Are you an avid speaker? Do you have a thing for public speaking? Then maybe you should consider motivational speaking as a career choice. In general, very few people can master the art of keeping an audience engaged. It’s tough to use plain words to draw attention, although the right phrases might just help you attain greatness. If you genuinely like holding public presentations and connecting with people, you should give this career path a try.

We live in a stressful environment where the work that we do daily doesn’t bring us any satisfaction. Employees need a voice to keep them motivated, and companies need happy employees to boost their companies’ bottom line. This is where you come in. Motivational speakers are the best at giving people a reason to move on with their lives. Provided that what you have to say is interesting, catchy and inspiring, chances are you’ll make an excellent orator.

Be the voice of reason

Why choose to be a motivational speaker? Why not choose to be a doctor or a lawyer? The thing is some people have a special talent for holding presentation and speaking in front of other people. It would be a shame to have the gift and not use it. Today’s most experienced orators have the ability to change people’s perceptions. After you’ve decided that this is what you want to do for the rest of your life, it’s time to practice. What would you like to talk about? Do you have something you’d like to share that nobody else has ever talked about?

Believe it or not, the key to succeeding as a motivational speaker is to share stories that come from the bottom of your heart. Your goal should be to draw attention and win people’s heart. In time, this will lead to successful presentations, and eventually to meaningful financial incentives. But until that happens, you have to start slow. Be willing to sacrifice your time for free if you want to get noticed, and know that there’s no easy way to getting to the top in this business.

Mentorship

Assuming that you have the finest public speaking abilities, this doesn’t mean that you can walk into a room, say a few words and cash in a check. It’s not that simple! If you’re serious about becoming a motivational speaker, you must find yourself a mentor. You don’t have to talk to that person, but you need to check out his/her style in order to help you shape yours. A lot of successful speakers will tell you that it’s tough to succeed in this industry; and it’s not because there aren’t any spots left. The real problem is that it’s extremely difficult to make people listen.

A mentor can help you tackle this issue. You could have the finest skills, but this doesn’t mean people will listen to you. There are certain strategies you must consider to make yourself noticed. Body language for instance, is crucial. Maintaining eye contact, speaking AT people and TO people, smiling every now and then, and preserving a fluid body movement are all vital aspects that set apart a mediocre speaker from an experienced one.

Establish a target audience

After you’ve made the decision to become a motivational speaker, the next step is to settle on an audience. Start by selecting a target audience. If you’re aiming at people aged between 20 and 40, then you might want to avoid talking about thing that could relate to older people (e.g. retirement). Keep things fresh and focus your speech on topics that your audience will want to listen (e.g. career advice, tips to stay engaged at work, tips to be happy).

It’s not easy to become a motivational guest speaker. First of all, it takes a lot of patience for someone to gain the trust of an audience. Next, you have to be enticing to others. If you don’t make yourself likeable, you won’t make it. Of course, it is equally important to have a genuine attitude. Provided that you have to say comes from the heart, you have high chances of succeeding as a motivational speaker. Never lose focus and remember that the key to making yourself noticed is to be real.