Ask Fred > Career/Work > How do I become a motivational speaker?
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Dear Fred
I have taught dance and run a studio for 35 years (was out a period of time to have 2 hip replacements and have recently reopened my studio) and want to make a carreer enhancement/addition. After years of doing a seminar for parents and other teachers and judges, I want to explore the possibilities of doing public, motivational speaking. I need guidance regarding just where and how to begin, please.
Fred's Response
If you take the path of most successful motivational speakers you will start very, very low on the totem pole. You will be invited to those groups who are more interested in having a program than they are in a genuinely inspiring opportunity. You will be surprised at how little most audiences expect of a speaker. Don’t expect to make a decent living for several years. Get you one good speech, give it over and over until you hone it into an exceptional speech. You can tell when you are getting good because people in the audience will ask you to speak to another group. Remember, they want to hear THAT speech, not another one. My experience is that the second speech is the worst one you will ever give. Now, I try to remember that I am speaking to an audience about a subject, not on a subject to an audience. Keep the audience’s interest foremost.
