Pro Speaker Assessment

Do you think you want to be a professional speaker, but you're not sure if you've got "the right stuff"? This free assessment (no cost, no signup required) will give you an idea whether or not you've got what it takes to make a living — possibly a lucrative living — as a speaking professional.

Ready? Click 'start' for your first question!

– jim

Question 1 of 10

How entrepreneurial are you?

	I've already run a successful small business, just not as a professional speaker!
	I've never worked for myself before, but I hate the corporate environment and I'm eager to work for myself!
	Although I'd like some say-so in what I do, I prefer to work under someone else's guidance.
	I'm not! I have no desire to leave the rat race. I'm happy with my chunk of cheese!

Professional speakers are in charge of their own careers, but they don't necessarily work for someone else.

You've already run a small business — good for you! Although the details are different, a business is, by and large, a business. Since you've run a successful small business before, you should have no trouble learning the details of running a successful speaker's business.

That's terrific that you want to leave the corporate rat race! A career as a professional speaker offers you a world of opportunity. Just remember that it's a business, and treat it with the same respect that you'd treat any other business enterprise.

It's OK that you're hesitant to work completely independently. Although most professional speakers operate as independent businesses, many of them got their starts as trainers for seminar corporations or other training businesses. Doing it this way enables you to ease into a career as a professional speaker.

It's OK that you don't want to leave the rat race, but being a professional speaker generally does require at least some degree of entrepreneurial spirit. You might be better off treating your speaking as a hobby, rather than becoming a professional speaker.

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Question 2 of 10

Do you enjoy speaking before a group of people?

	I love the attention and I love the applause!
	I get the jitters sometimes, but I enjoy myself once I get going.
	It's not my favorite way of communicating with people, but I'm sure I'd like it as I got better at it.
	Not particularly. I don't like people looking at me.

Believe it or not, it's helpful — but not necessary — to enjoy speaking in public in order to enjoy a successful career as a professional speaker.

You love to speak — good for you! But do you know what's better than speaking to an audience? Getting paid to speak to an audience!

The jitters are perfectly normal — some seasoned pros still get them on occasion. The crucial question is not how much you enjoy yourself, but how much your audiences enjoy hearing you!

Smooth platform skills are helpful, but not essential. Develop a killer presentation on a topic of vital interest, market yourself effectively, and you'll be on the fast track to success. A speech coach can help you improve your platform skills.

Surprisingly, not enjoying speaking to people is not a problem. Through the wonders of radio, television, podcasting, and other electronic forums, it's possible to be a successful professional speaker without ever facing a live audience!

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Question 3 of 10

Do you like to travel?

	I love it! I want to travel to exotic places around the world!
	I like to travel within my own country, but I don't want to travel internationally.
	Flying is for the birds! (ha ha) I want to sleep in my own bed at night.
	I hate any kind of travel, even by car. I don't want to leave my house at all.

If you like to travel, then pro speaking is for you! But it isn't necessary for your career success.

Since you love to travel, you should consider becoming a keynote speaker. People pay lots of money to attend a convention held at a luxurious resort. But as the featured speaker, all your expenses are paid — and they pay your speaking fee too!

If you don't want to travel internationally, you don't have to. Depending on where you live, there are probably many speaking opportunities within your own country.

Depending on where you live, there are probably ample speaking opportunities within a short drive of your home. And through webcasting and other technological marvels, you don't even need to leave home!

Times have changed! Through webcasting, podcasting, and other technological marvels, you don't even need to leave home to earn a wonderful living as a professional speaker!

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Question 4 of 10

What annual income do you want to earn?

	Enough to pay my bills.
	Enough to pay my bills and sock something away for retirement.
	I would like to make a nice 6-figure annual income!
	I want to make a nice seven-figure annual income! (That's $1,000,000+ a year!)

The great thing about professional speaking is that there is no income ceiling. You can earn pretty much whatever you set your mind to achieving!

If you treat your speaking career with the same respect you'd give to any other profession, paying your bills shouldn't be a problem.

You'll enjoy your career as a speaking pro so much, you may not want to ever retire. (Many speaking professionals are still active into their 80's and 90's.) But if you treat your career with the same respect you'd give to any other profession, you should be able to comfortably retire when you choose to.

A six-figure income is well within the reach of a professional speaker. Remember to treat your business like a business!

Actually, making in excess of a million a year as a professional speaker is quite possible. (You probably won't do it your first year — but then again, you might!)

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Question 5 of 10

How old are you?

	Under 30
	30 to 50
	50 to 70
	Over 70

Age has no bearing on your success as a professional speaker.

When you're under 30, you can relate to audiences in ways that older speakers cannot.

When you're between 30 and 50 years of age, you can probably relate to audiences of all ages — younger and older alike.

In most industries, you're reaching the end of your career when you're between 50 and 70. But not professional speaking! Many successful speakers didn't begin their careers until they were in their 60's!

You're never too old to begin your career as a professional speaker. (But you're over 70 — what are you waiting for?)

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Question 6 of 10

Where can you learn how to become a successful professional speaker?

	Join the National Speakers Association.
	Join Toastmasters.
	Attend courses at your local university.
	By studying resources in The Barber Shop Bookstore.

The Barber Shop Bookstore provides the best resources for learning your craft as a pro speaker. (That's not just my opinion. In 2000, PC World magazine declared The Barber Shop to be a �top ten� web site for professional speakers.)

Alas, NSA requires that you already be speaking professionally before you can become a member. To learn more about enjoying a profitable career as a successful professional speaker, check out the useful resources in The Barber Shop Bookstore!

Toastmasters is a great organization for improving your platform skills, but it is of little benefit in becoming a professional speaker. To learn more about enjoying a profitable career as a successful professional speaker, check out the useful resources in The Barber Shop Bookstore!

Unfortunately, almost no educational institutions offer classes in becoming a professional speaker. To learn more about enjoying a profitable career as a successful professional speaker, check out the useful resources in The Barber Shop Bookstore!

Yep, most people have only two choices — study at the School of Hard Knocks where you learn from your own mistakes, or learn from somebody else's mistakes. At The Barber Shop Bookstore, you can learn "the truth from the trenches"... and shorten your learning curve by years!

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Question 7 of 10

When you dream of speaking, how big is the audience that you're addressing?

	I dream of speaking to a packed room of thousands of people!
	I prefer to speak to an audience of a hundred or so people.
	I most enjoy speaking to a couple of dozen people at a time.
	I'm uncomfortable speaking to groups of any size.

Although a "speaker" needs an audience, it can be of any size... and the audience doesn't even need to be physically present.

You should consider keynoting. It's an emotional rush to establish a connection with a thousand people at once!

Smaller groups of a hundred or so are appropriate for either keynotes or training programs.

A few dozen people is an excellent size for a training program.

Years ago, this would have been a problem. Now though, through the wonders of the Internet, your audience can be "virtual" and millions of people can hear you without your being in front of a "live" audience at all!

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Question 8 of 10

Are you an expert on a topic that people want or need to hear about?

	Yes, I'm an expert on a must-know topic.
	I have a passion for a particular high-demand topic, but I hesitate to call myself an "expert."
	I am very knowledgeable on a topic, but I'm not sure how many people want or need to hear about it.
	Nope. I'm a generalist. I'm not an expert on anything.

Expertise (in either content or delivery... or both) is essential, but it can be learned if necessary.

Good for you! Now all you need to do is to acquire decent platform skills (if you don't already have them), and learn the business of speaking, and you can enjoy a successful career as a professional speaker!

Not a problem! It'll take research and study, but with time you can acquire the expertise you need. Of course, you also need to have decent platform skills and you need to learn the business of speaking. But when you have all these things, a successful speaking career awaits you.

Your problem isn't your expertise, it's learning how to market yourself more effectively. A wildly successful speaking career still awaits you!

Not a problem! It sounds like a contradiction, but an expertise in generalism can be in great demand. You need to acquire decent platform skills (if you don't already have them), and learn the business of speaking, and you can enjoy a successful career as a professional speaker!

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Question 9 of 10

Are you female or a member of a minority group?

	I am female.
	I am a member of a minority group.
	I am a female member of a minority group.
	I am male and not a member of a minority group.

Unlike many other industries, being "different" actually works to your advantage in the pro speaking industry.

Unlike some other industries where you can have trouble advancing your career (or sometimes even entering the field), there are numerous highly-successful female professional speakers.

Today's audiences usually don't care about your ethnic or racial background; they care about your expertise and how you can help them.

In the professional speaking industry, you've probably got the best of both worlds! Unlike some other industries where you can have trouble advancing your career (or sometimes even entering the field), there are numerous highly-successful female professional speakers. And today's audiences usually don't care about your ethnic or racial background; they care about your expertise and how you can help them.

Being a non-minority male is probably a slight disadvantage, but you can still succeed as a professional speaker. You need to determine what other unique characteristics you have, and use them in your marketing efforts.

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Question 10 of 10

Why do you want to be a professional speaker?

	I want to help people.
	I have a message that I simply must get out there.
	Honestly, I want to make a lot of money.
	Speaking to people seems like an easy way to make a living.

Professional speaking is one of the most effective ways of helping people and getting a message out. (And because there's no "salary caps", it's also a good way to make lots of money.) But make no mistake about it, being a successful professional speaker also requires a lot of effort. It's a fun job, but it's still a job.

As a professional speaker, you can help hundreds, thousands, or conceivably millions of people every single day. Very few other occupations can say that.

Professional speaking is undoubtedly one of the best ways (perhaps the best way) of getting your message out.

There's nothing wrong with making lots of money. When it comes to professional speakers' incomes, "the sky's the limit."

Think again. Although public speaking can be fun and require little effort, professional speaking requires a lot of work. "It's the hardest job you'll ever love!" is a catchphrase at the National Speakers Association.

Check your results›

Your Pro Speaker Aptitude is

As you've seen, a career as a professional speaker or trainer may certainly be right for you! Whatever your age, background, or area of expertise, as long as there are people who want to hear your message, you can make a nice living giving it to them.

But it's vital that you treat your speaking career like a business. The Barber Shop Bookstore offers a wealth of valuable resources especially for professional speakers and trainers.

As Yosemite Sam (an old Saturday morning cartoon character) would say, "Time's a-wastin!" What are you waiting for? Start working on your successful career as a pro speaker... now!