I know a professional speaker who starts his talks by telling the audience "I am not a professional speaker". He goes on to underplay his ability to present, lowering the bar for his talk, while trying to make a point that he is "just a guy" there to share some ideas.
Interestingly, he is very talented and earns money by speaking to business groups. He shared with me that he does this because he feels weird calling himself a "Professional Speaker". I got the feeling he is embarrassed by the title. He also stated that this undercutting his speaking skills sets him up to "wow" the audience, when his real ability shines through. Thus, his announcing his lack of talent is a trick. (Note, never start a presentation with the intent to trick your audience!).
But it backfires. People often talk about his message being good, but that he is not really a professional. I have had conversations with mutual friends who say he is just a "dabbler" in the "speaking thing".
Who wants to hire a dabbler?
Be proud of your profession. Proclaim to the world the things you do well.
I have no problem calling myself a "Professional Speaker". I love the profession, and I do a great job to positively impact an audience. My clients receive value from having me on their program. My talks are a catalyst to propel people from average prospecting to creating meaningful, long-lasting, and mutually beneficial relationships. I set the tone for an entire conference and help create connections that will lead to future opportunities.
I am proud of my career. I am a Professional Speaker (Motivational Speaker, Business Speaker, Keynote Speaker, Convention Speaker, etc.... whatever you want to call it is fine. A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet!).
How about you? Are you proud of what you do? Can you stand up and sing about your vocation to the world?
Never be ashamed of what you do. Your pride will speak so loudly that you will win more business.
Have A Great Day.
thom
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