Читать книгу Speak Out With Clout - Charles Boyle - Страница 7

Thousands of people make money by giving speeches. In addition to the professional speakers who travel the convention trails, there are the nonprofessionals such as political leaders, sports personalities, and others who actually make a heck of a lot of money by getting paid for giving speeches. In some cases the activities of the political leaders and the company^[2] with a cause use speeches for a mutual benefit. For example, a company may want to gain or cement a relationship with a congressman or congresswoman, and one way of rewarding him or her is to extend an invitation to speak to a dinner or meeting with a fat fee for his or her services. It’s easy to see that giving speeches can be very lucrative for many people. But, most of us are not political, sports, or show-business personalities in a position to command large fees for giving a speech. Nevertheless, the rewards of public speaking can be longer lasting and more beneficial to those who don’t speak as mercenaries.

The greatest reward, of course, is personal satisfaction. Aside from financial gain, either as a fee or as part of your job, public speaking offers you an opportunity to express your views and opinions. If you are not a public figure, or if you don’t own a broadcasting company or publication, speeches are an effective way to reach large numbers of people. Finally, for those of you with a little bit of “ham” in your nature (and to some degree that’s almost everyone!), speeches allow you to perform. When you rise to the platform, the spotlight is on you and all attention is focused your way. There are very few satisfactions that can match a good performance at the podium.