Are you an aspiring professional speaker?If you want to become a professional speaker - welcome...! It is a fantastic profession to be involved with.
By being involved with the professional speaking community you will discover that professional speakers are business owners who have a deep desire to help support other people through the medium of speech.
However, the question we get asked most frequently is "How do you become a professional speaker?"
Well, there are as many ways of becoming a professional speaker as there are professional speakers. There is no single route or pathway to success.
But, professional speakers all have one thing in common - their professionalism. In other words, they treat their work seriously - even if they are humorists. Also, professional speakers command the stage and know how to connect with their audience. And every speaker motivates their audience to take action based on what they are speaking about.
The PSA does not teach these skills. We expect you to be a skilled speaker before you join us. So, if you are currently thinking about being a speaker we'd suggest you learn some more about speaking, perhaps via a speaking club or
Toastmasters International.
Once you have gained some speaking skills, it could be time to start asking for payment for speeches you give and then you could take up our "Candidate for Member" status. This is not actual membership of the PSA, but is a signal that you intend to join within two years.
As a Candidate for Member you will be able to mix with professional speakers, learn from them and receive our magazines, CDs and podcasts so that you can really prepare yourself for Membership.
If you want to get an idea of what our meetings are like and start connecting with professional speakers, some of our meetings are open to guests. However, you can only attend a maximum of three of these meetings.
So even though different people arrive in the speaking profession in different ways, there is a pathway you can take as an aspiring speaker.
1. Learn how to speak effectively by attending speakers clubs or Toastmasters
2. Plan your entry into the speaking business by attending up to three of our meetings as a guest
3. Once you have a plan in place, sign up as a Candidate for Member
4. Ensure you move up to Member within two years of taking up Candidate status
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