As you enter the new year and complete another year it is good to reflect. I have a question for you that may help guide you in this exercise. How do you view your life today? Is your life like a candle…or is it a firey torch? How would your partner or close friends describe it? Is it just flickering or is it burning brightly?

Throughout your life, we’ve all had many opportunities and privileges of life in such a free land as America. As a motivational speaker you will experience some of the most rewarding work in speaking to people and helping them find motivation and inspiration in their lives… to help light their flame. In becoming a motivational speaker you get impact the lives of others and share hopes, fears, strategies, laughter, and warmth with your audience. All men and women who enter this profession will not only be a giver but you’ll receive countless, remarkable blessings and you absorb the qualities in others that you meet along the way. Do you make an effort every day to make sure your internal flame is burning brightly? When you do this people take note and it will be the key to your success as a motivational speaker. Olympic flame gets passed on from one person to the next, I, too, in my speaking job want to honor others and hand to them some of the inspiration I’ve been given.

First, you must understand that you are not an information speaker but a motivational speaker. It doesn’t matter what your speech is about as much as how your speech touches people. How it is delivered and how you say it. Let me illustrate an important point about being in the motivational speaker business.

Did you ever see the documentary that came out about the Titanic a few years before the  blockbuster movie did? The documentary was unbelievable. Someone had spent a lifetime of research, and found out every fact, detail, that involved that ship. This is new stuff that a lot of people hadn’t even heard before. It was an incredible two-hour documentary, but you havn’t heard of it and neither have I, and it didn’t make any money because no one really cared to see a documentary on the Titanic two or three years after that the Titanic movie comes out. Was the movie true in every sense of the facts, no. Did everything happen the way the movie said, no. The difference in the two films was that the Titantic movie won more Oscars than any movie in the history of cinema. There in lies the difference. Your keynote speech must be more than just a compilation of facts, or wisdom. It’s got to be so much more than that.hen you craft a motivational speech be thinking as you write it  that your not doing a documentary right but a movie. In the end were in the entertainment business. It doesn’t matter what your speech is about because were in the entertainment business and if you’re not entertaining people, people could care less what you’re talking about.

2) Laughter enhances creativity.
“At the height of laughter, the universe is flung
into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.”
– Jean Houston

3) Laughter is the ultimate escape.
“Laughter is an instant vacation.”
– Milton Berle

4) Laughter gives purpose and meaning to life.
“The most wasted day is one in which we have not laughed.”
– Sebastian Chamfort

5) Laughter is spiritual.
“Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.”
– Carl Barth

Lets be honest the majority of human beings are anxious speakers or deathly afraid of public speaking and presentations. Even some professional speakers are nervous before a presentation. Why would  anyone ever want to stand in front of a group of peers and be judged and ridiculed over a presentation. At least that’s what our fear is. So we always have this fear yet we keep giving presentations that fall flat without making any changes to that boring powerpoint slide speaking style.

To be a great speaker  you first have to loose your ego. Yes even the most shy and insecure still has an ego getting in the way of speaking. First admit that you are not the most captivating, funny, entertaining speaker they’ve every heard. Next get help and training from a professional speaker. The public speaking class you take in college actually may actually lead you down the wrong trail with ineffective and 100 year old speaking techniques. Toastmasters can be helpful for the very beginning level speaker who may have problems with diction and speaking clearly. But if you plan on getting paid to speak and be a top notch motivational speaker you’ll need more advanced speaker training than what Toastmasters can offer.

Developing your presentation skills can take you to a new level; bringing you more pay, more recognition, and even the opportunity to launch a professional speaking career if you choose.

>>Tip 1-It must be your own speech. Don’t ever take anyone else’s material and try to make it yours. You have to speak in public with authenticity. It’s got to be your own stuff to start with.

>>Tip 2-It must get them laughing. You have to thinking in terms of entertaining and funny. In my business we say “funny as money”. That’s what we tell each other all the time. If you can tell the story that can move a heart, awesome. If you can get them laughing at the same time, even better. If they can laugh and turn it into a cry you just hit pay dirt. I don’t care what your material is.

>>Tip-3 It has to crystal clear what you message is. First of all, you got to decide what is my message. A lot of people come up to me and say “James I want to be a speaker like you, that’s what I’ve always wanted to do. My friends say I speak well, I want to join so where do I start.” My first question I asked them is, “what’s your message?” People look at me dumbfounded sometimes and say “I don’t even know what you’re asking me?”. What is the message that you need tell everybody? What is this message that is burning on your heart so much the you have to tell everybody? People look at me and say I can speak on anything, whatever they want me to speak on I can speak on. Wrong! This may be the only time they ever hear me and I want them to hear this special message that I have that no one else has. In other words, your speech will be powerful if it is coming from your heart. If it is just a powerpoint information presentation. Cancel the event and just email it to them. Your presentation skills will shine when you put your heart into the message.

>>Tip 4 It must move the company or audience forward. Does the message help them improve as a company or in their personal lives? Don’t let them leave the room after your presentation the same way the came in. You have their attention so go for it!
Give them inspiration and a call to action.

>>Tip 5 It needs to be a signature story. In other words, it is a story you have practiced, rehearsed and tested for impact. You can test it at dinner with family, on video and get feedback. But it needs to be a great story. As a professional speaker, I have several signature stories, as many speakers do. My favorite one is, the Nordstrom Story, so that’s my story about customer service that audiences rave about every time. I use props and get them laughing at my mistake of leaving my dress clothes at home. I talk about a real life drama where Nordstrom opened their doors early to help me buy clothes before my keynote speech. (Listen to part of it by clicking here) These are just some quick tips to consider as you first write out your speech. In my workshops I spend 3 hours just talking about how to tell a story so you can see there is much more to learn about making great speeches.

Presentation Fire School-Training Course for Speakers  will help you maximize your presentation skills and will take you to another level. Click Here.

#2- Decide what market and audience your message and expertise would fit best. If you had 30 minutes to speak on your best content and strategies what would your message be and who would your ideal audience be? Corporate full day training? Company executives? College students? World class athletes?

#3- Get competent help with your marketing.  Like any business, in your speaking career you have to market yourself and your small company which is YOU. The interesting thing about a career in speaking is that your product is you, your credibility and your message. If you have the world’s most important keynote speech but no one can find you then your message will not be heard, and you will not get paid. And then you will be out of the speaking business. It’s not enough to have a great message. Hire an expert who knows the speaking industry and how to get you maximum exposure with with the search engine and social media. Click here for my recommended Rock Star marketing specialist.

#4 Invest in your self by getting speaker training .

The best investment I ever made in getting my speaking career going was getting training from individuals or organizations who knew how to craft a keynote speech and all the delivery techniques. And then I invested thousands of hours in rehearsing in front of a microphone, a video camera and small no-fee audiences until my message was great! Click here for my speaker training course.

How much do great motivational speakers get paid?

Speaking fees paid to professional keynote speakers, whether motivational or not, vary based on the speaker’s skills, star power, and experience. Speaking fees for trained professional speakers range from $2,500 $35,000 per speech. Of course celebrities often demand fees from $50,000-$100,000. They are not always the most talented speakers on the stage but brand recognition can bring the crowds so they can demand higher speaking fees.

1-Learn from others! Always take notes and study the best speakers. With out being a critic observe their weak spots while being imitating their strengths.

2-Take risks in your keynote speech. Don’t be so predictable. Enter from the back of the room, or dress in a costume, use a shocking prop.

3-Disclose more in every keynote speech! Ok. Nobody likes this one. Rarely will anyone use this technique. Why? Because of our ego. We only want to be perceived as strong and superior. Share a weakness, failure or a fear and you just got booked for a return meeting.

4-Believe in yourself as a motivational speaker. You really can’t fake this one. Everyone in the audience knows if you have a presence about you. The perceive internally and know if you are confident in what you are about to share.

5-Honor your audience. Before you ever step up to speak make sure you’ve done your homework on how you can build up the crowd! Make warmth and kindness your greatest asset because it is. Having a great motivational speaking career will always be about love!

6-Get speaker training. The best athletes have coaches and continue to hone their craft. Always be working to improve and to take your speaking career to the next level.

Finally, Lincoln Steffens said:.…”The greatest picture is not yet painted, the greatest play isn’t written, the greatest poem is unsung”. Click here to kick start your speaking career today.