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THE JOHN MAXWELL TEAM PRESENTS

BECOME
A PAID
PUBLIC
SPEAKER
7 SUREFIRE WAYS TO
GET STARTED
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BECOME A PAID PUBLIC SPEAKER: 7 SUREFIRE WAYS TO GET STARTED

BECOME A PA ID PUBL IC SPE A K ER

Public speaking is one of the general public’s greatest fears, sometimes even more
than death and taxes! Despite the fear, the professional public speaking industry
continues to grow. Professional speakers can easily earn six figures in annual income,
and some of today’s top speakers charge a minimum of $50,000 per engagement. The
following industries have a huge demand for professional speakers:

• BUSINESS CONFERENCES & EVENTS

• CORPORATE TRAININGS, WORKSHOPS, OR SEMINARS
• CHURCH EVENTS
• COMMUNITY EVENTS
• MEDIA APPEARANCES (TELEVISION, RADIO, VIDEO, ETC.)
• AND SO MANY MORE!

There will always be a need for strong communicators who can inspire and motivate
an audience. If you dream of being a paid public speaker, it’s important to get the
right training -- both on and offstage. To build a successful and sustainable business
requires more than just being great at speaking. It takes smart strategy and diligent
execution to run the business side of things.

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BECOME A PAID PUBLIC SPEAKER: 7 SUREFIRE WAYS TO GET STARTED

WH AT M A K E S GRE AT SPE A K ER S GRE AT

What makes great speakers stand out? Is it their oratory skills? Their personalities? Their
humor? Actually, there is one simple thing that makes some speakers more exceptional
than others: influence. All great speakers have the ability to influence their listeners to
take at least one step towards positive change in their lives.

So, how do you gain influence? Connection. In his book Everyone Communicates, Few
Connect, our very own John C. Maxwell explains, “Tone, inflection, timing, volume, pacing
— everything you do with your voice communicates something and has the potential
to help you connect to or disconnect from others when you speak.” This means that
making a connection with an audience is going to take more than just great content. It
will also require great delivery.

www.johnmaxwellteam.com/lnl-communication-masterclass-replay-video/
BONUS VIDEO: Watch the replay of the Communication Masterclass Lunch & Learn featuring clips
of John Maxwell training newly-certified John Maxwell Team members live from the stage at the
International Maxwell Certification in Orlando, Florida.

The good news is that these communication skills are exactly that: skills. They can
be learned, developed, honed, and (dare we say) perfected. The key is to gain an
understanding of how human beings connect with and consume information. While the
delivery styles can vary by speaker, the principles of communication remain the same
because the public at large consumes information in predictable ways.

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BECOME A PAID PUBLIC SPEAKER: 7 SUREFIRE WAYS TO GET STARTED

It is possible and very doable for you to become a paid professional speaker. Let’s
look at these seven surefire ways to get started.

1 GE T FOCUSED
The basic foundation for any successful speaker is that he or she has a story to tell. If
you want to be able to connect with others, you need to know the point to your story,
the purpose or objective, and how you hope to influence your audience. It is important
to specify or identify your topic, genre, or area of expertise early on.

As you develop your topic or subject of expertise, ask yourself:

• WHAT AM I GOOD AT?
• WHAT HAVE I SPENT AT LEAST 10,000 HOURS DOING THAT I
COULD SHARE WITH OTHERS?
• WHAT HAVE I BEEN THROUGH THAT HAS BROUGHT ME TO
WHERE I AM OR WHERE I INTEND TO GO?
• HOW CAN I BEST MEET THE AUDIENCE’S NEEDS?

The secret to world-class presentations is personal stories, and that’s because

speaking is less about teaching or telling and more about connecting and influencing.
One of the core modules in the John Maxwell Team program is “How to Write
A Winning Personal Story.” A personal story is perhaps the biggest competitive
advantage you have as a speaker, because no one else has your story.

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BECOME A PAID PUBLIC SPEAKER: 7 SUREFIRE WAYS TO GET STARTED

2 GE T GOOD
Once you know what you have to say, you’ve got to get good at saying it and
presenting it. The better you are as a speaker, the more money you can charge for your
speaking. You might be surprised to know that even the most experienced and highest-
paid professional speakers rehearse their speeches -- even ones they have delivered
multiple times.

Confidence is preparation. When opportunity knocks, it’s too late to prepare. You’re
either ready for the moment, or you’re not. The stage is one place you especially don’t
want to “fake it ‘til you make it.” An audience will know right away whether you are
prepared or not.

“When opportunity knocks, it’s too late to prepare.”

– John C. Maxwell

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BECOME A PAID PUBLIC SPEAKER: 7 SUREFIRE WAYS TO GET STARTED

Learning to speak more effectively is a process. There will be bumps and falls along the
way, just like there are when a child learns to ride a bike. Sure, there are some people
who have a “natural talent” for speaking, but the majority of people need training
wheels. The more opportunity you give yourself to learn and the more you put into
practice what you’ve learned, the quicker the process will be.

Posture, tone, presence, and movement are just a few of the non-verbal cues involved
in effective public speaking. Moreover, with the advent of camera phones and social
media, it’s important now more than ever that you work on your delivery because you
never know who will be recording your talk. The days of having just one or two cameras
in the back of the room being manned by the A/V team are over. Now everyone has a
camera in the palm of their hand, so it’s that much more important that you “get good.”

“You being good is your best form of marketing.”

– Roddy Galbraith, Speaker Trainer, The John Maxwell Team

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BECOME A PAID PUBLIC SPEAKER: 7 SUREFIRE WAYS TO GET STARTED

3 GE T QUA L I T Y T R A INING
Becoming a professional speaker is just like pursuing any other worthy goal. In order to
get better, you must be willing to invest in your growth. Finding a quality program that
is both credible and chock-full of expertise to aid in your growth as a reputable speaker
is paramount. It’s also a great way to get connected to other people in the professional
speaking industry.

To get the most out of your speaker training, commit to and focus on one program. By
doing so, over time, you will develop the skills of applying your own perspective and
crafting your own stories. Then, practice, practice, practice! Only after you have put
in the time and effort will you be able to determine whether or not a certain tool or
technique is or isn’t working. If a certain program or the way you are applying it isn’t
working, try another approach before you invest in another program altogether.

Remember, there is a time for winning and a time for learning. If you are only focused
on being the best, you might lose out on an opportunity to become better. Have the
courage to grow by learning.

The John Maxwell Team has trained more than 24,000 speakers, trainers, and coaches
worldwide. Using techniques and expert communication practices from John Maxwell,
this curriculum was developed to ensure that anyone who joins the certification program
has all the tools necessary to increase his or her influence, impact, and income. We are
here for you as you pursue your dream of becoming a well-paid, professional speaker.

“If you’re not growing, you’re not moving forward.”

– Paul Martinelli, internationally-acclaimed speaker and mentor

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BECOME A PAID PUBLIC SPEAKER: 7 SUREFIRE WAYS TO GET STARTED

4 GE T CONFIDEN T
No matter how good we are at saying what we have to say, we will never truly be great
without a measure of confidence. Our results are a reflection of our own awareness of
our potential and our ability to carry out that potential. As Paul Martinelli, president of
the John Maxwell Team, often says, “You never outperform your own self-image.”

Paul knows a thing or two about self-image. A high school dropout from a poor,
working-class family in Pittsburgh, Paul’s future didn’t look so bright. He admits that
early on, he believed life was lived by default and not by design. Everything changed
when he started to get serious about personal development, see his own self worth,
and create new beliefs. This intentional path of growth helped him overcome a severe
stuttering disability, gain confidence, and rise from a janitor to a multimillionaire
entrepreneur who has now shared the stage with the likes of Seth Godin, Les Brown,
and John Maxwell.

A person’s belief system drives his or her behavior. These belief systems are
programmed into us in one of two ways – either by a sudden emotional impact wherein
we immediately assign the belief, or through continued affirmation by repetition. This
is why it’s so important to have a quality coach during your development as a speaker.
It’s hard to see your own potential, but it’s even harder to see your blind spots and self-
limiting beliefs.

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BECOME A PAID PUBLIC SPEAKER: 7 SUREFIRE WAYS TO GET STARTED

5 GE T RE A L
Never aim to impress your listeners. Rather, be focused on how you can help them.
Author and speaker Donald Miller often says, “Be the guide, not the hero.” Be
intentional in the framing of your message as well as how you want to present yourself
to others. Your goal is to have a conversation with the audience. One way to do this:
instead of panning your eyes across the entire audience and pacing back and forth,
focus on a few people, taking a few seconds to look right in their eyes. You never want
to be speaking at them, you want to be speaking with them.

A fantastic message can be destroyed in delivery, so being audience-focused is one

of the hallmarks of our Speaking track at the John Maxwell Team. There’s no way to
predict what kind of audience to whom you’ll be speaking at any given time, and it will
be nearly impossible to completely avoid naysayers. It’s important for you to learn how
to convey both approachability and confidence at the same time -- if you can do this,
you can speak effectively in nearly any environment.

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BECOME A PAID PUBLIC SPEAKER: 7 SUREFIRE WAYS TO GET STARTED

6 GE T BUSINE S S S AV V Y
To be in business as a speaker, you need to start thinking like a businessperson. There
is so much more to being a professional speaker than just the time that you spend on
stage.

For instance, you will want to consider these questions about the business of
speaking:
• DO YOU HAVE CLEAR BUSINESS GOALS?
• DO YOU HAVE A MARKETING PLAN?
• DO YOU KNOW HOW TO GET LEADS AND SPEAKING
INQUIRIES?
• ARE YOU USING THE RIGHT KIND OF SPEAKER PROPOSAL AND
CONTRACT?
• DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOU SHOULD CHARGE FOR YOUR
SERVICES?
• HOW DO YOU NEGOTIATE ON TRAVEL COSTS FOR FOOD,
AIRFARE, AND HOTELS?
• HAVE YOU BUILT A SUITE OF INFORMATION PRODUCTS YOU
CAN SELL AT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS?

If you’re just getting started on the journey to paid public speaking, the reality is that
you’ll need to wear several hats as you build your business. None of the points above
have anything to do with your talent as a speaker, but they have everything to do
with your business acumen. You probably won’t have an assistant or agent from the
outset, so it’s important for you to have good, experienced guidance on these kinds of
business matters. Otherwise, your professional speaking career might be over before it
even begins.

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BECOME A PAID PUBLIC SPEAKER: 7 SUREFIRE WAYS TO GET STARTED

7 GE T S TA R T ED
True progress works like this: take the action, make the decision, and then the answer
comes.

We asked John Maxwell about the number one obstacle people face when setting out
to become professional speakers. He said, “Many times, we want our answers before
we take action. What I tell people is to just jump in, dive into the stream, and then we’re
going to help them.”

One of the terrific things about the John Maxwell Team is that we have several lanes of
learning -- Speaking, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Marketing. While
you do not have to become an expert in the areas outside of speaking, we make them
available to you to provide you with a well-rounded experience that you can tap into
as you continue to grow. In addition to helping you fast-track your speaking career,
this program gives you the opportunity to meet new people, learn from expert faculty
members, and even participate in live trainings with John Maxwell himself.

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BECOME A PAID PUBLIC SPEAKER: 7 SUREFIRE WAYS TO GET STARTED

CONGR AT UL AT IONS!
You have just learned seven surefire ways to become a paid
public speaker. So now what?

Now that you’ve learned the seven ways to get started, you’re one step closer
to becoming a speaker. Whether you are looking to make a career pivot
into speaking, or you are already a speaker and want better clients, bigger
opportunities, and more impact, the John Maxwell Team can help bridge the
gap between where you are and where you want to be.

Why not schedule a free call with one of our Program Coordinators to see if our
program is a good fit for you?

Go to johnmaxwellteam.com/talk and one of our Program Coordinators

will contact you, field your questions, and help you make the best decision
for where you are in life right now. When you sign up for a complimentary
discovery call, we’ll even give you these three bonuses:

1 Marketing genius Seth Godin’s talk at our recent International Maxwell

Certification (IMC). This talk is not available to the public; it’s only available here.

2 Dr. Robert Cialdini’s full teaching, “The Six Principles of Persuasion”

(a must-listen for any speaker and communicator)

Your choice of one lesson from two of the world’s most prolific speakers:
3 ⋅⋅
“Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn” by Nick Vujicic, or
⋅⋅
“Finding Your Power Voice” by Les Brown

johnmaxwellteam.com/talk

To your success,

Paul Martinelli
President, John Maxwell Team

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