How can you prepare to freelance as a motivational speaker?

To freelance as a motivational speaker, start by honing your expertise and identifying your niche. Build a compelling portfolio showcasing your speaking engagements, testimonials, and expertise. Establish an online presence through a professional website and social media platforms. Network with event organizers, join speaking bureaus, and attend industry conferences. Develop polished marketing materials, including a captivating bio and promotional materials. Set competitive pricing. Cultivate strong communication skills for client interactions. Continuously update your knowledge and adapt to market trends. Lastly, foster a resilient mindset, embracing challenges as opportunities for growth, ensuring a sustainable freelance career.

Be an expert in your field first. I distrust speakers that call themselves motivational speakers. Let the audience decide if your story inspires them or not.

In my opinion, a book is a good starting point for all other formats. Even if you don't have to commit to a topic forever with a book, it is still very important to consider which topic you want to position yourself with. The book is also valuable for self-reflection, for intensive elaboration of the topic and is therefore already part of the content preparation for presentations and all other formats.

Your story is only a great story if it stands without a PowerPoint or other visual means. That your audience by the hand and connect. There are hundreds of Tedex speeches that proof that a good story doesn’t need anything but a goed story.

6 Things You Should Never Do as a Speaker I transformed into a leading keynote speaker on design thinking innovation. I like to share my mistakes at the start: 1. Talking to ‘strangers’. Be sure to understand who’s in the audience and what’s relevant. 2. Introduce yourself. You are the hero. Let the host do it. 3. Open with “how honoured you are…” The first 30 seconds are crucial. Do not open with ‘bla bla bla …’ 4. Use a handheld microphone. Speak with your hands. Get a headset. 5. Allow questions in your speech. They get you into trouble: Q&A afterwards. 6. Talk in a one rythm. This will make your audience fall asleep. Vary tone, pace and volume. I wish you lots of success! #keynote #keynotespeaker #speaker #motivationalspeaker

I have personally found that a book is the most effective. I didn't even write it with that intention. After the publication of my book, the requests for keynote speeches, consulting or workshops naturally followed and are still coming in, even though the book has been around for a while.

My experience says to do the following, Have clarity about what you want the World to know, ie what do you want to share, Check with yourself, whether you are going to be a pro bono or charge Institutions on a hourly basis Prepare a relevant profile and share it on your professional network, do mention that you are looking at invites, Do share your profile with nearby Institutions, Industry Associates Do request some of your previous contacts to share their feed back about your prowess on the relevant pages, Be proactive to reach out to Decision Makers of Institutions and Associations As a free lancer contribute articles to local journals, Have faith in your abilities and belief in others! All the best,