opportunity Commission posting would be required.

Here are the changes that will be made when our new poster sets are released in November:

• EEOC poster reflects GINA information (required)
• Updated Indiana Teen Work Hours posting
• Updated federal and state minimum wage postings

Poster sets are $45 each, and Indiana Chamber members receive a 25% discount.

To place your pre-order, call us at (800) 824-6885; visit our web site; or e-mail publications@indianachamber.com. Another convenient option many of our customers take advantage of is to join our poster subscription list. That way, when mandatory updates are made, you simply receive the new posters and an invoice without having to call and place an order. Since we’ll only send them when MANDATORY changes are made, you won’t be expending any extra time or money on employment postings, and you have the peace of mind that you’ll always be in compliance.

I walked into a store earlier this week and the first thing to catch my eye was a vast display of Christmas merchandise. It’s not the retailers’ fault, but for whatever reason that bothers me. Call me a Grinch, but I’m just not in the holiday mood two months ahead of time.

But Indiana companies and employees received, in one sense, an early present this week — one that is most welcome. Senate Republicans announced their intention to seek a one-year delay in the uemployment insurance tax increases that were passed in April. The governor’s office is supporting the move, and it is hoped that Democrats will agree that the last thing needed in these still slow economic times is more Hoosier job losses.

This has been a top issue for the Chamber throughout the year. And while those involved in the lawmaking process thought at the time that they were offering a reasonable answer to a difficult problem, employer feedback and new analysis showed that wasn’t going to be the case.

After the legislative session, the Chamber documented the tax increases that nearly all Indiana businesses would face over the next two years – thousands of dollars on average, nearly $1.7 million for one company that used our online calculator and nearly $500 million for Hoosier companies in total. We shared the clear message that additional employee layoffs would unfortunately be the only way most could pay for the tax hike. We brought in new, independent analysis to demonstrate that despite more money being taken from businesses and more employee jobs being threatened that the unemployment trust fund deficit would actually increase.

The Chamber will continue to lead the way. No, this delay doesn’t solve the problem of a bankrupt UI trust fund, but that is a challenge that an estimated 40-plus states will soon be facing. There will need to be a federal solution. Now is not the time to take $500 million more from Hoosier companies and their employees without fixing the system. 

Beyond individual attributes and abilities, what’s one of the keys to being a good salesperson? The no-brainer answer is a good product to sell.

Well, the Indiana Chamber has that. The list of benefits is long and powerful. Add in the almost 90 years of history and accomplishment, the nearly 5,000 member companies with 800,000 Hoosier workers already on board, and the recognition that businesses can’t do everything on their own and must utilize available resources for ultimate success.

But you still have to be at the top of your game to get the job done. We’re in the market for a new membership development manager, with this dynamic salesperson joining a team of five other awesome membershipians (I know that’s not a real word, but give me a break).  To be successful, this position requires hitting the phone and hitting the road to convince business owners and CEOs that the Chamber can and should be part of their game plan.  Go get ‘ers should e-mail me (tbrewer@indianachamber.com) to learn more and to submit a resume.  Sleepy heads need not apply.

The many great things the Indiana Chamber is able to accomplish are due to the support of member businesses around the state. Making sure those members receive a strong return on their investment, and in turn helping those companies and their employees succeed, is the role of the Chamber’s membership team.

That team was recently recognized for its outstanding efforts in 2008. At the annual Association of State Chamber Professionals conference (that’s membership folks from state chambers and business associations around the country), the Indiana Chamber earned a first-place award for Highest Membership Growth in numbers and a second place for Highest Market Share in numbers.

Knowledge certainly plays a part. In a profession often marked by high turnover, the Chamber counters with Tim Brewer (director of membership) and Brett Carrington each having more than nine years of experience in the organization. Tim Wood and Marcus Fehman also bring their talents as membership managers with Sarah Hankley in the important role of membership coordinator.

Bottom line: If you are already an Indiana Chamber member, this group will help you get the most out of your investment. If you’re not on board, see what you’re missing.