Are you considering a public speaking job? Great.

Let me offer you one self evaluation that will help you qualify yourself for the public speaking industry. The great English poet and artist William Blake said it best when he described is professionalism to writing and was so excited about his public job that he wrote these words from his heart one day on his way to work:  Sparks emit from my fingertips, in anticipation of my day’s vocation. That is it! Step one in making a decision to go after a public speaking job is passion. It’s as if you have a burning desire to be a public speaker.  You should carry a photo of Phil Town in your “speaker’s notes” folder as an example of passion on stage. It’s not because he’s my favorite artist,author and speaker. Phil Town has, in my opinion, a rather wealthy life but still manages to keep that relatable and passionate energy when he speaks to investing audiences.

But one thing I do admire about Janis Joplin is — she had passion.  Her passion comes through in her songs. And when I listen to her stirring music, I hear someone who has set her soul on fire. There are many times when I am contemplating making a statement to an audience that may be a bit risky, and I glance down and see Janis, and she literally encourages me, saying: Say it, man.  Go for it! Speak like it’s the last time you’re going to public speak.  It may be the hundredth time you’ve said these things, but it’s the first time they’ve heard it.  So, go for it!

Janis= Passion.Passion,” contends Richard Chang, “is not a privilege of the fortunate few, it is a right and a power that we all possess.” Passion, then, is neither a gift nor a talent.  It is a choice, a decision. I suggest that you discover  the “Passion Point” in public speaking presentations. What will you feel most strongly about in your public speaking job? This is the Passion Point. Every genuine message must have one.  Whether it’s a speech on information technology, on finance, or on natural turf…find it!  Find what excites you about it. Find that Passion Point. Highlight or underscore it.   Practice it with the great passion it generates within you. Make it something you believe in, and you’ll be on fire every time and keep your audiences enthralled.

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We often think of the comic who can’t get a laugh a performance that bombs. Did you know that in your public speaking jobs that going past your allotted time can turn a good speech into a bomb? It is called Overtime public speaking.”Stand up so you’ll be seen. Speak up so you’ll be heard. And then
sit down so you’ll be appreciated.”–John Davies, Business Speaker and Trainer

Ready for a stiff motivational speaker to motivational speaker challenge? I submit there is a direct correlation between the overtime minutes of a speech and the Motivational speaker’s ego! If you just had a distinctly negative reaction to this theory, the red warning ego light may be flashing– Ego! Ego! Addressing an audience is a blessing; not stopping in time is a curse. “Leave ‘em wanting more” is an adage most business speakers can quote, but few can follow. Even when we know that it is always advantageous to cease while the fire is still hot, the dreaded ego too often has the last word (or words). While I was visiting a friend in Texas, a motivational speaker I know invited me to sit in on his Saturday morning class. This presentation skills workshop was scheduled from 11 to noon. The class was fantastic, and we were all involved and learning a great deal. However, high noon was approaching quickly, and I noticed that people were getting just a little bit antsy. The bell to end class rang at noon, and the teacher went on as if he hadn’t even heard it. Students still listened to him, but I could sense a significant energy change. A few of them began gathering their books together and looking at their watches as polite signals to the teacher that it was time to go. He continued to speak. Ten minutes later the late-bell sounded. He responded that he had one more thing to say regarding this…and another regarding that… He talked on until about twelve-twenty, when all of a sudden he paused and said, “How’s everybody feeling right now?” There wasn’t a word in response. “Please be honest,” he said. “How is everybody feeling right now about the fact that this class went twenty minutes late?”
Finally, it began to come out. “Well, I’ll be honest with you. I really like your class and always look forward to it, but this is kind of an inconvenience for me. I had a twelve o’clock appointment with
someone.” Someone else added, “My wife has been upstairs for twenty minutes! She always picks me up at twelve, and we go out and have lunch together.”

Similar comments were also made. The teacher then surprised us all by informing us that he had held us overtime on purpose, adding that he would never again hold us past twelve o’clock. “But as future preachers and teachers,” he concluded, “I want you to remember how this feels. I want you to remember how important it is not to keep people overtime.” This was a major motivational speaker training lesson for me because, even though he had one of the most enthralling motivational speaking careers speaker business I knew, people resented even him for going overtime. Just don’t do it.

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