How to Become a Professional Speaker

Professional speaking is an excellent career choice for those who want both the attractive returns from a very lucrative business as well as the flexibility of a freelance career.

Public speaking can be very rewarding financially which is why so many of the best public speakers earn all or most of their money from public speaking.

So just how much do professional speakers make anyway? It varies, and fees can range from the low hundreds up to six figures for those with strong credentials and experience.

The types of public presentations given by professional speakers range from short speeches to keynote speeches to seminars and workshops.

A typical speech is usually only half an hour to an hour in length. A seminar on the other hand, might run for a day or even longer. And in workshops the audience becomes participants, gaining hands-on experience in the area of your presentation.

A good way to get started is to look around your community for groups and organizations for whom you can give short speeches for free. Many communities have organizations that are in constant need of speakers. This is an excellent opportunity to improve your skills, to build your reputation as a speaker, and to obtain important contacts through networking at each event.

One of the most important keys to success is to continually improve your speaking skills. Practice. Practice, practice. Consider joining a group such as Toastmasters which will greatly assist you in developing your presentation skills.

The best professional speakers really love what they do. After all, there's nothing quite like the adrenaline rush that comes from having a room full of people applauding you or even giving you a standing ovation.

Once you have your first speaking engagements, be sure to go out and do a great job, and don't forget to request a testimonial letter. Ask the principal of the organization to write up a letter testifying to your skills as a speaker and how well you spoke to their group. Now you can use key sentences from that testimonial in your marketing materials.

If you really want to get started as a professional speaker, there is no reason why you cannot take the first steps today.



Article Source: Steve H. Wilson



SPEAKING PROMOTIONS...
Emmanuel Ayeni is a Lifecoach, Inspirational Speaker and Entrepreneur, He has compered several weddings,birthdays and other events in Lagos  and beyond and currently mentors and speak to young people weekly on his platform The Inspired Nations Network (TINN)

Get Emmanuel Ayeni to speaker at your both corporate or personal events or get him to empower your workforce or especially your leaders on his main topic of Personal Mastery/Leadership and Money Mastery and all round empowerment. call now 2347033875827 or 2348053257042
Emmanuel is the MD and CEO of Emmandus Networks and is available to speak and develop curriculum relevant and peculiar to your needs.
Emmanuel Ayeni currently works and live in Lagos Nigeria with his beautiful wife Jumoke and their wonderful son Daniel.
Skype: emmandus
www.emmanuelayeni.com 

3 Steps to Becoming a Paid Speaker

Want to get paid for speaking?

Here are three steps on how to do just that...

Step One: Improve your skills and Master the art of public speaking!

First and foremost, you must have decent public speaking skills. It's just like selling a product. Maintain integrity by making your product, which is your speaking, worthy and of high quality. Why would you expect someone to pay you if you cannot deliver an interesting speech?

Knowledge is power. Gain all the knowledge you can. Read books about speaking; search for information on the Internet; join speaking clubs and learn from the established experts. Skill starts from know-how so make every opportunity count.

It is okay to invest money to gain knowledge and improve your chosen craft. Speaking boot camps are great venues to learn the art of public speaking. Speaking organizations will make you grow professionally and can give you opportunities to have plenty of stage time. Feedback from the experts is priceless.

If you want something done right, practice, practice, practice. Skills are only improved through practice and experience. To gain experience, speak in every opportunity you can get. Be hungry and speak in any events you can think of. Ask for feedback as much as possible. Maintain the positive aspects and improve on your flaws.

Step Two: Make salable speeches and choose your niche

Let's say for instance that you have already mastered the art of public speaking. Next thing you should do is to make speeches that you can sell to the public. Don't just create speeches for the sake of it. Make speeches you believe people are willing to spend their hard-earned money on.

This is why speakers should pick a niche, making great speeches begins with audience understanding. You have to know the desires and troubles of your chosen market. Ask questions like, "What are the most common problems of my market?" and "What does my audience really want?" These sort of questions lead to a better understanding of your chosen niche.

Create speeches and topics based on this awareness. Once done, you can effectively market your materials to buyers. Your topics will grab interest instantly because it will appear very specialized to your audience. Buyers will be impressed and they will decide for themselves that you are the best person for the job because your topics and speeches are designed for them.

Step Three: Market and network

This is the most important aspect to getting paid as a speaker. A particular speaker may have great skills but he will never be successful if he doesn't know how to market the product.

Speakers should know how to appeal to their buyers. They should display an air of expertise and authority in the niche. You can implement materials that can add to your credibility and image. Create books, videos, and other resources you can use to market yourself and position yourself as an expert.

Network with people who can help you land speaking engagements. If you spend time enough time with people within the niche, you will eventually get those bookings you wanted through referrals or word-of-mouth.

**Attention Readers**

Want to Make $100,000 to $1,000,000 Dollars Per Year as a Professional Speaker? Learn to 3 Steps to Becoming a Paid Speaker


Source:  James R. Malinchak