How To Find a Public Speaking Mentor

There are different paths to finding a public speaking mentor.

There’s the paid path and the free path.

The closest to the free path is with Toastmasters.

Sure, you have to pay club fees, but the fees aren’t that high.

Once you join the Toastmasters club; a mentor will be assigned to you.

Different members have different relationships with their mentors.

Some talk to them a lot, while others don’t talk to them at all.

Other than that, you can pay for a mentor.

This mentor is incentivized to look out for you and give you tips.

Timing is king in public speaking,

You need to know when to find a mentor.

The Pros & Cons of Mentors

The pro of a mentor is that they can teach you a lot about:

• How to sell to the audience.
• How to structure a speech.
• Effective ways to engage with the audience.

There are a lot of mentors who have been public speaking for ages.

They have tons of valuable insights to share.

I love the tough-love mentors.

The ones who will give you tough love and not sugarcoat anything.

They sharpen your movements by a ton.

The main con of early mentorship is that it doesn’t fully allow you to find your voice.

I am all for failing your way into success.

When you initially create speeches on your own, it forces you to engage your creativity.

By going at alone in the beginning stages, it will give you confidence.

When you get a mentor too soon, it’s hard to build a voice of your own.

When to Get a Mentor

I believe the best time to get a mentor is once you have given a few speeches to at least 2 different audiences.

When you have gotten your feet wet, you are able to ask smart questions rather than silly questions.

Imagine you’re going to a Shopify guru for advice.

He has built five 10-figure-a-month stores.

This guy knows his stuff.

For your first meeting, you ask:

• What is Shopify?
• What is e-commerce?
• And what should I sell?

These are newbie questions!

This guru will look at you like you have 0 desire to succeed on your own.

It’s very similar to being a complete newbie and asking a speaking coach:

• What is a speech?
• What do I talk about?
• How do I stand?

Don’t waste this guy’s time or your time.

Show desire by getting a few speeches under your belt (roughly 6), then find a mentor.

How to Find a Mentor

The simplest way to find a mentor is through Toastmasters.

Join the club, get a mentor, and interact with the mentor.

A lot of mentors are highly engaged.

They are eager to pass their knowledge to the next generation.

If your mentor is too busy, ask another person to be your mentor.

With Toastmasters, informality works wonders.

You can just find someone whose speech pattern you admire, and ask:

‘Mind if I ask you some questions?’

This is a simple way to get a mentor.

Other times, you’ll have to pay.

You’ll see a ton of potential public speaking mentors on LinkedIn.

They aren’t cheap though.

A while back, I got a public speaking mentor for 5,000 dollars.

I worked with him once a week for a few months.

He taught me how to polish a talk, ask the audience smart questions, and sell to the audience.

I found him on LinkedIn.

Also, my friend worked with him as well, so I was able to get a good referral.

Is Your Mentor Legit?

Avoid getting caught in a “blind leading the blind” scenario.

Some guys will give 2 speeches and start talking like they know everything.

You want to do some due diligence if you are paying for a mentor.

My speaking mentor came with a referral from my friend.

I asked my friend what they did in their sessions, and he told me.

Also, my speaking mentor wrote a book called, No Fear Speaking.

He wasn’t someone who just said he was a mentor.

He took the time to distill his knowledge into a codified book.

In addition to that, I saw my speaking mentor speak at many events in Largo.

He took the time to host events on leadership.

After seeing that this guy was the real deal, I spent money with him.

How To Avoid Wasting Your Time

Don’t get caught in the trap of just chit-chatting with your mentor.

That’s easy to do.

Especially because you guys are in the same field.

Time is money.

Be about your business, homie.

From the get-go, tell your mentor:

‘I have thick skin. You can tell me anything without worrying about offending me.’

This is a great way to set the tone from the beginning.

• Have questions ready.
• Take notes.
• Apply the suggestions they give you.
• Whenever y’all are getting distracted, gently bring the conversation back to public speaking.

By keeping it business, it’ll be easier to get the most out of your public speaking sessions.

Get Mentored and Mentor

Hopefully, you become a mentor one day too.

It’s a good feeling when someone knows that you’re a great public speaker.

They’ll say “cool” and that’s it.

One day, they have a speech coming up and they are terrified.

They have no clue who to go to.

So, they come to you.

You mentor them for their talk.

You see what it’s like to answer questions, give constructive feedback, and see your feedback being implemented!

There is a joy to teaching that money can’t buy.

Teaching public speaking is a great way to learn public speaking.

Work your way up to this stage.

Put in your reps first.

Go into the battlefield and give a bunch of speeches.

See what you did right and what you can improve.

Get detailed questions based on firsthand experience.

Find a mentor and ask those questions.

Improve and level up.

For more insights into public speaking, check out the Speaking Wizard eBook

– ArmaniTalks