These 24 proven and practical steps will help aspiring motivational speakers succeed. To become a motivational speaker, you can become more inspiring, reach more people, and earn millions.
My mission is to help leaders create breakthroughs. One effective way is to help develop leaders how to become powerful motivational speakers.
I will share with you what I learned as a motivational speaker in the Philippines. If you are serious about becoming a motivational speaker, study these 24 Secrets of Motivational Speakers.
Motivational Speaker in Manila
I started my career as a motivational speaker in the Philippines in 2004. Before that, I was a school teacher. But many things that I learned about motivating people, I learned as a Catholic seminarian and as a student activist.
When I was in third-year high school, one Easter Sunday, I discovered that my life is a message that can inspire and motivate others. I was then speaking to thousands of students, many of whom cried while I was speaking on the stage. Many of them told me that I inspired them and that I gave them hope.
When I was in the seminary, I conducted many spiritual retreats. It was there that I learned the value of sticking to one message, rehearsing speeches, and using your body, voice, and eyes to communicate a message.
As a student activist, I learned how to sell ideas by answering the question, “What’s in it for them?”. I discovered the enormous value confident public speaking has to anyone who desires to lead.
I have delivered speeches all over the Philippines. I have also been invited to speak in Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Thailand.
I will know that I will be reaching more people in the coming years. And I know that I can help those who intend to become motivational speakers.
This article is an important step in helping those who want to motivate people in the Philippines, and the rest of the world.
What are motivational speakers?
Motivational speakers are professionals who deliver speeches that encourage and move audiences to action. Motivational speeches clarify what people want and why they are not getting what they want. Then, the speaker offers solutions the audience must act upon to make change happen.
Start today if you want to learn how to become a motivational speaker. Learn easy and practical ways to get started influencing people with your words.
Who are motivational speakers?
Motivational speakers are mentors on stage. They persuade us to change how we do things so we can change our results.
Many motivational speakers are great storytellers who also use humor to keep us laughing.
Some speakers touch our emotions. They make us cry as we listen to their miserable lives – and make us feel good knowing that they bounced forward. And a few give us proven formulas to speed up our success. This kind of speaker is very popular. Watch how Matt Folley’s Van Down the River demonstrates why some companies hire them.
Newbies get a bottle of wine for a speech. Others get 10,000 pesos for a speech. And there are rockstars and celebrity motivational speakers who take home seven-figure fees.
Wannabes often asked me how to become a motivational speaker in the Philippines. My quick answer: call yourself a motivational speaker.
And how can one be the best, like x, y, and z? Build a website, stuff your notes with the words “best,” “Filipino,” “motivational,” “speaker,” and “Philippines.” SEO tactics like this create visibility, and many people readily believe the claim without question.
No, those are not sustainable ways to become a known speaker. But some motivational speakers show initial success by doing these things. So, I will encourage you to find better ways. And you will learn 24 ways today.
I will share more ideas on how you can speak with confidence. Explore these public speaking tips.
Why be a motivational speaker?
You can turn yourself into a motivational leader. Aside from hiring a motivational speaker every year, you can help your employees get motivated every week.
Your value can be equal to 52 motivational speakers.
But unlike a professional motivational speaker, you have opportunities to understand people on a deeper level. You know the dreams and aspirations of your people. And more importantly, you speak their language.
Though this guide is for those who intend to become professional speakers, the motivational leader can apply the first 20 ways immediately. Notice that you will become a confident speaker who can deliver persuasive speeches.
You can make a difference.
A motivational speaker can make a big difference. Making a difference is a worthy goal.
Motivational speaking is a lucrative business too. This is why every day, motivational speaker wannabes are born. They think that all they have to do is stand in front of people, regurgitate ideas they heard from good speakers, and become famous.
Indeed, you can become one of the few who became rich and famous when you do motivational speaking right.
You can also be like those who still beg for clients after years of trying hard to become another Tony Robbins or Les Brown.
Let’s start.
Motivational Speaking Is a Vocation
There are many reasons why people want to be motivational speakers. Most want the money; some want to educate, and some are dying to save the world.
I dare say that all people who want to change our minds and make us do something are motivational speakers. But they don’t call them as such. They call themselves by various names: teachers, trainers, doctors, engineers, salesmen, business owners, market vendors, et cetera.
The best motivational speakers I know are doing their vocation. They inspire people because that’s their purpose in life. They want to share their messages with the world to uplift people’s lives.
1. Are you meant to become a motivational speaker?
Know thy self and to thy self be true. Remember those times when we ask kids what they want to be when they grow up? They usually give us cute answers.
They want to become A to help B. I also get the same answer when I ask wannabes why they wish to become motivational speakers.
They wanted to help people. Cute answer.
Some more questions, and you’ll find out most of them do not know. They want to try it out. Motivational speakers on stage look cool. They have great messages which the wannabes wish to spread to the world.
Multi-level marketing created the most number of wannabes. They want to free people from the slavery called work. They wish to help people who are broke like them to find financial freedom.
Second to MLMs are religious groups. They followed a path paved for them by prosperity preachers. They want to spread the gospel and wish to be as wealthy as their preachers.
Though unsaid, money is a natural magnet for motivational speaker wannabes.
Don’t worry. You are not bad for wanting the money.
Motivational speakers who don’t want the money call themselves activists, and those who desire all the money are politicians who call themselves public servants. I meant no offense to honest public servants and good politicians.
Those who want to help people and earn from doing so are called professionals.
Know thy self and to thy self be true.
2. Are you passionate about inspiring others?
I entered a Catholic seminary after high school. My passion was to spread and teach God’s word and save souls. I knew that to be true. Later, I found out that many seminarians joined the congregation so they could get a college education. I went out after two years.
I took Political Science. I became a student leader and an activist. My passion was to fight for what’s right, teach the greatest good, and serve the poorest of the poor. The latter I got from my last year in the seminary. The life of Bishop Julio Labayen inspired me to serve the poorest of the poor.
Three months before I graduated from college, I applied for a high school teaching position. Three months after, a college teaching position. I want to educate people.
I can tell my history, but that’s not my point.
We gravitate towards our passion. And I believe that giving your best comes naturally when you are passionate about what you do.
To become a motivational speaker, your passion does not have to be motivational speaking. Your passions can be technology, medicine, travel, human rights, photography, or public service — and you are too happy to share this passion with others.
3. Do you have what it takes to motivate others?
Many motivational speakers are, well, great speakers. Their words can mesmerize you by making you raise your hand, then put them down to get your wallets.
You don’t have to become a great speaker to become motivational. A good enough speaker with a gift for storytelling, singing, dancing, painting, playing instruments, comedy, acting, or sports will find themselves a notch above other motivational speakers. Many speakers who lost body parts became famous for their talents, skills, and sheer grit.
You will find yourself in your best element when you use your gifts to communicate your message. Use them.
Besides, you can learn how to speak well. You can know how to tell stories. You can understand what motivates people and how to motivate them.
Knowing and using your gifts will speed up the growth of your motivational speaking career.
4. Who do you want to motivate?
Motivational speakers know their starving crowd.
A starving crowd is your prospective customers whose needs aren’t served. They are hungry for your message. They want solutions that you have. If you have read my notes on the starving crowd, you know this step is crucial to your success.
Not all people are willing to listen to you. Your message may have universal appeal, but the universe will not stop what it is doing because you appeared on the stage as a motivational speaker.
It does not matter to most people if you call yourself the first certified or registered intergalactic motivational speaker. You may get their attention or mockery, but they listen to you.
It does not matter whether you are the only Filipino to be a member of a global organization of speakers. Even with this accolade, people won’t pay to listen to you.
It might feed my ego when I have some of these accolades. It might help me cure my imposter syndrome. I do not know.
I know you don’t need any of these to become a motivational speaker. So, do not fret over not having any of these.
Direct your attention instead to finding your starving crowd. Find the people who, at this very moment, need to hear your message of you – or the elixir you discovered that will heal them.
Some people are praying for someone like you to appear. Though initially unknown, if your message resonates with them, they’ll create a formation around you. They’ll dance to your music because it is the music they want. They’ll quote you and spread your word around. They’ll buy your products and services because they are starving.
Look around you.
Some preachers have mega-churches. These preachers attract large followers who bring others to them because their message feeds the starving crowd.
Others have churches where people come and never come back.
I am not saying that you build your mega-church. A good business, like motivational speaking, may bring you good money once you have 1000 true fans.
But to be a motivational speaker people can trust and follow, you need to find your starving crowd. You do not have to be a mini-me of the motivational speaker you idolize. You do not have to regurgitate their ideas.
Find your starving crowd and feed them fresh and authentic ideas.
Understand Motivation
What is motivation?
Motivation is the desire to act to achieve a goal. Motivation is the reason why you will do something you hate to do. It is the reason why you wake up each morning with full enthusiasm. Motivation makes you keep standing even when you keep falling.
So, you want to be a motivational speaker? Understand then what a motivational speaker is trying to do.
You may call yourself a motivational speaker and get paid for speaking on stage but fail to motivate a soul every time you speak.
I got invited to speak at a conference some years back. Some guy went to the stage ahead of me. He is a famous motivational speaker in the Philippines.
He was funny. He punctuated his paragraphs with punchlines. I laughed a lot. He filled most of his slides with quotes from dead white men. Oh, there were some Gandhi quotes also. I believe he included four tips from lifehack.org, but that was it.
He was a funny man — a good enough storyteller and probably a good person. But the speech had no clear message, and I was unsure if he added value to others.
It wasn’t easy to follow him. People expected another motivational speaker to be as funny.
I did not get as many laughs, but the speech was well-appreciated. Few eyes sparkled, and the few ones were enough for me.
Information is important.
Entertainment makes your speech desirable.
But the real purpose of a motivational speech is not to make people laugh, jump, or cry.
You want people to believe in the beauty of their dreams and gain the courage to make it happen while you speak.
Motivation must lead to motion.
A motivational speaker is a person who delivers speeches that put a spotlight on people’s challenges, uncover causes, offer a proven solution (and its benefits), and move people into action.
A motivational speaker is someone who constantly seeks to understand people’s motivation.
Okay, so let us talk a bit about motivation.
5. Do you know what motivates people?
The root word for motivation is motive, the reason for your action.
When we try to judge the goodness of someone’s actions, we look into their motives. If the reason is not good, we don’t trust the person.
Then, the suffix ion indicates that it is a product or a process.
From etymology, we can say that motivation is the process (or product) of persuading someone to change a behavior to achieve a goal.
It is sexy to say to use the word reason instead of persuasion. We like to believe that human beings are reasonable animals. So, dictionaries might say that motivation is the process of giving people reasons to act in a certain way.
Reasons may work for a few. You use logic to show why one action is better than others to achieve a specific goal.
But persuasion works better for motivational speakers — those who tell the best stories win.
People have motives for their actions. Even employees who managers tagged as unmotivated have unsaid motives. They are motivated to do something else, something more desirable than what the company wants them to do.
Learn more about giving a motivational speech.
6. What behaviors do you want to change?
Look again at Jef Menguin’s definition of motivation: the process (or product) of persuading someone to change a behavior to achieve a goal.
Using persuasive tools, like storytelling, a motivational speaker attempts to help change the audience’s behavior to achieve their goals.
The desired behaviors are often obvious.
For example, a company that hired a motivational speaker to speak before its army of salespeople must have been preaching target behaviors to achieve sales targets.
Unfortunately, not everyone is adapting to the behavior. In this case, a motivational speaker’s role is to create a sense of urgency and encourage salespeople to change their behaviors.
For example, the followers of John Maxwell, Tony Robbins, or Les Brown who purchase tickets to hear them speak do not need much motivation. They are very motivated. They want to be told what to do.
If you want to become a motivational speaker, it will help you study how speakers get invited and why people pay them.
7. Do you want to get paid as a motivational speaker?
Not all motivational speakers get paid. You can find many motivational speakers in churches who will gladly share their stories and who will try to save your soul for free.
Newbies typically don’t get paid. Probably because most believe they don’t deserve to get paid yet. They are still “practicing.” A bottle of wine for a 30-minute speech is enough.
Some freelance speakers will be happy to receive a thousand pesos. It is called honorariums. I don’t find any honor in this kind of pay since others think honorariums are talent fees.
Most get paid 5000 pesos for a motivational speech. But you may charge 10,000 or 20,000, or 40,000 pesos.
Yes, some speakers charge 40,000 pesos an hour and 80,000 pesos for two hours, as if a two-hour speech is twice better than an hour. A good website and a bold claim that you are the best help increase the fees.
The industry experts, often invited as keynote speakers at conventions and conferences, may charge six to seven figures. Yes, you read that right.
In general, people do not pay for the speech. They pay for you who can deliver results.
8. Motivational speakers can flip the switch.
Why companies hire motivational speakers?
The obvious answer is that they failed to make people practice a particular behavior. They need someone from outside the company, probably someone whom many people trust, to create a sense of urgency inside the organization.
This investment does not always work. But those who do are greatly rewarded. Some motivational speakers can flip the switch.
Design Your Speaking Career Strategy
You can be a motivational speaker without a strategy. You can do that if you only want to share your stories and inspire people. Maybe, you are a good storyteller; you’ll get invited.
Without a clear strategy, a career in motivational speaking is unlikely to feed your family.
9. Are you confident?
People buy your confidence. They listen to speakers who demonstrate faith in their ideas and solutions.
Wannabe speakers play small. They pick audiences whom they believe they can easily handle.
That’s what I did when I dreamed of becoming a motivational speaker.
I targeted students since I was previously a seminarian who handled retreats and recollections. I was a school teacher whose words were listened to by students. I sent letters to more than a hundred schools. None took my offer.
When I started offering my services to principals and their bosses, I started to motivate teachers. When I began training managers, I began to speak at sales rallies, conferences, and conventions.
The key is authentic confidence. No, not the “fake it ’til you make it advice” often given by those who don’t get paid to speak.
You will build authentic confidence when you spend time understanding your audience, knowing their problems, and finding ways to solve them.
Learn your trade. Be a motivational speaker who spends time creating solutions to help people. Your ability to tell a story will help you connect with your audience, but your answers will give you confidence.
10. Do you know your lane?
Wannabe speakers speak about almost everything. Upon listening to one great speaker, they regurgitate the ideas, then deliver the same as if those ideas are their own.
Pick your lane.
There are thousands of motivational speakers. More than 80 percent of them say the same thing. But only five percent can genuinely claim they are professional speakers.
They are speakers who have solutions to the problems of their starving crowd. Pick one elegant idea, an idea that solves your starving crowd’s problem, and make it your own.
Russel Conwell’s speech, Acres of Diamonds, was delivered more than 6000 times, and there was always a starving crowd of people who wanted to become successful.
People paid to hear the speeches of Og Mandino again and again. He picked his lane.
You can say the same for Nick Vujicic, Simon Sinek, Zig Ziglar, Chris Gardner, Eckart Tolle, and T. Harv Ecker.
You will find many motivational speakers in the Philippines. But only a few picked a lane. Be a motivational speaker who is known for one thing.
You can be a motivational speaker who can speak about any topic. Many speakers are like that. But to help more people — and become successful, then you have to pick a lane.
11. Are you willing to do the work?
I know a pastor who said he never prepared a sermon because the Holy Spirit speaks, not him, in his speeches. I don’t know what spirit possessed him, but he is one of the most disorganized and confused speakers I have ever heard.
Craft your speeches like you are going to speak to the people you honor and respect. People are allowing you to change their lives.
Professional speakers do rehearsals. Like other professional performers, they want to deliver their messages in the best way possible.
Winging it won’t make you fly high. Be a motivational speaker who honors and respects people.
12. Do you have solutions?
You want your speech to be sticky and memorable. You want to make your solutions look credible. You can do both when you convert your answers into a formula that people can follow.
Einstein gave us E = mc² because that is sticky and memorable. When explained, it is easier to understand.
Motivational speakers with original ideas may come up with acronyms. But a formula sounds like a solution. People are not looking for acronyms; they want solutions.
Master Speech Delivery
Improve your speech delivery so people will listen to you. As I have said, even good enough speakers can become paid motivational speakers.
But you don’t have to stay in being good enough when you have opportunities to be excellent in what you do.
Speaking, like acting, is performance. When you practice excellent delivery, you will win.
13. How to make a speech easy to understand?
I will offer a course on writing persuasive speeches. But I want you to get started.
The typical speech organization is the introduction, body, and conclusion. Simple. You must have studied that before.
Another way of doing it is to tell them what you want to say to them, tell it to them, then tell them what you told them. If you follow this layout, you will likely deliver the most common speech: a boring lecture.
I won’t give you the typical organization patterns like AIDA, PPF, SMG, and C&E.
Motivational speeches answer four crucial questions.
What is that which you are selling us? Be clear about what it is that you are offering your audience. If it is unfamiliar to them, you have to make it known. One way to do that is to contrast what you offer with what people currently have.
What’s in it for us? Your speech needs to show the advantages and benefits of buying what you offer them. People want to ease their pain, and they seek pleasure. Amateur speakers tend to tell testimonies which has nothing to do with the audience.
Why do we have to believe you? Some speakers are trusted even before they open their mouths. Bo Sanchez, Mike Velarde, and Appolo Quiboloy deliver speeches to the converted.
We need to establish our credibility for most of us who are less known. Excellent personal stories that showcase our credibility helps. A well-written introduction read by someone trusted by your audience will also help.
How much? This is not just a question of money, though it is often a given. People want to know how much effort and time they need to invest in getting what you offer them. If you promise to lose weight in one year by exercising daily, they won’t be excited.
Be a motivational speaker to your starving crowd.
14. How can you do more storytelling than teaching?
You are going to teach your audience the solutions to their problems. Teaching is essential. If you are not teaching, you are not helping.
But it does not mean you have to teach like a lecturer.
In delivering motivational speeches, you spend twenty percent teaching and eighty percent telling stories.
Because in motivational speeches, people want more inspiration, not information. Stories inspire; facts inform.
Storytelling is a craft you can master.
Be a motivational speaker who tells unforgettable stories.
15. Where to find great stories?
Not all stories are equal. Whoever tells the best story wins.
Drop any story which has nothing to do with your solutions. If it has nothing to do with your message, drop a humorous story you regularly use to get the audience’s attention.
Drop a tear-jerker story if it has nothing to do with your message.
16. How to do rehearsals?
Professional speakers craft their speeches. Though the theme and topics may be the same, you should tailor-fit speeches to your audience, your starving crowd.
You also ought to rehearse your speeches. And when you do, consider possible scenarios. Consider your audience’s response, the technology, and the size of the stage.
People say that practice makes perfect. This is not true. Wrong practice won’t make your speech perfect.
When you rehearse, you are looking for ways to improve the speech, not just to master it. You are not joining a declamation contest; you will have a projected conversation with your audience.
17. Where to find humor?
I mentioned humor earlier. You will find here ten tips on how to embed humor in your speeches.
Frankly, I don’t spend much time looking for humorous stories. I look for stories that inspire and illustrate. But I do believe in the power of humor to persuade the audience.
It is easier to trust a person who can make you laugh. Human beings love humor.
18. How to use visual aids?
PowerPoint presentation isn’t the only visual aid available to us.
Your whole body is a visual aid. Use gestures and be mindful of your facial expressions. Rehearse your body movements. Just don’t overdo it.
You may flip charts too. Simon Sinek effectively uses a flip chart in his speech. In his speech, Bill Gates used water from human feces and urine as a visual aid, but he also drank it.
That’s because visual aids’ primary use is to demonstrate what a simple word cannot do.
Develop A Speaking Style
Develop your speaking style. Public speaking schools will teach you specific ways of delivering your speeches. There is no one way of giving a speech, but people expect you to deliver it your way.
It is okay to imitate someone at first. Even Kobe Bryant stole some of the moves of Michael Jordan. Probably, it helped him understand how to play the games even better. But he did more than that. He invented his own too.
It is okay to act like a comedian. Just don’t forget that motivational speaking isn’t comedy.
Be a motivational speaker who has a unique and authentic style.
19. How to be an authentic speaker?
I am happy for those who can approximate the native English speakers when they speak the language. It takes a lot of practice to do that.
But you don’t have to speak like Americans or British when you deliver speeches. You don’t even have to talk in English. You only need to communicate your message in the best way possible.
Twice I was invited to Thailand to deliver motivational speeches. My host said that they liked me better than the Caucasian speakers. They said that was because my English pronunciation is easier to understand.
Here in the Philippines, I know people who quickly point out my mispronunciation.
Don’t worry if you are Visayan. Your accent does not make you less capable. People want you, the authentic you.
20. What are your backstage rituals?
If I were to come backstage, I would spend time stretching to warm up. Stretching is also my way of taking control of the situation.
I don’t practice anymore. I keep my mouth shut.
Various speakers have various backstage rituals. The rituals are necessary because they help some speakers be in the zone.
Motivational Speaking Business Advice
If you consider yourself a professional speaker, think of what you do as a business. A business is an idea that will help people.
I won’t discuss the nitty-gritty of the speaking business. But there are three ideas I firmly believe can help you.
21. Find 1000 True Fans
If you want to build your business, grow your true fans. If you’re going to make a difference in the world, start a movement with your true fans.
I have heard of 1000 true fans before. I have written about it when I talk about building a tribe. But as I learn more about it, it becomes clearer. To create a tribe of true fans, I must commit to seeing, meeting, and building relationships with them.
The true fans aren’t your starving crowd. Some of them belong to it. They are the people who will invite you again and again. The ones who will buy your books, ask for more training programs, send people to your seminars, and subscribe to your online courses.
22. Get Yourself Oversubscribed
A motivational speaker does not need to be a starving artist.
You can aim for the number of clients you need in a year to keep your business growing. If you want to earn a million pesos a year, you may need to make about a hundred thousand every month.
You need two clients every month if you get paid fifty thousand for each speech. If you charge ten thousand, then you need ten clients. You are oversubscribed when you have more clients who make you earn about 150,000 a month.
Of course, if you want to earn a million a month, then you should also plan for that. Get people six or seven clients who will pay you more than 200k for each speech. I don’t know how you’ll do this, but some motivational speakers make this happen monthly.
23. Get Certified, Even If You Don’t Need It
You do not need any certification to become a paid professional speaker. You need a business registration if you expect to get paid.
Some speakers charge 50,000 dollars and more though not certified. These speakers are industry experts and thought leaders.
Of course, a certification from your peer will help a lot. It shows the world that you have delivered more than 250 paid speeches and got good marks. So, the acronym CSP can help you market your expertise.
I believe we have Filipino speakers who are Certified Speaking Professionals who practice professional speaking abroad and get paid well.
I am not sure if we have any in the Philippines today. I believe that there is an association that shows that you are registered. I don’t know its actual value.
If becoming certified will give you confidence, then get one. But be very careful. Your certification must demonstrate accomplishments.
Join a speaking association that will help you develop the skills too. I earned a DTM award from Toastmasters International after delivering more than 500 speeches and exercising leadership roles from 2006 to 2011. I seldom use the acronym, but I am proud of my accomplishments as a student of public speaking.
I don’t know of any association in the Philippines to help you with the speaking skills you need to get started.
24. Sell Your Expertise
You can build a great business as a motivational speaker if you sell your expertise. People will pay you more if you have proprietary solutions.
Purpose-Driven Life is a book that skyrocketed the speaking career of Rick Warren. Les Brown became famous because of his radio program. Zig Ziglar started to earn millions because of his books.
I mentioned Russel Conwell earlier. He became more credible because he injected local stories into his speeches. He did a lot of research to customize a speech which he delivered more than 6000 times.
Today, you can have your TV. Creating a Youtube channel is free. You can host an FB live. And yes, you can write your book.
The best way to become a motivational speaker is to start speaking. I gave you 24 ways to get started fast. But it is possible that some of these won’t make sense to you until you delivered your 100th speech.
Go out. Find your starving crowd. Build your 1000 true fans.
Recommended Readings
Explore the following articles.
FAQs
Here are some questions I am often asked. There are many professionals who aspire to be motivational speakers in the Philippines.
Matt Folley’s Van Down the River
Be A Motivational Speaker
You want to become a motivational speaker. I hope this guide helped you get started on your journey.
You can make this a side hustle. Or make it a full-time business.
If you decide to make motivational speaking a business, I encourage you to think strategically and invest your time, effort, and energy. You will be in the business of helping people achieve their dreams.
When you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out.
You can be a motivational speaker who touches lives.
