If you consider becoming a professional speaker but you don’t know where to start from, we can offer you an advice that has helped a lot of people launch their successful speaking careers in the past.
Do not think of the speaking business as a scheme that will help you get rich instantly. Although there are some exceptions that normally apply to Olympic Gold Medalists and past US presidents, this doesn’t apply to the majority of people starting their speaker careers.
The following are some advices that many successful people adopted early in their professional speaking business.
Do not quit your current job just yet
Stick to your old job for some time if you still have one. A secure income will help you make better business decisions and at the same time reduce stress. Having enough available cash will make it easier for you to invest in your future business. If you make a move from the corporate world to a business of your own, you should have enough money put aside to cover your expenses in the first year.
Develop your ability to speak and become good at it
You must learn how to speak well if you want to become a good speaker. You may already have a lot of experience and great insights about what to speak about but your paying audience will always demand more and so you too should strive to become better.
Speaking in front of an audience is not a talent but rather a skill. You shouldn’t solely rely on talent but instead get coaching and often practice your presentations.
Practice speaking as often as the opportunity presents itself
If you want others to pay you for your ability to speak, you should speak as often as you can, even if it means speaking for free. There are two reasons behind this. Firstly, you need the experience, and secondly, in order to appreciate you, people need to see you.
You may need to plead for the opportunity to speak at first. It is often better to begin with people who know you. If you have been a member of a particular association in the past, ask to speak for it. Don’t turn down an opportunity when you start and always strive to deliver to the best of your abilities.
Become known as “the speaker” by offering to speak more in your volunteer work and at your present job.
Strive to present yourself as an expert speaker
There are a lot of people who are very good at speaking but if you aim to earn a leaving by speaking in public, you should strive to at least sound like an expert when you begin.
Even being recognized as an expert is often not enough. You must be valued as such by your audience, and there are three strategies you can employ to increase your standing as an expert speaker in the eyes of others:
– Only cover topics of your expertise when you deliver speeches
– Let the media publish your content
– Write and publish yourself
Each of these strategies are very important. Let them all work for you!
Author Bio
John Constantinides is an experienced entrepreneur, SEO expert and social media strategist. Throughout his years of cutting-edge work in the digital marketing, web design and tech start-up fields, he has successfully developed multiple business ventures and become an authority on search engine optimization and PPC.
