When reaching out to these professionals, I asked two
questions:
1. If you were to
start as a speaker all over again, what one thing would you do differently?
2. What one tip would
you have for someone just starting on their journey as a professional speaker?
The goal was to give you real world, actionable advice you
could take and implement in your speaking practice immediately. Below is a
selection of those answers:
Professionally Speaking
1. Have something to
say worth sharing and be very clear what your differentiator is.
Garr Reynolds,
author of Presentation Zen
2. My one tip for
someone just starting on their journey as a professional speaker: Practice your
craft! Take every opportunity to speak – and it will be mostly for free at the
beginning. Get your 10,000 hours in!
Nick Morgan,
author of Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma
3. Fall in love with
the real you. Identify your quirks and insecurities, then embrace those unique
and special qualities that make you different from every other person and every
other speaker. Never be ashamed of who you are or where you are in your life.
When you love yourself and are comfortable in your own skin, the audience will
feel it, appreciate it and want to connect with you.
Lisa Braithwaite,
Public speaking coach and trainer
