Anyone, from any walk of life, has the power to become a speaker. It’s a chance for you to use your life stories and experiences to empower other people, and can be an incredibly rewarding path to venture down. You could be speaking to businesses, schools or professionals about a variety of engaging topics. You’ll be entertaining, uplifting and educating all in equal measure.

Whether you’re passionate about medicine or sports, consider becoming a speaker to make your voice heard. Literally. This article will give you a brief overview of some of the qualities you need to possess as well as some ideas on how to get started.

Could this be you?

Are there different types of speaker?

Absolutely. You could specialise in political movements, using your voice talents to rally a political party together. You could be a keynote speaker or join an agency full of motivational speakers in order to get work. Different people are better at different things, and this extends to the speaking business too. You have to match your particular skill set with a subject you’re passionate about for the best results.

Do I need a degree or any other education?

Generally, no. Obviously, there are those employers that value education above all else and there’s not much you can do to change that. However, your talent, passion and experience will count for more here, especially if you’re just starting out.

Consider speaking for free, in order to build a following or experience. Just as a writer will start a free blog before hitting the big time, you have to build up a solid portfolio in order to make progress. Inquire with local businesses to see if they require your talents, and offer to work for nothing. You’ll gain respect and real-life exposure in the process.

How do I become a speaker?

Like many walks of life, there are no set paths in place. Many speakers start out by speaking for free, and build their career that way. Other people with voice talents will join an agency in order to be notified when work is available. It can be an inconsistent job at times, but is rewarding if you pull it off. Start by building up your skill set, and go from there.

How much do speakers earn?

More often than not, speakers are paid per appearance and are not on a salary. Some speakers claim thousands of dollars per appearance, but that’s usually reserved for celebrities. For the everyday speaker, it’s not unreasonable to make hundreds of dollars per appearance, especially if you have prior work to show for it.

Are there any long-term job prospects?

In some cases, yes. Speakers are frequently hired by businesses to attend conferences and trade shows, in order to build buzz around a product. If you build a solid relationship with that company, you’ll be hired by them long-term and the money will roll in. Because you’ll be representing a company to the public, businesses will pay top dollar if you produce great results.

So, that was a mini-guide to becoming a professional speaker! It can be a tricky route to go down, but for the right person, it’s easy to build a career from nothing. So get out there and get speaking!

If you’re training for a brand new career – perhaps you’ve decided on speaking – than read our training article to glean some advice.

This post has been contributed by Ryan Gatt, it contains affiliate links.