How To Become A Motivational Speaker

If you’re one to take charge and the go-to figure people seek answers and guidance from, becoming a motivational speaker may be the natural next step in your career. Whether you have a resume rich with experience and unparalleled expertise or inspiring stories to share, make a difference in people’s personal and professional lives and learn how to become a motivational speaker.

While being open to all opportunities and inspiring your audience on a vast gamut of subjects can seem like a positive way to find more speaking engagements, it can do you a disservice. It’s essential to focus and refine your subject field so you can finely disseminate your message and be seen as an authority in your space.

One of the most important steps to becoming a motivational speaker is to know your niche and know it well — it focuses on your branding to control how your audience will perceive you. Review your background, consider why your clients will support your message, and think about how your platform will solve problems for your target audience.

Once you identify your core message, it will make it easier to find a community of people who match your platform. Figure out who your audience is and the demographics that are most likely to seek out your expertise and pay for your insights. Readily reporting where your audience lives, how old they are, and their common problems will help you match your platform to their interests — so you can find more speaking opportunities.

Before conference organisers can recognise you, it’s advisable to seek out venues and organisations that will be more receptive to your motivational speaking. If you want to learn how to become a motivational speaker for youths, consider approaching a library or school. If you cover business or marketing, seek out a networking event. Or, if you work in the fitness space, consider a gym. Narrowing down your subject area will also help reveal who your target audience is.

Finding out what to study to become a motivational speaker won’t help you — it’s a vocation. You will need to demonstrate your expertise and have a strong foundation in the subject area. This may require you to continuously update your education and qualifications so you can thoroughly understand the space to deliver content tailored to your audience and add new programs to your service delivery to remain relevant. Alternatively, try finding a mentor to help you refine your platform and give yourself the insights to anticipate the needs of your audience.

If you want to know how to become an inspirational speaker with a message that resonates with your clientele, don’t be afraid to draw from your own experiences — good and bad. This will personalise your content and endear yourself to audiences, encouraging them to be more empathetic and receptive to your presentations. While you shouldn't necessarily present an autobiography, intertwining storytelling elements into your presentation with real-world examples and backing it up with data and other visuals will help you establish the authority and authenticity that people crave.

While you may want to create a template of touchpoints, you won’t want to be stuck reading from a script. Each speaking engagement must be tailored to the audience and the event's theme.

Whether you’re just asking, “how can I become a motivational speaker?” or looking to refine your storytelling and skillset, taking improvisation, debate, and public speaking classes will help hone your skills.

Once you have honed your message, presenting skills, and established yourself as a sought-after motivational speaker, you can further explore the most efficient methods to connect with paying audiences.

When you're ready, the best way to become a professional motivational speaker is by signing up to Pickstar, the UK’s leading talent hire directory. With a vast roster of notable names, guests and motivational speakers, businesses and conference producers can reach out to you for lucrative speaking engagements and brand activations — so you don’t have to do the cold calling to look for opportunities.

Across our unique end-to-end platform, you can choose where you want to work and what services you want to offer, be it a guest speaker, keynote address, Q&A session, panel discussion or brand ambassador. If you’re ready to start fielding offers, you or your talent manager can sign up today.