I first ran this list a few years back.  Here it is again, updated for 2014 and in time for Black Friday in the US, and general holiday shopping elsewhere:  what to get your favorite public speaking family member or friend for the holidays.  Following (in no particular order and at varying price points) are 10 suggestions for anyone who speaks. Get shopping!

1. A New Web Site

I regularly check out the world of speaker web sites, and I have to say: they are pretty bad. They are overcrowded, underwhelming, inadequate and poorly designed for quick connections – what the web is all about. So get a decent designer and writer on board, re-think the approach, and get a web site as good as this one: http://www.jonathanfields.com/. Note, BTW, that it works well on mobile, too. So many don’t.

2.  A Tablet and Apps

I would recommend Apple, but the Microsoft world has plenty of options too. Whichever you choose for that fave speaker, a tablet will help to show slides, take notes, act like a teleprompter-like device, or as a white board.  You can use a tablet to record the speech, too, if you’re not using it for something else.  Bring your public speaker into the 21st century with this gift, and save room in his or her carry-on at the same time.

3.  A Year of Improv Lessons

My favorite recommendation for any speaker.  It’s a commitment, sure, but if you’re a serious public speaker, you need to know how to respond in the moment. And nothing improves a speaker’s ability to focus on that all-important moment like a year of Improv lessons.  Improv is hard to do – very hard – but you don’t have to become an expert to benefit from the increased ability to be present on stage.   Once you’ve done Improv, public speaking will seem comparatively easy work.

4.  Something to Read

Since it would be immodest to nominate my own books, this year I’m going to suggest Words That Ring Through Time: The Fifty Most Important Speeches in History and How They Changed Our World as my 2014 choice for public speakers.  The speeches are inspiring and the discussion on each illuminating. Get a copy for your fave speaker and inspire him or her to greatness.

5.  A New Speaker Sizzle Reel

Speakers are forever chasing a better speaking video.  The last one has less-than-perfect sound, or it was a bad hair day, or you muffed a line at a critical point.  Whatever the reason, speakers are never happy with their videos.  And they’re always out of date.  So find a video company and do it right.  With a little shopping around, you can find a good company at a great price.

6.  A Half-dozen Thumb Drives

Last time I checked, you can find thumb drives with 8 Gigs or more storage on them for $6-12 US.  You may well be able to do better than that.  What’s more, you can get them in all kinds of cute styles and configurations, so you can even theme this gift appropriately.  The idea is to have all the necessary backups of presentations, videos, marketing information and so on easily portable and safely replicated – and ready to give away to curious speaker bureau reps.

7. A Busman’s Holiday at TEDx

How about a trip to a TEDx talk fest (plus a couple of days on either side to recover from the excitement)? Nothing says “I love you” to a speaker more than a conference full of amazing speaking, to crib from, to emulate, or just to envy. Apparently, there’s a TEDx event happening somewhere in the world every day, so you shouldn’t lack for pleasant locales and options.

8.  A Clothes Shopping Spree

You need to look your best when you’re standing up in front of 1000 peers all focusing on you for inspiration and wisdom. You need to feel like a million bucks, and here’s a time when elegantly tailored clothing really, really helps.  It’s worth spending some real money on a great outfit or two, and your speaker will thank you for it.

9.  A Priority Pass Membership

Let’s face it; the successful public speaker will spend a great deal of time in airplanes and airports in 2015.  A Priority Pass membership will give that grateful public speaker access to a quiet space between flights, at many airline clubs around the world, along with the friendlier and more helpful staff to sort out those inevitable travel delays.

10.  A Photo Shoot

Don’t go cheap on your photo shoot.  You want high-quality shots so that you can make a claim to being a high-quality speaker.  Anything less and it looks like you’re an amateur trying to play in a pro’s game. Give your speaker the gift of a professional photographer and get it done right.