When you are paid to speak, you may consider yourself to be a professional speaker. But I think there is more to being a professional speaker than just getting paid. I think being a professional speaker is a mindset and an approach to life.

In my experience I have found that being a professional speaker consists of the following elements:

• Treating your audience with respect.
• Knowing your material.
• Always being prepared for your presentations.
• Committing to regularly practicing your speaking skills.

Treating the audience with respect

When you get up to speak before an audience, what is your attitude? Do you feel superior to your audience? Or are you feeling honored to have the privilege to speak before your audience?

I believe that being a professional speaker is about having an attitude that you are there to serve your audience, not the other way around. You are privileged to be speaking to the audience, so show them respect for letting you speak to them.

An important aspect of respecting your audience is to respect their time. This means ending your speech on time and not going over time. People have busy lives and many commitments, and they have taken time out of their lives to see you speak. Respect their time by staying within the time limits for your speech.

Staying on time also helps you to show respect for other speakers. If you go over time, this reduces the time available for the next speaker, and thus you aren’t respecting their time. Instead, if you ensure that you stay on time for your speech you will be showing respect both for the audience and for the speaker who comes after you.

Know your material

When you get up to speak before an audience do your know material? If not, I think you are being unprofessional and not showing respect for your audience.

When you are speaking to an audience, knowing your material is important. If you try to speak on a topic you don’t know, you may end up wasting the audience’s time.

Speak instead on a subject you know well or that you have studied carefully before you make your presentation. You don’t have to know everything about your topic, but it helps to know what you have researched so you can answer any questions the audience may have.

Another aspect of showing respect to the audience is not being afraid to admit you don’t the answer. Answer the questions that you can and be honest when you cannot answer a question. And when you find a question you cannot answer, make a note of the question, and then find the answer on your own time so the next time you give your presentation you can answer that question.

Always be prepared

Being a professional speaker means always being prepared when you are scheduled to give a presentation. Show up ready to present your speech, having practiced in advance and knowing your material. If instead you show up unprepared you are being unprofessional and you are not showing respect for your audience.

If you show up unprepared or you didn’t practice your speech, you may forget the points you want to make. You may stay focused on your notes and not make eye contact with the audience. It is much better to be prepared so you can maintain eye contact with the audience during your speech. Glancing at your notes occasionally is fine, but for the majority of your speech make eye contact and engage with the audience.

When I am scheduled to do a speech for my Toastmasters club I practice my speech well in advance of the club meeting. I use a timer app on my phone to time my speech while I am practicing so that I know how to keep my speech within the allotted time. This helps me to learn if I have too much material to cover and I can then trim my speech to fit it within the allotted time. Alternatively, I may learn that my speech is too short and I can then add more material to lengthen my speech to cover the time allotted to me. As I practice my speech I learn the material that I want to present and then when it comes time to present my speech I can present it without relying on my notes.

Commit to regular practice

To master a skill, you need regular practice. This applies to all fields and professions, including public speaking. To be a professional speaker you need to practice your speaking skills on a regular basis.

One of the ways that I practice my speaking skills is by being a member of Toastmasters International. As a Toastmaster I get to write and present speeches to a group of fellow club members. This allows me to practice my speaking skills on a regular basis.

One of the main benefits of Toastmasters is the evaluation provided for speakers. The feedback I receive from my evaluators helps me learn where I need to improve my speaking skills. For example, for a recent speech my evaluator cautioned me to watch my rate of speaking. This is now something I can work on changing when practicing my speeches. I can practice speaking more slowly to improve my effectiveness as a speaker.

Another way to practice as a professional speaker is to just get out there and do speeches before any audience. You could offer to do speeches for a community organization for free. Brainstorm potential organizations that you could do your speeches for and then reach out to them and offer to speak to them.

As you practice, you get better, and I think part of being a professional speaker is being well practiced so you come across as well prepared when giving a speech or conducting a workshop.

Conclusion

I think the essence of being a professional speaker is conducting yourself in a professional manner and that being a professional speaker is a mindset and an approach to life. You can be a professional speaker without getting paid. Its all in how you approach your role as a speaker.

Professional speakers treat their audiences with respect. Professional speakers know their material and they are always prepared for their presentations. Professional speakers actively practice their craft and they are always honing and developing their speaking skills over time.

As a professional speaker, you are there to provide a service for your audience, not the other way around. Keep that in mind and always conduct yourself in a professional manner and treat your audience with respect.