Want To Truly Inspire Others? Become A Motivational Speaker
Have you overcome a tough situation and gained knowledge and a perspective you’d like to share with others? If so, why not become a motivational speaker? You could really help others through a difficult time, and in terms of career it can be a rewarding way to earn a living. In this article we look at a few things you need to think about before heading down this exciting career path.
Have you overcome a tough situation and gained knowledge and a perspective you’d like to share with others? If so, why not become a motivational speaker? You could really help others through a difficult time, and in terms of career it can be a rewarding way to earn a living. Here’s what you need to know.
Develop Your Ideas
As with any kind of business, you need to be offering something a little different. Simply rehashing the same old ideas as everyone else won’t get you far. You need to provide something different, so dig deep. The best motivational speeches come from those who have been through and overcome a challenging situation themselves, and how they personally dealt with and coped with everything.
It will be hard to motivate others if you don’t care much about what you’re saying, so it absolutely has to be meaningful and relevant to you. What you have that’s different to others is your life experience and point of view, so be sure to use these. Invest as much time as you can into thinking about your message; no topic is really off limits, providing it inspires people to do something.
Become an expert on the topic you’re speaking about, your audience will expect you to know a lot about the subject of your motivational speech. So be sure to read, study and stay current in your field
Gain Speaking Skills
Having good content is only part of the battle when it comes to being a motivational speaker. The way you deliver your message is crucial. you need to connect with and captivate the audience.
Everyone feels some physiological reactions when they’re nervous such as a pounding heart and trembling hands. Don’t assume that these feelings mean you will perform poorly or make a fool of yourself, some nerves really are good. The adrenaline rush can boost your alertness and ensure you’re ready to give your best performance.
Learn techniques that enable you to keep your voice steady and your head held confidently, even when you are feeling nervous. Even if you’re already very confident speaking in front of a crowd, chances are you have at least some bad habits. These could range from defensive posture while you talk, to using filler words like “erm” more than you realise.
Look for an experienced speaker and learn from them says Ross Kernez from rossk.com. Kernez recommends that you look to join a public speaking group, take a college communications class or even hire a speaking coach to help you develop your communication habits and skills.
With this being said, you still want to retain personality and not just become a “talking head.” Use humour, tell personal stories and make it relatable, this is what will enable people to connect with you and your message.
Know Your Audience
As well as developing your material and speaking skills, you need to research your audience. After all, your speech is about them, not you.
Before you begin to craft your speech, consider what kind of person the message is intended for. Learn as much about your listeners as it can help you to determine your choice of words and the level of information and detail you give.
Market Yourself
Once you feel like you have a talk ready to go, it’s time to begin marketing yourself. A website is a good place to start, have a marketing agency promote this for you. Keep releasing content by blogging about your ideas, guest posting on popular sites, making videos on YouTube or writing a book- it’s easy to self publish these days.
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As a person who conducts seminars or classes, you will always want to have your lanyard ID card somewhere on your person, especially in situations where people might need to understand who you are. More than likely, this will be at the beginning of a course or when you attend a gathering or a conference. You can find a company that supplies them online.
Motivational speaking is a way that you can genuinely improve the lives of others and help them to gain a new perspective. Is it something you would ever consider?