Is it wise to sit back with your God's given talent and wallow in poverty in this era when other people are making millions with their own talents..? That's not wise at all!
Most musicians in Nigeria are smiling to the bank everyday because they have discovered and applied their singing talents to their own advantages. Comedians, actors, footballers, and other sports men and women are all living big because they have mastered how to make good use of their talents in various ways to make good money.
The power of motivational speech can never be over-emphasized! A good motivational speaker can motivate a dying soul to live again, and inspire a dummy to perform like an Athlete. There is nothing as refreshing and reinvigorating as carefully chosen words spoken at the right time by a crafty speaker.
Even in my own little ways I have been able to motivate people who seems hopeless in their life to become useful to themselves again. Helped to fixe damaged relationships, and pulled businesses from the dust! All of these through the power of words of mouth.
There is no better time to speak to people and make money in the process than now that most businesses and careers are falling apart, families are being broken, and people roaming the streets wearing sad faces. People needs to be inspired to reach their high and lack of proper motivation could damage great potentials.
A word spoken at the right time can change someones outlook towards life and help make their world a better place. This is the right time to create value in people's life by motivating and inspiring them and get rewarded with wealth.
You will be pleasantly surprised at how many people out there who are willing to pay for your services if you're truly good at what you do.
A professional motivational speaker usually charge companies and organizations about N1 million per session to motivate and train their staffs while some charges per head and peg their fees at N20,000 per participant. A USA based speaker who came to Nigeria few years ago charged a whooping 1million naira per participant and a good number of people attend!
So, the amount of money you make depends on you and your brand - that's why the first thing you need to work on as an aspiring public speaker is your brand. Now, how do you proceed to make a successful career out of motivational speaking?
Tune up your public speaking skill
You must have considered yourself to be a good speaker by nature, that's why you're giving this a thought but you must understand that a good speaker in a private setting may not be good enough when it comes to public speaking. If possible, get yourself attached to an accomplished speaker to learn how motivational speaking is done both in delivery and in business sense.
Tuning up your speaking skill doesn't mean clamming popular quotations and churning them out in public as if that will impress anyone! I like motivational speakers who speaks naturally and from the heart, that's who I am. It's good to put out useful quotations here and there during your speech but don't make your speech all about quotations. By all mean, you must deviate from trying to be someone else if you really wants to achieve your full potential in this.
There is huge difference between being a talkative from being a motivational speaker just as there is huge difference between noise and music, and between Noise Makers and Organized Speakers. Be sure you know who you are. A gifted speaker may not need much training in this regard.
Read Books! I mean plenty of books on any topic not just on public speaking. A good speaker is one who is well read and experienced. It takes many books to write one book and speaking is like writing a book. Read many book to learn how to write your own book in the sense of public speaking.
Listen to Audios! You need to listen to good public speakers and learn how they speak and manipulate words. Good diction is a very important trait in public speaking, listen to quality audios to learn proper pronunciation and the correct use of words.
Speak Simple! Learn how to speak in a simple and understandable language and avoid confusing your listeners with "Self Educatedness" that's the word I coined for the thoughtless use of high sounding words. You need to learn to avoid too much use of flamboyant words if you don't want to be alienated from your prospective audience. I hate gigantic speaking and I know many people do. Just be a simple speaker and you will be admirable in the eyes of your listeners.
Once you've taken two or three months to horn your skill, the next step is to brand and market yourself effectively.
Brand Yourself Professionally
In business, brand is everything! You need to sell yourself first before you could sell anything. Motivational speaking is a business, you need to brand yourself perfectly if you hope to sell your services to your would be clients. How do you go about this most important aspect of your business?
Use Social Media! Create attractive and compelling Facebook and Twitter pages. Take enough time to edit your pages and make them worth seeing, add pictures of your previous events if you have any - let your photo albums tell stories about you in a professional and positive ways. Use the best of your photos as profile picture and page covers. Let people see who you by just seeing your profile.
Take time to carefully describe who you are and where you are coming from in your about me page. Whenever you write one the social media, write with correct spellings. Do not follow the ongoing trends among some social network users of using wrong and funny spellings, write like a professional you are.
Always Tweet and update your Facebook status with inspirational quotes and motivational excerpts. Social media holds more prospects than you can ever imagine, the people you meet online may turn out to become your clients in future or be the ones to recommend you to clients.
Start Blogging! The most powerful brand building tools online is your blog, and blog has a way of giving you credibility as well as multiple source of income. You can sell your speaking services through your blog and still make money off the blogging itself.
Steve Pavlina is a renowned motivational speaker and a blogger, he makes more money from his blog than his speeches. Set up a blog today and write inspirational articles regularly, there is no better way to build your brand than this! People will read those articles and if they are inspired, they may want to go the next step with you!
Go on Air! If possible, negotiate regular slot on Radio and TV and talk to people. Let them hear you talk, the quality of your speech will be the connecting factor between you and the prospective clients and the public in general.
If you're to appear on TV, do not dress shabbily and go on air, dress tastefully and well groomed. There is no faster way to build and market your brand than the radio and television. When people hear and see you, they get connected with you.
Seminars! You can as well organize seminars and charge people to attend.
Once you've done all these, it will be time for you to seat back and watch the naira or dollars (whichever one you choose) rolling in. How much you charge depends on your demand, start small but don't portray yourself as being too cheap. I wish you the best as you make effort to build your motivational speaking career!
Darlinton Omeh - A Speaker and Blogger
Your write up is so down to earth and nice thanks.
ReplyDeleteI really like this sir I could really use ur advice coz I also want to be a motivational speaker
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the information.
ReplyDeleteMotivational speakers have a great skill of motivating people as well as also have the skill to promote the business to the target audiences.
There are many firms who are providing the service of motivational speakers for the promotion of business and there is a site named as michellevillalobos.com who is providing the service of personal branding, motivational speaker for the promotion of business.
Thank you thank you thank you
ReplyDeleteThank this article, it's very detailed
ReplyDeletewow! This is great! I can confirm that having a blog is one of the best ways to get started as a motivational speaker. In addition to everything you've said here, i feel i should add that passion is a must have for all aspiring motivational speakers.
ReplyDeleteThat's it Victor, having a blog is very important for a motivational speaker.
Delete