Coming out of the SXSW conference and the session Tim Sanders and I ran, I’m going to continue a blog series begun then on how to develop a paid public speaking career.  In the first blog I discussed in general terms some of the ideas that came up during the session.  Here, I’ll try to cover the topic a little more systematically and thoroughly. 

The first question is why would anyone want to speak in public at all.  It is very common to fear the task, and virtually everyone who has ever tried has experienced stage fright ranging from ‘butterflies’ to outright phobia.  So why do it, if you don’t have to?

There are two good answers, or perhaps two answers that make sense:  money and influence.  A successful public speaking career can be extremely lucrative at the high end, and you get a chance to take your message to large numbers of people.  You need both to sustain yourself over the long haul, because the travel is hard and you’re going to be depending on the kindness of strangers (to adapt Tennessee Williams) for much of it. 

So that’s the first bit of advice I have for anyone considering a career in public speaking.  Don’t try it unless you’re willing to work very, very hard for money and influence.  You must be passionate about spreading your message.  There will be dud audiences, bad halls, lousy sound systems, failing visuals, empty rooms and travel nightmares on a regular basis.  Don’t take on the challenge unless you have the energy to go the distance. 

Second, don’t try unless you’re willing to be completely professional and dedicated to the job.  It’s not a world for amateurs.  A speakers’ bureau CEO I was talking to recently told me he had a database of 18,000 speakers.  Roughly a third were “leadership” category speakers – the category that most people starting out fancy themselves part of.  Those are tough odds.  How do you stand out?  How does the bureau even remember ten percent of that number? 

We’ll get into how to stand out amongst the competition, but for now, be clear that you’re not entering an easy, simple marketplace.  The paid public speaking business is extremely competitive – and extremely lucrative if you do it right.  If you treat it like a hobby, or a part-time job, it will reward you with a profound lack of interest.