How to Become a Professional Speaker

By Steve H Wilson

Professional speaking is an excellent career choice for those who want both the attractive returns from a very lucrative business as well as the flexibility of a freelance career.

Public speaking can be very rewarding financially which is why so many of the best public speakers earn all or most of their money from public speaking.

So just how much do professional speakers make anyway? It varies, and fees can range from the low hundreds up to six figures for those with strong credentials and experience.

The types of public presentations given by professional speakers range from short speeches to keynote speeches to seminars and workshops.

A typical speech is usually only half an hour to an hour in length. A seminar on the other hand, might run for a day or even longer. And in workshops the audience becomes participants, gaining hands-on experience in the area of your presentation.

A good way to get started is to look around your community for groups and organizations for whom you can give short speeches for free. Many communities have organizations that are in constant need of speakers. This is an excellent opportunity to improve your skills, to build your reputation as a speaker, and to obtain important contacts through networking at each event.

One of the most important keys to success is to continually improve your speaking skills. Practice. Practice, practice. Consider joining a group such as Toastmasters which will greatly assist you in developing your presentation skills.

The best professional speakers really love what they do. After all, there's nothing quite like the adrenaline rush that comes from having a room full of people applauding you or even giving you a standing ovation.

Once you have your first speaking engagements, be sure to go out and do a great job, and don't forget to request a testimonial letter. Ask the principal of the organization to write up a letter testifying to your skills as a speaker and how well you spoke to their group. Now you can use key sentences from that testimonial in your marketing materials.

If you really want to get started as a professional speaker, there is no reason why you cannot take the first steps today.

Steve Wilson is the manager of FreelanceSpeaking.com Visit his site today to discover exactly how to get started as a professional speaker, how to market your speaking services, how to improve your speaking skills and how to find the best speaking gigs. http://www.FreelanceSpeaking.com

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