The lights. The applause. The fans.

And the fame.

It seems so easy. Just walk out on a stage and say a few clever things. Make them laugh. Tell your story about the unhappy hamster.

And mind boggling success follows.

Before you quit you current job to become a professional speaker, here are some things to consider.

Begin by answering three questions.

1) What change do you want to cause through your speaking? This determines your topic.

2) Who would want to hear this? This determines your market.

3) How would this help them? This determines your value.

Once you decide these, then do the following:

1) Prepare a 20 to 30 minute speech based on three main points. Keep it simple. Be humble. Be interesting. Be gracious. Avoid writing a long list of bullet points instructions, because this bores people. Instead use stories and examples to illustrate each of your main points.

2) Contact groups that use speakers for their meetings, such as service clubs, chambers of commerce, and professional organizations. Note that: a) generally none of these groups pay a speaker, b) the smaller, less impressive groups will be more receptive to having anyone speak on anything - which is okay when starting, c) almost all of them will give you a meal because that's part of the meeting.

3) Use these groups to practice delivering your speech. Also use these speaking opportunities to test if your topic is really the one that you want to keep. That is, do you still care about this topic after giving a few dozen presentations on it? Are people interested in what you have to say? How do you feel about yourself when youre speaking on this topic?

4) Improve and refine your speech. Ask for comments from the people who attend, and use these comments to improve. Record (or video tape) your presentation. Compare what you hear with what you want to be doing. Bring a friend to watch you speak, and then ask your friend for candid comments. Note: while we all enjoy praise, you learn from criticism.

5) Expect to give your speech at least 100 to 300 times as practice. Eventually, when it is good enough, people will ask you to speak before larger groups for a fee. Also, by now you will have learned a) how to deliver an effective presentation, b) how to handle surprises and rowdy people, and c) how to create interest in your presentation.

Steve Kaye
http://www.stevekaye.com