How To Get Started As A Motivational Speaker

Many people set foot on the path of becoming a motivational speaker mainly because they want to inspire people with their strong and inspiring ideas. Undeniably, motivational speakers play a huge role in inspiring people to chase their dreams and become entrepreneurs, by discussing a diverse range of subjects in regards to different aspects of life.

There’s a plethora of motivational speakers out there where many do not possess the genuine merit to excel in the field, which is why despite being a huge number of motivational speakers operating in America, there’s still a dire need of quality speakers based on real merit.

The National Speakers Association in America reports that there are over 40,000 paid speakers in the country and around 13,000 of them are fully engaged in the domain of motivational speaking. Certainly, this career option is not a piece of cake by any margin. If anything, motivational speaking is one of the most challenging jobs in the world today, hence why they get paid well.

Moreover, one cannot just become a great motivational speaker just because they would like to. One could be the most motivated person on the planet but they will not be able to call themselves motivational speakers until and unless they master the art of delivering a quality speech.

How Do You Fit?

Regardless of anything, if you are naturally driven towards the art of public speaking, have a strong desire to inspire people with great ideas and theories then this could most definitely be the best career option for you – as long as you qualify in terms of merit and can deliver a speech effectively.

This guide will help you discover which areas you must pay attention to in order to become a wildly successful motivational speaker in today’s competitive world.

Areas To Work On:

Experience

Your niche could be an extension of an industry you belong to and have developed vast experience in. Let’s say if you worked as a Management Consultant for the past decade, your experience sets you up in an ideal position to deliver speeches centering on the topic of business and entrepreneurship.

Another example – if you have managed high school soccer teams or served as the manager of a professional team in any division, then it makes a likely scenario for you to deliver motivational speeches to athletes. It is all about knowing where you belong and it also projects an influence on your audience.

In addition to having a ton of experience to share, motivational speakers are also expert communicators which is crucial for this line of work. It goes without saying, of course, that a motivational speaker will find it incredibly difficult to stand in front of thousands of people of all ages and share their story confidently if they lack communication skills. Due to this very reason, there are hundreds of people who never share their stories.

Aesthetics

Get a grip of public speaking aesthetics. Study successfully established motivation speakers out there and find out what are the key characteristics which allow them to stand out. There are certain qualities of attitude, personality, humor, eloquence and most importantly, the substance of your subject.

Being simple with your ideas and theories would totally uplift your standards because you would be able to make your audience understand a topic better.

Personal Story

If your life revolved around unrelenting struggles and you made your way through all calamities successfully, then it makes a good story which you can tell to inspire an audience. However, it is important to recognize exactly which points would draw interest, trigger emotions and provoke people to think when you are enlightening them of your story.

It’s a psychologically proven fact that success stories are often key to making a person become better in their daily life no matter how messed up their life may be currently. You will need to plan out your entire story effectively.

Do juxtaposition with some points, work on its flow, cut the unnecessary details and lead by an agenda – inspiring people. If you are naturally a great storyteller then it is a win! Every great speaker has a story to tell; just watch how J.K. Rowling spoke at the Harvard Commencement in 2008.

Personality And Appearance

Your words are not the only element drawing the interest of people. Unless you are Mark Zuckerberg, people will notice what you are wearing and how you present yourself. Research proves how people respond to the attire of individuals with results signaling a positive response towards a well-dressed person which impacts their ability to make a strong, lasting impression.

It is important to know how to carry yourself because you will be projecting an energy to your audience. If your energy is low, you may not be able to make an impact.

Having a strong personality and the ability to make a lasting impression is the way to go. You should be effortlessly eloquent, able to digest criticism and be good at answering questions. All-in-all, you should be able to make people feel good listening to you and that is an area where it matters more than having just words to say.

Marketing

Social media is an ideal instrument to gain traction and turn leads into sales. You are supposed to use it effectively and as your primary medium of marketing. As a public speaker, you need to establish yourself as a brand, engage with people on different social networks. Get popular by offering good advice on Quora and write articles on websites.

Establishing and maintaining your social media profiles on different platforms is extremely important. In this digital age, billions of people are constantly consuming content on social media and if you are able to market yourself effectively on these platforms, it will help build up your social currency.

Networking

Get in the habit of following your peers on social media. Engage yourself in conversation, especially with the people in the same industry as you. Return emails on time. Remember names. Be humble, practical, offer advice, smile more and sway a positive influence.

Small gestures would go a long way in allowing you to win over people. In this industry, having a vast network would open an array of opportunities for you and would remain a significant factor to your success.

Finding A Mentor

As aforementioned, becoming a successful motivational speaker requires a lot of effort and dedication. How you deliver your speeches, how original you are with your work and how many people you inspire all have a huge role to play in your success. There are several motivational speakers that you can consider as role models before you really make it to the top yourself.

Suze Orman is an individual who has helped thousands of people pick themselves up and make better decisions in life. The 67-year-old has shared all the lessons that she has learned from her own experiences in order to help other people understand certain things and circumstances prior to making mistakes. Suze also has a good amount of experience under her belt and is one of America’s favorite authors and motivational speakers. Learn from the best, whether in person or via YouTube videos.

Moreover, if you truly are passionate about becoming a motivational speaker, a few extra training sessions in public speaking, critical thinking and speech deliverance will help do wonders for your career. Training is the name of the game here, which means that without training you are not going to achieve the success you are aiming for.

How Much Can You Expect To Earn

While a lot of people are under the assumption that motivational speakers do not earn a lot, this is rather far from the truth. Initially, a speaker can earn anywhere between $0-$200 per seminar. As they gain more and more experience, their rank keeps going higher. Eventually, they can become certified motivational speakers, at which point, they can demand how much they wish to be paid.

Many speakers ask for thousands of dollars and receive it. It depends on how renowned you are and how many people are inspired by your words.

Statistics have shown that a good motivational speaker could be making about $200,000 per year. Speakers generally earn more as they establish themselves in the market. This is done by expanding their influence further by publishing books, e-books, online articles, and so forth.

Final Thoughts

To become a motivational speaker you must always be honest with the people around you as well as with yourself. Although initially, you might find that your word doesn’t matter, eventually you will become more successful when you deliver the speech correctly.

Not only do motivational speakers make a handsome amount of money in a year, but they also have a lot of people who look up to them and that in and of itself is a big reward. The real power of motivational speaking is to keep in mind the best intention for the people in front of you and to always speak from the heart.