One of the hottest ways to share information and become a thought leader is by launching yourself as a public speaker. While some may shrink in fear at the thought of getting up in front of others to speak, there is an elite group of professionals who thrive on this kind of exposure. Now imagine being able to share the knowledge you have gained over years in a career, and getting paid for this at the same time.
Paid speaking gigs are available to anyone who has a passion for sharing ideas and information about any topic. This activity can help you to gain confidence, expose your business or career to the public, and help to educate the community on important topics. If you have something interesting to say, a positive personality, and are perceived as an expert, you will find a great deal of reward in public speaking. One could say that there are many reasons why you might want to engage in public speaking as a growing leader.
How to Land Paid Speaking Gigs
There are several ways you can find and secure paid speaking roles with community and civic organizations, colleges, business networking groups and more.
Market Yourself as a Speaker – the best way to be in the right place at the right time for finding speaking gigs that are compensated is to let everyone know you are available. Add information to your website portfolio, resume, and social networks that you are looking for paid speaking assignments.
Be Versatile and Responsive – As a potential speaker, keep in mind that oftentimes events will come up with a spur-of-the-moment need for a speaker of your level or topic. You may get a last minute email from an event manager to do a webinar, or you may get referred by a colleague. This is when you can jump on board to deliver an outstanding session for a premium rate.
Demonstrate Your Expertise – If you want to be asked to participate in one time and repeat speaking engagements, and you want to receive payment, then you must be an expert in your field. This requires being able to prove your expertise based on the work you have produced and the results of your speaking engagements.
Build a Following – A great way to develop your career as a paid speaker is to connect with others in many different ways to build a network of loyal followers. Try local communicate events, social networks, online forums, and more to add followers. You will likely find followers to be supportive of your career in speaking and you’ll get referrals this way.
Get Trained in Speaking– To be a better speaker means to continually seek education in communications and public presentations. There are many ways to obtain this training, either through speaking courses or seminars. You’ll get the most out of a Dale Carnegie class as you learn how to effectively deliver your message.
This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Central & Southern New Jersey. We would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter @CarnegieJersey.