I'm occasionally asked for references for speaking coaches. Lately, as speakers seem to be emerging from underneath their desks, where they spent most of the post-9/11, post-Enron, post-New Economy, I'm getting lots of these requests.

Almost invariably, the first two names I offer are Virgil Scudder and Tom Mucciolo, two geniuses of their craft.

But they're geniuses in different ways. Both have spoken at the Speechwriter's Conference.

Scudder strikes me as a man who can convince CEOs he is their equal. He has a kind of CEO-like demeanor and lots of good psychological advice and speaking techniques to back it up.

Mucciolo, meanwhile, is a master of technical elocution skills. There is nothing to do with presentation skills that he has not only identified but figured out how to teach.

These guys are both great; but they're only two guys, and they charge serious dough for their work.

My question is: Have you identified great and/or affordable speaking coaches that work well with speakers and get results?

I ask this for selfish reasons悠'd like to have more than two guys on my A list預nd also so we can share in the best speaking coaches.

Let's hear your recommendations!