YOU SHOULD BE A PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER
“I want to be a professional speaker, too.”
One of the top speakers in America, a friend of mine, regularly heard this from people who claimed that they, too, wanted to be speakers.
He would then ask the question, “Why?”
Often they would tell him they wanted to be famous.
Or make a lot of money.
Or be a star on the stage.
He then had to point out that these were not good enough reasons.
People often get into acting because they dream of being ten or twenty million dollars per movie actor, but 95% of actors are unemployed most of the time because those actors are incredibly rare.
Becoming a professional speaker can make you a lot of money and give you a well-known name, but that is not enough of a reason to want to do it. There has to be something else.
The reason why successful speakers are successful is because they have a burning message.
Your Burning Message
A writer is someone who cannot not write.
An actor is someone who cannot not act.
And a speaker is someone who cannot not speak.
Real speakers love their subject so much and believe it’s so important that they are compelled to convey it to people. And they are willing to work very hard for a long time to improve their ability to transfer their enthusiasm and their knowledge about the subject to others.
There’s a good chance you have a burning message within you right now.
You Have To Have a Message
What do you feel so strongly about that you have to share your ideas with others?
You can’t just speak for the money or for the praise and recognition. People who do this give little to no thought to their audience. In my experience, these people rarely rise above mediocrity.
But if you have something from the heart that you strongly want to share, then you’ll find a way to become effective in expressing yourself.
Speak from the Heart
A few years ago, I heard Wally Amos, the founder of Famous Amos Cookies give a talk on tackling adult illiteracy. This was an issue that Wally was
dedicated to. He’d spent a great deal of his time and money in helping adults learn how to read.
Wally had no particular training as a speaker, yet when he spoke to the 600 adults in the audience, he spoke from his heart. He spoke about the importance of adults learning to read and how it could radically change their lives. Such was the passion and sincerity of Wally’s talk that he got a standing ovation from the entire room.
Why was this?
Wally organized his ideas into a logical sequence, but more importantly, he spoke from his heart on a subject he understood and cared about.
Speak from the heart — it’ll not only connect you with your audience but will allow your talk to be outstanding.
Summary
Speakers are successful because they have a burning message, not because they want to make money.
Just as a writer is someone who cannot not write, a speaker is someone who cannot not speak.
Don’t be scared to speak from the heart. It’ll take you far.
