So you want to know how to become a youth motivational speaker?
Speaking to audiences doesn’t sound like a fun job to most Americans. Why? The number one fear in America today is public speaking. The number two fear is to die. The running joke is that people would rather be laying in a casket than having to give the eulogy at a funeral. Still for many speaking would be a rewarding career because of the impact you can have on the lives of people.
A true speaker can capture an audience and take them on a rollercoaster ride emotionally. A youth speaker can attain young people’s attention and impact their lives so that they walk away making wiser choices.
There is not a one way road to becoming a youth motivational speaker. In fact it’s probably the opposite because you will find two way streets and many with forks in the road. But as a youth speaker you must be ready to hang on for the ride.
If you have set your mind on becoming a speaker here are some suggestions that are often overlooked when starting out.
5 tips to keep in mind when you are starting your speaking career:
1. Make sure you feel called to help young people.
If you are in this for the money, please do us a favor and get an office job. But if you truly want to help people, start off doing it for free until you get your feet wet and then start charging. You’ll get more bookings when you don’t charge.
2. Get your story straight.
Don’t lie about where you’ve been, tell the truth, the whole truth or people will see right through you and lose trust in your services. Some speakers tend to exaggerate their shortcomings. You don’t have to have a notorious background in order to help young people; in fact you can talk about all the right choices you made in life.
3. Determine who you are going to speak to.
If you enjoy speaking to elementary kids, then work more on humor. If you plan to speak to middle and high school students you are going to have to bring more energy and stories that relate across the board.
4. Develop the way you speak.
Practice makes perfect in anything you do but especially in public speaking. Record yourself on video and listen to what you say and how you say it. Also watch what you do because your body language has a lot to do with what you actually say.
5. Make sure you document every keynote that you present to an audience when starting your speaking career.
Do this via photos and emails. If you could get people to testify about your speaking ability on video, you may have gold. People who book youth speakers like to hear what others who have booked those same people had to say about you. So give them what they want. Give them a testimonial page with a ton of quotes.
It’s not easy to break into the speaking business. But if you love what you do, it will come natural and people will want to hear your story. So be yourself and don’t try to imitate what others are saying as far as content. Pick a speaking niche and put yourself out there as a youth speaker and you will be fine.
Click to get motivational speaking tips from one of the best motivational speakers in the industry.
Thank you, this was very good info for me.
I want to thank you for your advice on how to be a youth motivational speaker. It is true that you must have a passion to want to help the youth of today. They are so confused and without attention to them, they are running wild. We all must do our part to help them “KNOW THE DIFFERENCE”. We all can look back and say even with the things we were doing as young people, we were never so disconnected. We must help them put back the link that is missing.
This was and is awesome, true material… Im doin it but want so much more of it! Thanks a million..
Thank you for your free tips about youth speaking, appreciate the advice.
I just read through on being a youth motivational speaker.I’m a young guy who is passionate about young people.I am from Nigeria,and want to be a successful speaker cus we live in a nation where young people need a lot of motivation.I am presently a fast rising comedian but I also want to balance it with motivational speaking.My niche is in the area of young people,I reach out to them and encourage so many of them with words as a comedian,iv spoken in churches,schools and people love the humour that comes with the serious message.I wanna do this professionally now and I’m sure what I just read on ur site would help as I step into the new year with this goal.Thank you.
really would like to switch careers and become a youth motivational speaker.am a high school teacher so this is very helpful.
im having a pression on developing the youth and bring practical solution to live challenges.
I’ve been speaking for 10+ years and am looking to add the “youth” market. Thanks for the information.
I’ve been a teacher for 37 years. Got laid off when 4 Catholic Schools merged. Teaching is my love!!! But life got in the way with my husband getting dementia and staying home to take care of him and raising 2 grandson and finances in terrible shape but miss teaching badly!!! So today I was thinking I live talking to little kids up to big kids. I taught Pre-K to 8th grade and thought to much bullying and things, I could speak to them!!! Maybe this could lead to a personal job!!! Thanks for the advice and will write down stories and such to see if I can pull it off!!! This would be another form of teaching!!! Thanks again!!!
I really think this is my calling just need to be pointed in the right way a make sure I get the right info to get started …
Hi ,
This article was very helpful. I have accepted my calling to become the speaker that I am. Before reading this article I had considered doing volunteer speaking so that I can get my feet wet as they may say. This has always been in me but I was never ready to accept it. I am ready now. Tk you for your words of wisdom. I have a passion for helping the youth and any others who would listen. Tks you
heyy im a youth empowerment speaker and im looking to find a program where a youth empowerment speaker is needed
Hello there my name is Courtney Jeffries and I want to know more details on becoming a Youth Speaker.
Are there any programs that help you become a speaker for kids, do you have any courses available I live in nyc thank u
Javier, good to hear from you. Yes, there’s an amazing course that would be perfect for you. In short, I went through a program called Youth Speaker University (www.youthspeakeru.com), and my speaking career has taken off due to what I learned & implemented from the program. I cannot recommend the program enough for people looking to expand their speaking reach.
Hi Courtney, I sent you an email. I’ve mentioned this on my site, but I went through a program called Youth Speaker University (www.youthspeakeru.com), and my speaking career has taken off due to what I learned & implemented from the program. I cannot recommend the program enough for people looking to expand their speaking reach.
Hey Montell, good to hear from you. The goal is to position yourself as the youth empowerment speaker in your marketing materials. Marketing tips and more are shared in a program I went through called Youth Speaker University (www.youthspeakeru.com), and my speaking career has taken off due to what I learned & implemented from the program. I cannot recommend the program enough for people looking to expand their speaking reach.
Cheryl, that’s awesome! Glad you are now accepting your true calling on becoming a speaker. It’s a fun road to take, challenging, but well worth it as many will get to hear your message.
With the right program in place to help you get your message to the world, you will be unstoppable. I went through a program called Youth Speaker University (www.youthspeakeru.com), and my speaking career has taken off due to what I learned & implemented from the program. I cannot recommend the program enough for people looking to expand their speaking reach.
Jessica, I’m glad to hear that you are ready to start speaking and have begun your search on where to begin. Listen, I’ve done the research, the best program online is called Youth Speaker University (www.youthspeakeru.com). I went through it in 2010 and my speaking career has taken off due to what I learned & implemented from the program. I cannot recommend the program enough for people looking to expand their speaking reach.
Marguerite, I can feel your passion for teaching through your comment. Amazing! I agree, speaking is another form of teaching, especially large audiences. Dive deep on how to get started and follow a proven system.
I went through a program called Youth Speaker University (www.youthspeakeru.com), and my speaking career has taken off due to what I learned & implemented from the program. I cannot recommend the program enough for people looking to expand their speaking reach.
Excellent Rob, you definitely want to expand your reach, especially if you are called to reach youth.
I have submerged myself and my marketing to the youth market. I went through a program called Youth Speaker University (www.youthspeakeru.com), and my speaking career has taken off due to what I learned & implemented from the program. I cannot recommend the program enough for people looking to expand their speaking reach.
David, thanks for the comment. You can become a speaker, with a right business model and message, you can make it as a speaker.
Hi Judy, thanks for reaching out. If you are still looking to switch careers, then speaking is an easy jump, especially if you’ve worked with teens and since you were a high school teacher, you have plenty of storied to share. 🙂
I went through a program called Youth Speaker University (www.youthspeakeru.com), and my speaking career has taken off due to what I learned & implemented from the program. I cannot recommend the program enough for people looking to expand their speaking reach.
Michael, we need more male role models in schools. Being a comedian should be a natural way to entertain audiences, especially in schools. I went through a program called Youth Speaker University (www.youthspeakeru.com), and my speaking career has taken off due to what I learned & implemented from the program. I cannot recommend the program enough for people looking to expand their speaking reach.
Rachel, I hope the coaching sessions have gone well. I went through a program called Youth Speaker University (www.youthspeakeru.com), and my speaking career has taken off due to what I learned & implemented from the program. I cannot recommend the program enough for people looking to expand their speaking reach.
Ray, way to get yourself out there. Keep pushing toward the goal my friend. Get a plan in place and attack it like crazy.
I went through a program called Youth Speaker University (www.youthspeakeru.com), and my speaking career has taken off due to what I learned & implemented from the program. I cannot recommend the program enough for people looking to expand their speaking reach.
Johnny, thanks for the comment. It’s true, we must do our part in helping students to know the difference in the choices that they make.
I went through a program called Youth Speaker University (www.youthspeakeru.com), and my speaking career has taken off due to what I learned & implemented from the program. I cannot recommend the program enough for people looking to expand their speaking reach.
I have always had a passion to work with youth, specifically girls, but with the rise of teen violence I would love to start to pursue the option as a motivation speaker. I use to conduct a teen summit I did from home every other Friday for girls. I absolutely loved it. I am going to look more into youthspeakeru.com for clearer direction on how to take the first step toward this goal. Thanks for sharing the information.
My name is Ozzie Nunez, please guide my towards the right direction. When I speak everyone listens, I deliver a powerful message, I represent hope, I went from fighting for my life to impacting and giving life. please contact me at (413)377-8536
I find it interesting where the article mentions taking the audience on an emotional roller coaster. This makes a little sense to me because you want to connect to the audience in a way that will help them remember the experience. Emotions are a tool that the brain uses to remember things if you can get your youth audience to feel inspired, they will likely remember what you had to say.