Ever Thought Becoming A Professional Speaker? Part 4/4

belomediauk (31)in #work • 7 years ago

Practice Makes Perfect!

Professional speakers rehearse their material. As a result, presentations like these are useful at reaching many people!

The first step is to write out your speech word for word. Every word you put on paper will impact what your audience picks up in your presentation.

In this recording, review the timing of your presentation. Listen for the number of times you've said filler words like "umm", "er" and "ah". Work on eliminating these words and re-record yourself until you speak smoothly and confidently.

Rehearsing your presentation is your key to delivering a successful presentation. Even if you've been doing the same presentation for years, you'll want to practice the different aspects of your delivery in the fine tuning process of rehearsing. Here's what you can do to have a successful practice that will make your delivery a success every time.

You don't want to read your statement to your audience. You want to speak spontaneously and make your presentation flow. Remember to also make notes about the flow of your enthusiasm levels during the presentation.

Tape record yourself to get some idea of what your presentation sounds. Note the length of your presentation and also if the points you want to emphasise are the ones being highlighted. Practice speaking your presentation the way you would want to say it - with passion and enthusiasm.

Rehearsal is the key to your success as a professional speaker! Practicing more than just your topical information, you'll need to practice the method of delivery you choose.

Practice your presentation in front of a practice audience. You'll also want to know if there were too many of those distracting words in your presentation. A secondary goal is to gain more confidence and feel more comfortable in making your presentation.

Where to Find Professional Speaking Jobs

Some places hire professional speakers, and many of them are in your neighbourhoods. Places like universities, colleges, your local Toastmasters organisation, speaker bureaus, non-profit organisations, businesses, and libraries are just a few of the areas that need professional speakers. Make contacts with people in these organisations and offer your services.
Search speaker's forums for paid jobs. While this place does not have a lot of paid jobs, you might be able to find one that suits your niche.
You can also do an online search for the keyword term "calls for speakers" or "speakers wanted". You'll obtain a listing of organisations and meetings that are requesting professional speakers.
Network with peers and potential clients in your industry. Word of mouth referrals is by far the most popular way that meeting planners find speakers for their events. With that in mind, it'll be worth your time to network!

You'll find that you'll need to speak for free. In doing so, you'll be able to go after higher paying jobs as you can demonstrate your professionalism, credibility as a speaker and your ability to draw large crowds.
Research the NTPA (National Trade and Professional Associations) Directory. You can purchase it for about $150. Issued in February each year, it gives you the information you'll need to begin making contacts in the association market.
Work as a trainer with training companies. Places like Fred Pryor hires contract speakers for many different topics. This is a paid job that requires travel and often, a hectic schedule, but the flip side is that paid speakers can make over $75,000 annually.

These are places where you can find jobs. Using this listing, you can use direct mail or make phone calls to promote yourself as a professional speaker for hire. Now that you know where to look, you'll be able to start going after gaining and speaking engagements experience!
Research the meeting planner's directory. There is another directory called the Directory of Corporate Meeting Planners.
Review conference schedules of various associations related to your topic. Many associations hold annual conferences, and they will post a call for speakers. This call will be placed about 6 - 8 months in advance of the speaking engagement.

You've got your engine running, and you're ready to get out there and find some professional speaking engagements. The only problem is that you haven't got a clue as to where you can find jobs!

How Free Professional Speaking Gigs Help You

A free speaking event is still a great reason to send out a press release. If you're looking for a reason to send out press releases about yourself or your career, use free speaking engagements.

Free speaking engagements are a great place to network. Hopefully, by now, you understand that you have to get your name out there.

If "free" is a horrendous four-letter word in your career vocabulary, you'll need to learn the importance and value that "free" can provide. There are tremendous benefits that come with speaking for free including having the ability to promote your back of the room products where you can profit. You'll be gaining new experiences and building your clientele list.

You can still have the opportunity to sell your products at these free speaking engagements. Statistics show that back of the room products accounts for over 50% of professional speaking profits. The more people that hear you, the more opportunities you'll have.

One of the primary reasons people get into this business is because they want to earn some serious cash. After doing some research, they find that most of their starting events will be free speaking events.

The more people who hear you speak, the more people there will be to purchase your product and refer you to other people are looking for professional speakers. Speaking for free for an organisation like a Rotary Club or Elks Club can lead to paying jobs because many of the members who belong to this organisation have businesses of their own or are in positions in their careers where they are the decision makers to "hire" speakers.

Speaking for free has its benefits. What you'll need to learn next is how to leverage these free events into referrals and product sales. As you do this, more people will know about you and your business will be well on its way to success!

Rehearsing your presentation is your key to delivering a successful presentation. Practice speaking your presentation the way you would want to say it - with passion and enthusiasm. You want to speak spontaneously and make your presentation flow. Places like universities, colleges, your local Toastmasters organisation, speaker bureaus, non-profit organisations, businesses, and libraries are just a few of the areas that need professional speakers. Many speaker bureaus and meeting planners will not hire you without seeing a recording of your presentation.

Free speaking opportunities are still opportunities where you can create a videotape of yourself. Many speaker bureaus and meeting planners will not hire you without seeing a recording of your presentation.