The Art of Public Speaking

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:01:55 EST

Many of you have been called upon tospeak in public at one time or another in your lives.At one end of the spectrum will be: Ladiesand gentlemen, please be upstanding and raise your glasses to the adorablecouple. At the other end are those who see public speaking as a lucrative business, and the speakers most in demand command considerable fees for their services.

If you have something to say, then why not consider a career out of public speaking, whether full or part time? Some of the best known public speakers command very high fees, but these are the exception. They are usually well known celebrities from all walks of life, who feature regularly in the media, and whose name alone is a considerable drawing card.

But there’s still room for goodspeakers, who can make a decent living on the ‘rubber chicken’ circuit, andonce established, will be regularly in demand.

It’s hard to imagine in any otherwalk of life where thirty minutes can make or break a speaker. A good speech lifts the audience, leaves themwanting more, and sends them off singing your praises. You’ve earned your fee several times over,and the offers come flooding in! A badspeech is the kiss of death!

If you have the confidence to standup in front of an audience and amuse, entertain and inform them in equalmeasure, then you have the potential to be a good public speaker. But no matter how confident you may be, orthink you may be, a good, even memorable, speech, must follow aclearly defined format.

Of course it goes without saying thatyoumust have something worth saying, especially in the lucrative worldof keynote speaking, and more importantly, something worth listening to ifyou’re going to command a good fee for your services. After all, your fee willbe paid by your audience, directly or indirectly, and they’ll want value fortheir money.

It also goes without saying that themore specialist your subject, the less demand for it. Meat and potatoes sell better than caviar, ifyou follow my drift. You may be able tocommand the same fees, but not as often.

So choose a subject of broad appeal. Motivational keynote speakers are regularly in demand, but becausethey’re so many of them, it’s difficult to stand out from the crowd. If you’re going down that route, try and beoriginal, have a different slant from the rest, whether it’s in content,presentation, style, or all three.

Research your market, and check out the competition. Listen to their speeches, and learn how to doit better, much better, and learn to be the best. And don’t just listen to their speeches, taketime to study the audience, see how they react, what makes them laugh, or cry,or what bores them rigid.

Above all, you must be an expert in your subject. A paying audience doesn’t want to hear what they already know, no matterhow well you score on delivery and style. If content is lacking, it’s a no win situation.

Your first fee earning speech may bethe most important speech of your career, as success in this competitive fielddepends so much on word of mouth. Testimonials and letters of commendation are worth their weight in goldin the public speaking business, and chances are your host will check you out.

Finally, as you’re establishingyourself and climbing the stairway to success, don’t be greedy when it comes tonegotiating your fee, as you might price yourself out of themarket. Be prepared to start modestlyand build.

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The Art of Public Speaking