You Too Can Become a Motivational Speaker: Here’s How

In 2020, the U.S. motivational speaking industry got valued at 1.9 billion dollars. So, it’s safe to say that you can build a successful career by becoming a good motivational speaker. You also get to inspire others and motivate them with a powerful message.

However, there’s a lot more that goes into motivational speaking than giving the right message. In this article, we talk about the other factors that help advance you in this career. Read on to learn how to inspire others today!

Choose Your Area of Expertise 

The first step in becoming a motivational speaker is to define your area of expertise. You’ll want to start with a subject that you know well. Focus on what you’re passionate about and define the perspectives you have to offer.

It’ll be easier to become a successful motivational speaker if you develop new ideas. These ideas must be something relevant to both you and the audience. This way, your audience can relate to what you’re saying and get convinced by what you’re trying to share.

If you’re unsure where to start, try listing down topics that you feel strongly about. Take into consideration your level of knowledge to ensure you increase your credibility. For example, you could talk about what you’ve studied or areas you’ve had experience in.

Put a lot of thought into your message and how you’ll be able to inform, inspire, and captivate your audience.

Develop Your Content

Once you’ve decided on your overall topic, the next thing you’ll want to do is develop your content. To make a stronger impact, you need to present your ideas in a unique way. New views on certain topics are what gets people interested.

Do your research on what’s already gotten discussed before and expand on it. You’ll want to think of how your perspective differs and how it’ll best appeal to those who don’t know as much about it.

After getting your major points down, work on the structure of your presentation. It’s important that you stay entertaining, educational, and motivational. This will keep your audience engaged and have them pay attention all throughout.

Identify and Understand Your Audience 

Now that you know what you want to say, it’ll be easier to identify who will benefit the most from it. From what age they are, to what career they have, or what lifestyle they live. When you know the audience you’re speaking for; you can get a better idea of what examples to use.

Doing this will help to communicate your message and get your point across clearer. Conveying your ideas to your audience helps to leave a lasting impression.

It’s important to remember, though, that not everyone is going to love your message. That’s expected when you’re dealing with a large group of individuals, but you shouldn’t let it affect your overall goal. Try and focus on connecting with those who get engaged and leave your views to resonate with them.

Learning about your audience becomes easier with the use of social media. You can learn a lot through interactions online and in other forms of correspondence.

Work on Your Public Speaking Skills

Knowing what you’re going to say is essential to motivational speaking. However, knowing how to say it and how you’re going to deliver your message is as important.

Getting people excited about your content can be one of the most challenging parts of presenting. A lot of people struggle with talking in front of large groups of people. This is why it’s a good idea to invest your time in learning how to speak confidently in public settings.

Having great content will only get you halfway there. The key to leaving a lasting impact is tapping into your audience’s passions. Remember that you’re trying to convince them of something you feel strongly about; this can only happen when you present yourself in a way that can inspire them.

You can join public speaking training groups or hire a mentor to help you develop your skills. Try and get as much practice as you can to help yourself get used to public speaking. Like with any other skill, this requires a fair amount of effort and energy put in.

Gather Public Interest

A good way to test how well your content would get received is by making your online presence known. You could share inspirational quotes or write blog posts through social media. You could even collaborate with other influencers to help build your plan.

If you can, it’ll be beneficial to start a website where you can create and post original content. You’ll want it to look professional and have it explain what you do, as well as a link to your social media accounts. Keep these accounts active to keep yourself engaged with your followers.

This will help you get a good idea of the kind of feedback for your views. If your followers respond with positive feedback, then it’s a sure sign that you’re ready to take to the stage. Building an online following will also help bring in attendance to your future talks.

Start Free

Once you get a firm grasp of what it takes to become a successful motivational speaker, offer free talks. Start with giving motivational speeches to local schools and organizations. This will not only help you practice your speaking skills, but it’ll also help you gain traction for paid gigs you’ll have in the future.

Learn How to Become a Motivational Speaker Today

Getting into motivational speaking without a lot of experience can present a couple of challenges. Making a career out of this takes a lot of hard work and effort, so don’t get discouraged if you encounter a few problems. We hope that this article was able to help you get an idea of how to start and which direction you’ll need to go in.

Do you want to learn more about public speaking? Check out more of our guides to learn all you can about public speaking today!