Are you interested in starting a motivational speaking career?
Here are some things you will need to consider:
Famous motivational speakers may look like they’ve gotten their lives figured out. After all, their job is to travel around the world and tell adoring crowds about their greatest achievements and triumphs.
However, we all know that they got started somewhere else before they become the sensations that you see in the limelight. Da Vinci didn’t paint the Mona Lisa on his day one, and for a motivational speaker, it takes years of work, sharpening their messages and mastering their delivery skills, before they get “the big break”.
If you’re exploring motivational speaking as a career option, the prospects may look quite daunting. Just like any other career, starting a motivational speaking career requires commitment and dedication, especially because you’re going to work for yourself and constantly seek new clients.
If you believe you have what it takes to start a successful motivational speaking career, here are a few steps to get started.
Whats Your Why?
Why do you want to start a motivational speaking career? Do you have years of experience in business or counseling? Do you have a great triumph, a personal struggle that you overcame? In other words, do you have a great story to tell?
What’s driving or pulling you in this direction?
Do you truly have a burning desire to share your message?
Is your message unique?
Are you willing to pay your dues and go through the hard times while you figure out your path?
Very often people see speakers up on stage sharing their story but have very little understanding as to the work behind the scenes that got them to where they are.
So if you are going to set off on a path towards launching your career as a speaker, you are going to need to have a good reason as to why you want to do it. Otherwise when things get tough (because they will), you will quickly give up.
What’s Your Story?
Great motivational speakers each have a specific area that they talk about – whether it’s entrepreneurship, personal development, perseverance, or other types of success.
Ideally, these should be ideas and experiences that profoundly affects your life and change the way you tackle everyday challenges, but they need to speak to universal human challenges that can resonate with your audience.
You may be an expert in a few areas or have many interesting stories to tell but developing your unique idea and tell your stories around this central idea can help your listeners remember you and your story better.
Whatever your story, you need to work on refining the details and the supporting facts and figures so that your idea is simple to understand, easy to remember, and most of all, it needs to resonate with the listener.
Sharpen Your Angle
Once you have a compelling story, you need to make sure that it’s one only you can tell. What makes some motivational speakers greatly inspiring is that despite their incredible trauma, loss, and failure, they have a unique perspective and a refreshing approach to deal with them.
Nick Vujicic was born without four limbs, causing him massive challenges when doing even the simplest task. But on stage, he often demonstrates how he can get up by himself when he falls, showing us that anyone can overcome anything if only we had the strength and courage.
What’s your unique approach to life’s greatest challenges? When you face adversity, what makes you stand out from the crowd?
If you want to start a motivational speaking career, start by examining your own approach to life, and how that will set you apart from other motivational speakers.
You should also think about how your story and message will benefit your listeners, what they can learn and what actions they can take after they hear your speech.
What makes motivational speeches different from an average Ted talk is that they often inspire listeners to take actions in their own lives. Speakers can go as far as drafting a specific guide to help their listeners approach their problems, one small step at a time.
This will also increase your reach and impact as a motivational speaker.
Hone Your Kraft
Public speaking is arguably one of the most important requirements to get started as a motivational speaker. You may have a compelling story and a unique message, but if your delivery is rusty, you may not reach your audience in an impactful way.
When you first start your motivational speaking career, you need to refine your intonation, pauses, body language, and especially the unwanted ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’.
You can start by filming yourself and watch the tape to see any awkwardness in your voice, posture, pauses, and intonations. Once you’ve refined your speech, perhaps it’s time to start speaking in front of friends and family to see their reactions.
This will help you learn whether your jokes land correctly, whether your pauses are effective, and whether your ideas and messages have the intended effects. Many even hire a speaking coach to help them correct subtle speaking habits that may undermine their motivational speeches.
Once you’ve endured this long process to perfect your message and delivery, you can offer to speak for free in front of a small crowd at local businesses, schools or community centers. These are great opportunities to help you refine your speech even further before you’re ready to step out into the limelight.
Put Yourself Out There
After going through this daunting process and perfecting your message and technique, it’s time to put your name out there! The good news is, there are free, small ways to get started, such as publishing your own motivational videos on YouTube, writing a motivational blog, or hosting a podcast.
Moreover, you can apply to speak at events, conferences, and conventions to expand your network in the industry and get connected to more opportunities. Before you know it, you’ll be a professional motivational speaker!