Joining a Toastmasters Club is one of the most affordable ways to improve your public speaking skills. The club comprises a diverse group of members who can offer feedback from their own unique perspectives, which can help you enhance your skills. Additionally, they have a mentorship program and experienced speakers who can provide you with valuable feedback. If you're up for it, you can even participate in their yearly competition.

When you are getting started as a speaker, go and watch/listen to as many speeches as you can. find a style that resonates with you. research the market and find out who else is speaking on a similar topic, and then identify what makes you different. To get paid to speak, we are aiming to attract clients interested in our work, but we need to know what speakers are out there and what the market wants. Working with a speaker coach who has a solid business and a style that you resonate with will help you fast track if you want to become a professional speaker.

It’s important to build a network of speakers and people within your niche. It’s not competition but a platform for collaboration. There was a time when a famous person was not available. She reached out to me because she thought that I could speak, and I popped into her mind. Now that I have decided to be more active in LinkedIn, I have been reaching out to people in my field. Just a quick hello and why you want to connect. That’s all. Build your network.

Providing value is important but a skill because you want to appear genuine. You want to start building a relationship without coming off creepy or salesy. When reaching out, be specific about how you are connecting with this person. Provide specific information that caught your attention and explain why you are reaching out. Learn from this person; avoid giving advice. Someone complimented me on a post and then wanted to proceed telling me about his business. I was turned off.

Many groups engage guest speakers. Become part of networking and business or community groups and offer to be a guest speaker. You may not be paid for this but it is a great way to meet new people and sharpen your skills.

Start determining your niche. I used to present at numerous research conferences. I exchanged contacts and build a network. However, I eventually desired to speak at corporate events, which felt like starting over and rebranding myself. My advice is to view any place (coffee shop, library, meetups) and opportunity to meet diverse people. Be your authentic self, approachable and down-to-earth, genuinely be curious about other people. When the moment is right, inform them of your speaking expertise in a friendly manner, potentially offering to speak at their events. You never know what could happen! I was at an event and a guest liked my personality and background. I was offered a speaking and consulting contract for their company.

Practice, practice, practice. Use different ways when speaking (without notes, bullet points, no visuals, impromptu, memorized). I consider myself a transformative, dynamic speaker. However, I don’t speak all the time. During your off-season, refine your skills. You never know when you have to speak extemporaneously. I used to only be able to speak with visuals and bullet points. Then I started memorizing my speeches. Next, I simply reflected on what I wanted to share. At other times, I just winged it. Be flexible because you might need to adapt in the moment.

It doesn't happen overnight! Don't fall into the same trap that I did and spend most of the time working on the craft of speaking and not paying much attention to the business of speaking. If you would like to make a living out of being a professional speaker, you need to know about running the business. Even if you don't want payment for being a speaker you need to know how to market yourself and position yourself.