Who doesn't?

Speaking gives you the opportunity to help and at the same time, earn yourself additional income. Each of us has had our own challenges and tribulations to contend with. Chances are, you have learned something valuable in life and it is worth sharing with other people.

Believe it or not, people will pay you to teach them the life lessons you've learned. The price tag will depend largely on your reputation, material, and promotional skills.

First of all, public speaking is a business. It involves lots of marketing and the product you're selling is your knowledge and skills. In other words, you are the merchandise! And you will promote yourself to the fullest.

A product is judged by its quality and a high-quality product will always be a commercial success. As a professional public speaker, you must strive to constantly improve your merchandise. Always look for ways to enhance your speaking skills and material. Eventually, the market will take notice of your excellence and your value will rise. Demand for your services will grow and your bank account will get fatter!

The most difficult part of being a professional public speaker is the start up. You will basically need to start from scratch. Nobody knows who you are or what you can do. It can be very demoralizing not knowing what steps to take. The key is to build up a portfolio and then, go out and network.

Models, actors, photographers… Public speakers are all the same. To launch your career, you need to build a portfolio of your accomplishments and credentials.

Now, you wonder, "I still don't have any relevant accomplishments to display and my credentials are not that great either. So, what will I put in my portfolio?"

Learn, join classes and seminars, get certificates, work for free, and get referrals. These are great start-up marketing strategies to enhance credentials and expand your connections. Apparently, you will have to sacrifice a relative amount of time and money but that will be just fine… it will all be worth it in the end..

If you already have done a few engagements and granted you will be surprised with the consequential referrals. Your career will launch, your worth will steadily grow, and by then, you can guiltlessly charge for your services. Your work's value will only rise as your reputation strengthens.

As you grow professionally, it is natural to specialize your skills and find your niche. Specialization is a spontaneous evolution of your public speaking skills. Typically, you won't really have to think about it - it just happens. You may become an accomplished keynote speaker, a celebrated motivational expert, or an all-knowing guru.

As a result, your market may narrow but your price tag will increase. The demands for your services will not falter but your workload will pleasantly diminish. You can afford to turn down negotiations and assert your own demands because in a sense, you are now comparable to a celebrity.

Professional public speaking is an honorable occupation and if you have the aptitude, it can be a very worthwhile and gratifying pursuit.