“I can’t think of many jobs where I would get to meet such a broad range of people in such a short space of time. And I’m not just talking about job roles or even industries, I’m talking about entirely different cultures.” – Professional speaker Alex Hunter
For some, stepping onto an empty stage feels like having a swarm of bees lodged in their stomach. For others, the stage is a natural place where ideas are shared, knowledge is exchanged, and audience members (might) shed a few tears. With the popularity of events like TED, those drawn to the stage are becoming more interested in a speaking career. So, why should you consider a speaking career?
What Kind Of Speaker Are You?
There are four main categories that public speakers fall into, whether they are in a boardroom or delivering a speech for a school audience.
1. You Share Instruction – A good example of this would be someone coming into an office to teach them how to use a new software. This is an option if you have a particular skillset that can be shared within the course of your speaking time.
2. You Share Life Experience – Personal stories can yield incredible social change, whether they are shared by a political figure, a celebrity, or someone who had a life-altering experience. Many speakers started their careers by sharing interesting travel stories and tales of war, for instance. Do you have a story worth sharing?
3. You Share Expertise – This is the category many TED speakers fall into; people who are experts and prominent figures in their field or industry. Perhaps they’ve been published, are well-known in their career, or are famous for something they’ve done. If you’re looking to establish credibility for yourself, consider publishing a book or eBook on the topic before using the term “expert.”
4. You Share Motivation – From life coaches to pastors to business leaders, motivational speakers are passionate about sharing their abilities and inspiring action in others. They appeal to the emotions of their listeners and have the power of persuasion, no matter the subject or audience.
Why Is It Effective?
No matter the type of speaker, all utilize rhetoric: the art of persuading or having a meaningful effect on an audience. This was further elaborated on by Aristotle in about 300 B.C., when he claimed that there were three elements to strong rhetoric:
1. Ethos – This defines the credibility of the speaker, and the authority that the speaker has over their subject.
2. Logos – This describes the logic and deduction the audience can apply to the facts in an argument, thereby deciding its strength.
3. Pathos – An emotional appeal that touches the audience.
Public speakers live and die by their ability to master all three abilities, whether they are pitching a new idea to a boardroom, or simply convincing a huddle of athletes to try their darndest at a big game. With these tools, the instructional speakers, experts, storytellers, and motivators move their audiences to aim higher.
Why Get Into Speaking?
1. You Have Something To Say
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
There’s no better way to share your message than in-person, on a stage, where the attention is directly on you. Start by asking yourself: what do I know that I want the world to know? What do I have that can give value, make a change, or positively affect others?
2. You’re Inspired By The Greats
“I thought of suicide, pretended illness, flight …. I was very miserable and scared.” – Mark Twain on his first lecture
Many incredible, inspiring, world-changing historical figures spent a successful amount of time or have jump-started their careers through public speaking. Our favorite example is Mark Twain, who was a struggling journalist with some funny travel stories when he booked the largest venue in 1866 San Francisco to lecture at. Armed with a few hilarious marketing strategies (check out one of his posters here), and some great tales, Twain was still fearful that his investment would go to waste and he wouldn’t live up to the hype of the sold-out show. He planted a few friends throughout the audience to laugh at key moments, and the rest is history. His successful first show led to a 30-year career that later launched him into writing stardom. Could you follow in his footsteps?
3. You’re An Entrepreneur
“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” – Warren G. Tracy’s student
Entrepreneurs and public speaking go together like peanut butter and jelly. But even more than that, an entrepreneur must hone in those skills in order to approach investors, host seminars, train new employees, and more. Could a public speaking career help you develop key skills? Successful business woman, Ph.D, and public speaker Jan Yager believes that one can’t exist without the other.
4. You Want The Competitive Edge
“When you speak at an event, the content that you prepare is intellectual property with a value that can stretch beyond the roomful of people in attendance.” – Tony Bacigalupo
There’s no better way to establish yourself as a thought leader than to engage in a successful public speaking career. It’s a fresh way of putting yourself and your brand out into the world in a way that’s much more engaging than “download this eBook” or “sign up for our newsletter.”
5. You Want To Fix Something
“The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” – Josh Billings
Social change is important, but it can only begin when people understand the problem. The phenomenon of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” is a good example, which began as a presentation and grew from there. What would you change about our world, why would you change it, and how could your audience help? What would you raise awareness about to affect positive change?
6. You Want To Establish Credibility
“Brilliant public speaking is just as much about filtering out information as it is providing information. If you are able to communicate in a simple and clear way, you will be able to communicate more effectively to a greater number of people whether they are internal experts or external clients.” – Sarah Lloyd-Hughes
If you’ve done any proprietary work in your field, or if you simply want people to see, that you know what you’re talking about, a career speaking might be for you. This can be a way to add exposure to your existing credible work, as well as make connections before and after the event.
7. You Want To Train
“Enthusiasm is contagious. Be a carrier.” – Susan Rabin
Perhaps you’re tired of seeing the same mistake repeated over and over when it comes to loading dishwashers properly or creating Facebook passwords. Don’t be the person who complains about it but does nothing; public speaking gives you the opportunity to create the change you’d like to see happen.
8. You Want To Stop Giving Free Advice
“If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” – The Joker
Are you giving away hours of training, sound advice, or detailed instruction? Consider that you may have a valuable asset through your existing know-how, and willing to accept that people will pay to learn it.
9. You Want To Boost Career Goals
“If you were in an elevator with a younger engineer and you only had a few minutes with them and they asked you what are the three most important skills they should develop in their engineering career? What would you say?” I won’t go into all three of them in this post, but I will discuss one: become a great public speaker.” – Anthony Fasano, P.E. civil engineer, engineering career coach.
As evidenced by the above quote, the overall experience you have building a public speaking career can enhance long-term goals in any field. Speaking skills, confidence, self-promotion, and persuasion are all abilities that carry over into different workforces.
10. You Know You Can Do It Better
“The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything.” – Theodore Roosevelt
For those of us who feel as if they have something to prove, a one-up on your competition might be just enough to do it. Have you ever watched a speech or presentation and felt as if you had something to add, offer, or could just straight-up improve? How would you do it? How could you do it in about 20 minutes?
For the personal gratification, reputation boost, and perhaps even the potential of fame and fortune, public speaking might be the right career move for you. What message would you share with the world?
Question: If you are or want to be on the public speaking circuit, what motivates you?
