Motivational speakers build successful careers from life experiences. They share their powerful messages with people keen to benefit from the wisdom gained by those experiences.
A mental health speaker is a professional who shares personal experiences, expertise, and insights to promote awareness, reduce stigma, and provide support for individuals and communities struggling with mental health issues.
There are many opportunities and jobs for motivational speaker. Still, for you to be able to get some of these opportunities, you need to constantly drill yourself to become a professional in the field.
As much as anyone can become a motivational speaker, excelling is not a day’s job; it is not an easy task either. To make life easier, we’ve teamed up with experts from job aggregator Jooble to give you practical tips on becoming a motivational speaker. Let us show you how to kickstart the journey.
What Do You Need To Become A Motivational Speaker?
Becoming a motivational speaker takes much practice, patience, and time. You’d need to perfect several skills, like public speaking, communication, storytelling, e.t.c. These skills are pivotal to the growth of any motivational speaker as you will need them along the journey.
As you continue to build your experience with larger groups, you’ll get better at some, while the others might require that you take lessons and drill yourself to improve. Some top soft skills needed to become a motivational speaker include
- Communication
- Storytelling
- Confidence
- Time management
- Authenticity
- Clear articulation
- Presentation skills
- Empathy
How To Start Your Motivational Speaking Career
Breaking into the world of public speaking might be a daunting task, mainly because the field is already saturated with many professionals. However, all hope is not lost. Below are some key strategies that can help you start and sustain your career in the field.
Define Your Area Of Expertise
There are specific questions you will need to answer before you embark on the journey of motivational speaking. These questions include finding out what you are good at, topics that interest you, and the unique perspective to make you stand out and not just be another regular motivational speaker.
A perfect way to find your niche is to consider areas where you have professional experience or are willing to get professional experience. Maybe you’ve worked as a therapist, and now you want to talk about mental health and adapting to life issues. That kind of choice gives you professionalism to leverage on for a start. With time, you can decide to broaden your scope and increase the services you render.
Know Your Target Audience
Once you know the field you’re starting with, the following line of action would be to identify your target audience. This includes their age group, occupation, how their mind works, how they communicate, and many other factors. This data would help you know which approach to take when speaking with them and the communication method.
Develop Your Public Speaking Skills
Public speaking is a significant criterion of motivational speaking. A motivational speaker has to be confident enough to speak in front of a crowd, no matter how large. You must know what to say, how to present it, and the best time to do so.
There are several platforms where you can build your public speaking skills, like virtual lessons and videos from experts. It’s always best to learn from professionals who have firsthand experience to share. For example, Shapiro Negotiations Keynote Speakers offer a variety of programs to help you develop your public speaking and negotiation skills.
Create An Online Presence
It is a digital world, and many people would expect that you have an online presence. When people open up their laptops and gadgets to find out things about you, they should be able to figure out precisely what you do. The places you’ve spoken at, your skills, niches, and your areas of expertise should all be easily accessible online. Whether on a website or social media platforms, ensure you have a profile that clearly states what you do and how potential clients can reach out to you.
Book Your First Public Speaking Gig
Booking your first public speaking gig might be the most difficult as you’re just starting. However, the good news is that the others will not be as difficult once you actualize that.
You should even be ready to speak for free or get paid at a lesser price for your first speaking gig. Such sacrifice is one you should be ready to make as a beginner in the field.
Conclusion
The journey of a motivational speaker isn’t all rosy. It starts a bit rocky at first, but it will get easier with more experience. We hope you’ll find the journey easier and get yourself out there as a professional motivational speaker with the above key strategies.
