Can Public Speaking Be a Career?

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Public speaking as a career

Professional speaking is an opportunity to share a message that you love as you earn money. In this post, we are going to focus on how you can build a career as a public speaker.

The public speaking industry has grown rapidly in the last few years. In the US alone, there are thousands of full-time speakers who get hired for events all over the world. And this number will continue to grow.

What is a public speaker?

A public speaker is an individual who presents a lecture or speech to the public. This can either be in a semi-private or a public setting. In many instances, public speakers will be paid for their talent and time. 

public speakers will be paid for their talent and time

Many professions in our modern world involve some public speaking. There’s a good chance that employees who take the time to develop and improve their public speaking skills will get promoted faster to leadership positions. Whether you want to become a full-time public speaker or not, learning how to become one has enormous benefits. By becoming a good public speaker, you’ll develop your ability to communicate effectively and to write and formulate arguments to persuade others.

What to speak about?

So what sort of things do public speakers talk about? Well, there is a wide range of public speaking material, from lifestyles and natural remedies to corporate sales techniques. For almost every topic that comes to mind, chances are there is a speaker who specializes in it. You’ll also notice that there is wide variety when it comes to the backgrounds of public speakers. For instance, speakers like Tony Robbins and Richard Branson have become famous across the world despite never attending college. On the other hand, there are hundreds of successful speakers who have several college degrees and other qualifications.

What makes you stand out

In short, where you come from and what you choose to speak about aren’t as important as what makes you stand out from the crowd. You can choose to speak about equal rights in the workplace, leadership, or success, to name a few. All of these topics are excellent examples of messages that need to be shared across the world. However, there are a lot of speakers who already specialize in them. Therefore, if you already have a topic of interest in mind, you need to figure out what makes you stand out. 

How much money will I make?

the sky's the limit

Apart from the message that you are going to focus on, you also need to think about your finances. The amount of money that you make as a public speaker will vary depending on your experience, reputation, level of skill, and the importance of your message. You can also increase your fee by using good sales techniques. In general, you are going to start small and increase your rate gradually as you build your client base. The average public speaker in the US earns from about $1500 to $12500 or more per gig. When you become a public speaker, you’ll start small, of course. However, the sky's the limit.

Becoming a public speaker

Now it’s time to get to the roots of becoming a successful public speaker. Your path will vary depending on your background, the industry you specialize in, and your connections. However, there are a number of important steps to becoming a great public speaker. You need to:

Define your message

Start by outlining the main topics you’ll be covering as a speaker. Will you focus on a specific ingredient of business such as sales, marketing, or operations? Will you offer your services to individuals or corporations? Regardless of the areas that you’ll focus on, there are two requirements that you’ll need to fulfill in order to start your journey well. 

The first requirement is to have a unique message. Deciding to become a public speaker means that your message is important to you. If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t want to share it. You need to get others to see why it’s important and why you should be the person who shares the message.

The second requirement is to make your message actionable. Becoming a public speaker entails learning the best strategies to inspire others to take action. After outlining your message, you should break it down into simple manageable steps for people to take action. For instance, if you decide to focus on work-life balance, you should break this topic down into actionable steps on how anyone can detach themselves from their work. Taking the main idea from your message and providing ways for your listeners to take action is the best way to succeed as a public speaker.

Write down your promise statement

Once you’ve defined your message and broken it down into manageable steps, you need to focus on your clients. In most instances, the individual who hires you is looking for someone who can help them solve their problems. That’s why it’s important to navigate the entire process of becoming a public speaker. You need to think like a client if you want to become a successful speaker. Think of the ways that your clients can benefit by hiring you.

One of the best ways to communicate value is by coming up with a promise statement. A promise statement is a short explanation of what your clients will gain if they decide to hire you. Whether it’s a personal or business benefit, the goal is to grab your audience’s attention. The easiest way to create a good promise statement is by taking your message and flipping it back to the client’s perspective. 

Build your brand

Once you are done with the content aspects of becoming a public speaker, you should start focusing on the visual and promotional side, and that’s your personal brand. Your personal brand covers everything from your presentation to your style. There are a lot of factors that determine how your audience perceives you. Therefore, you need to have all your branding bases covered before kicking off your new profession. 

The essentials of your brand complement your promise statement. They help potential customers to have a clear idea of the person they’ll be dealing with. All these elements help you stand out from your competition. Building your personal brand can help your clients remember you easily.

Social media presence is key

To become a successful public speaker, you need to be social. In our modern world social media is key. Creating a social media profile is one of the most affordable and effective ways to build your credibility. It’s a great way to build strong connections with other leaders in your industry and potential clients. Some of the most popular social media platforms include Instagram. Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

Conclusion

Now is the time to get started building your public speaking career. What are you going to start doing today to build your brand and get more clients?

About the author:

Thomas Jackson is a professional writer at assignment help, and RushEssay. He is also a member of several writing clubs in New York. You can visit this service to see his works. He has been writing his own songs since he was a child. This young author gets inspiration from live concerts in front of his loved ones.

 
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