Introduction
If you’re a coach, consultant, author, online entrepreneur, you have probably thought about how to share your message and increase your impact. To that end, you might have considered taking public speaking classes to refine your skills and hone your stage presence. Perhaps you’ve considered a group like Toastmasters, or maybe you’ve thought about taking a class through your local college or university.
As you consider these options for taking public speaking classes, you may be wondering, “how do I book paid speaking gigs?” or “Will people want to hear me speak even if I have no experience, no audience, and no following?” or even, “how do I market myself as a speaker?” While some public speaking classes may address these questions, there are others that simply focus on the basics of giving a talk. How do you know which one is right for you?
For answers to these questions and more, read on.
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How do public speaking classes help you?
There are many ways that public speaking classes can serve as your entree into a public speaking career. Here are five ways in which public speaking classes can help you.
1. You can find public speaking classes with a variety of levels of expertise
Depending on the type of course, the clientele of a typical public speaking class may be very diverse. Whether you’re a college student interested in learning more about public speaking, or an experienced speaker who is tired of speaking for free and want to know how to acquire paid speaking gigs, public speaking classes can be a source of valuable lessons. If you need help understanding how to better market yourself as a speaker, or if you’re struggling to find the right audience or problem to solve, you can take part in public speaking classes both to gain skills on stage and knowledge of how to implement those speaking skills in a way that boosts your career.
Maybe you’re someone just breaking into public speaking, something like a community-based free course on public speaking or Toastmasters may be right for you. If you’re a little more experienced, an intensive training may be more up your alley. Read on for more examples of how these courses can help you.
2. You can develop your talk (and your confidence)
There are a number of upsides to trying a public speaking class. Here are a few: If you’re just starting out as a paid public speaker, you’re probably trying to find what material works. (For more on developing your talk, check out this episode of The Speaker Lab podcast.) The stories, jokes, content, openings, closings, and transitions may be easier to practice in a public speaking class. Maybe you’re a naturally nervous speaker. There’s nothing wrong with feeling some nerves before you go speak. Having some of that excitement or nervous energy before you speak reminds you that what you’re doing matters. It forces you to focus your attention and be fully present. One of the best ways to minimize those nerves is to practice so you know exactly where you’re going with your talk.
And to practice, you need to get chances to speak. It’s the same as if you want to become a better writer: you have to practice writing. To become a better runner, you have to run. If you want to become better at riding a bike, you have to ride a bike. The same thing is true with speaking! If you want to become a better speaker, you have to actually speak. And the nature of speaking means that you generally need an audience. Public speaking classes can provide an opportunity for you to practice being a speaker, and for you as a speaker to have that audience.
3. There are many low-to-no-cost public speaking classes
How much does a public speaking class cost? Well, it depends on the type of course. If you participate in something like Toastmasters, there may be a small fee. According to the Toastmasters website, Members pay international dues of $45 USD every six months, plus a new member fee of $20 USD. (However, attending club meetings as a guest is free!)
If you decide to take part in a community-based or college class on public speaking, the cost can be low to no cost. For example, online options such as edX and Coursera offer a class from Harvard on the art of rhetoric and the University of Washington’s Intro to Public Speaking course for free.
4. You can learn what you want to talk about
No matter how universal you think your message is, you can’t start out speaking to everyone. The best motivational speakers can speak to so many people now because they started out by making their mark in a well-defined niche. If you’re just getting started and think you can speak to anyone, you really can speak to no one. It doesn’t mean that you can’t speak in different markets, and you can certainly pivot your marketing as you develop your business, but focus on one specific audience to start with.
The best way to do this is to find a group of people whose needs converge with your passions. Think about what problems you like to solve and what topics you want to talk about and look out into the world. Who is asking for solutions to those problems? Become the expert on that audience and commit yourself to meeting their needs. (want to learn more about how to find your focus? Check out our podcast episode on the topic with Tripp Crosby!)
5. The Speaker Lab offers a free speaking training
If you are interested in learning both how to become a public speaker and how to make money doing it, The Speaker Lab is offering a free training that has helped thousands of students consistently earn anywhere from $500-$50,000, without being a celebrity.
Are you struggling to find the right audience or problem to solve? Or do you need help growing as a speaker while balancing a full time job (in addition to everything else in life)? If you have any questions about speaking, finding gigs, charging more, how to get started, how to find leads, or anything else in your speaking business, you can find answers in this free training.
Based on the system built by Grant Baldwin in his book, The Successful Speaker, you can learn how to build a $2m speaking career increasing your impact, income, and ability to travel.
The Speaker Lab’s free 45 minute LIVE training is a class where you can learn why paid speaking is the perfect way to protect and even grow your business during a recession. You can learn the same 5-step system Grant Baldwin used to grow his speaking business to over $2 million in revenue during the recession of 2008. Furthermore, you can glean tips on how savvy speakers are charging higher fees. There is also an opportunity for a Q&A where you can ask any of your speaking business questions (also known as free consulting).
Benefits of speaker training
Maybe you’re a brand new speaker, lack direction, and need help creating a clear plan. Or perhaps you’re tired of speaking for free and want to know how to acquire paid speaking gigs. Maybe you just need help understanding how to better market yourself as a speaker. This free training can help you learn how to acquire paid speaking gigs NOW even if you have no experience, no audience, or no following. It can also show you to market yourself as a speaker (without being too salesy).
COVID-19 has been a blessing in disguise for many paid speakers. Now may be the best year in history to launch your speaking business and how to get started. Want to learn how to leverage the industry landscape to grow your speaking business this year? Or how to select your audience and start connecting with people, business, conferences, associations, etc.? This training could be a good place to start.
Interested in signing up? Click here to register for the free live training.
Testimonials
It may be helpful to get opinions from those who have gone through the training before. Perhaps that’s the case for you. See below for some of the past training participants’ testimonials and feedback on their experiences.
“I would recommend The Speaker Lab to people who have a message but need the confidence to know how to share that message with the world.” — Laura B.
“The Speaker Lab is a great opportunity to supplement your income, grow your public image and, most importantly, build a lucrative career.” — Michael R.
“I would recommend The Speaker Lab to anyone who doesn’t want to be in it alone and doesn’t know what you don’t know.” — Chris F.
“The Speaker Lab helped me become more proactive with a systematic approach to getting booked and paid to speak.” — Lisa B.
“I would recommend The Speaker Lab to anyone who knows that they have a message.” — Tina M.
“The Speaker Lab has helped me know how to get a speaking business off the ground.” — Ryan G.
Ready to sign up? Click here to register for the training.
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Conclusion
So you’ve gotten a sense of what public speaking classes can do for you. You’ve learned about opportunities for free and low-cost trainings. But perhaps you’d still like to learn more about how to get started with your public speaker business. Is that you? Satiate your desire to learn more about public speaking by checking out The Speaker Lab blog here. Want to know more about the Speaker Lab’s programs, such as how much The Speaker Lab’s programs cost? Get started with TSL here. Happy speaking!
