Talk is cheap. Or is it?

On April 4, former president Bill Clinton and his wife, presidential hopeful Hillary, released their tax returns from the years after they moved out of the White House.  The numbers were big: Since 2000, the democratic duo grossed $109 million, some $52 million of which came from President Clinton’s numerous speaking engagements.  

Wow! Wouldn’t it be nice to get paid to talk? It is possible.  Experts say that while $52 million may not be the gross for just any speaker, it doesn’t take ex-presidential status to make a living, or even a second career, from professional speaking.

According to Tom Antion, publisher of www.amazingpublicspeaking.com and veteran of more than 27,000 paid speeches, success in professional speaking does not require a high school education, advanced degree or even any level of celebrity. “It doesn’t matter is you are short, fat, ugly, pretty, male, or female,” he says. “You just have to have something that people want to know about.” 

Specialization is key, agrees David Brooks, a member of Toastmasters International and the 1990 “World Champion of Public Speaking.” “People that try to be generalists will starve in this business,” says Brooks. "If you have a specific medical problem you will go to a specialist to have it taken care of. The same is true in the speaking profession."  

Of course, there are also certain skills that aid in transitioning an interesting knowledge into a paid speaking career. Although it may seem obvious, Philip van Hooser, vice president of the National Speakers Association says that a person needs good oral communication skills as well as an entertaining or inspirational theme. It is also important for people to customize their message for different audiences. “To be a good speaker, one must speak well," says Van Hooser. "To be known as a good speaker, one must market well.”

When it comes to marketing, it is very common and helpful to do something or create something noteworthy. While being a U.S. President can help, most experts agree that often times that ‘something’ is a book. "You can think of it as a very expensive business card,” Brooks says, “A book gives you perceived credibility."

Van Hooser adds that it is often beneficial for people just getting started as professional speakers to hone their skills by first speaking, free of charge, at church groups, school groups, and in front of other non-profit groups.  He says, “The best advertisement is a speech.” 

But working the nonprofit circuit need not last long: There is money to be made in professional speaking.  According to Antion, even a speaker who works three times a month, making $3,000 per speech (which, he says, is modest for the speaking profession) can earn more than $100,000 each year. However, most decent speakers bring in anywhere from $15,000 to $35,000 for each speech. He adds that once speakers reach a certain level, they can sell books, CDs, and other, often educational, products that may become an even greater source of income. “In my experience, ‘back of the room’ sales almost always bring in more than $100,000,” says Antion.

Still, no matter what dollar figure your bring down, the number one key to speech-making success is to speak about something that you are passionate about.  Says Van Hooser: “Everyone has varied interests so, yours is always a hot topic for the person interested in that topic.”