What do you do if you encounter resistance and skepticism while pursuing a career in motivational speaking?

Stay Authentic: Be true to yourself and your message. Embrace Feedback: Use criticism Persistence: Keep going despite setbacks. Success in motivational speaking often comes from perseverance and resilience. Build Credibility : Share success stories, testimonials, and credentials to establish credibility and demonstrate the impact of your message. Adaptability: Be flexible in your approach and willing to adjust your message to resonate with different audiences and contexts. Network: Connect with other speakers, mentors, and industry professionals for support, advice, and opportunities. Continuous Learning: Invest in your personal and professional development Focus on Value: Always prioritize delivering value to your audience.

Do it anyway! That's what I did even when I was told I wouldn't make it. While listening to feedback may be important, it's even more important to pay attention to WHO the people are that are giving you that feedback. Are they successful speakers that have spoken on many stages? Study those who are 2-3 levels above where you are: body language, gestures, pauses. Create a signature talk on your topic that has 3 main points shared as stories and a simple call-to-action at the end. Speak for free locally and monitor audience reaction and engagement. Write notes after each talk based on what the audience liked and what you need to change for the next time. Don't ask, "Can I make this work" instead ask, "What can I do NOW to make this work"

Absolutely Criticism help us to grow most time if we really consider as a part of learning & improvement. We can always use Criticism as staircase in the ladder leading towards a big picture. Find out the valuable insights & go for refinement for next stage.

First of all I will be very patitence and curious to towards the cause of resistance on my way to be a Motivational Speaker. Meet with those People/ seek their appointments to understand deeply their concern about builting their resistance and Once I compete this exercise, I will validate using my instinct out of the reasons given for creating resistance within are true instead of blindly following them. Overcome those resistance by seeking help from the experts/ reading self help books.

Always know what you're signing up for. Know your worth. Believe in your self and never stop learning and that's how you grow.

I keep on keeping on. In the very depths of my inner self I know that speaking to audiences for the purpose of sharing strategies to strengthen resilience and offering new ways of thinking about a common issue is my calling. I will persist until I succeed.

Oh, my…I could write a book (maybe I will!) on not knowing my worth when it comes to marketing myself and/or my motivational speaking skills. Part of it is being the youngest of four children and third daughter. All my “firsts” were “fourths” for my parents. 😊 I made the decision to discover my niche by soliciting feedback from those who know me and love me. When I discovered myself through the eyes of those who value me, INCLUDING my parents, I look at myself in a whole new light. No one can do exactly what I do exactly like me. Focus on that - uniqueness.

No matter what you do, there can be people against it. In such situations, knowing your 'why' is very important because understanding the reason behind your actions will help you recognize your self-worth. Once we know our worth, continuous learning plays a very important role as we need to keep up with audience requirements and expectations as they look up to us

Resistance and obstacles on our career path can encourage us to dig deeper into our reserves of self reflection. It’s unlikely that a career path in motivational speaking will come easily, (perhaps for those who are privileged it might be different). So, taking some time to sit with what impact, your motivational speaking makes in the world, to gather that evidence, can help you connect with self-worth in times of resistance .

Networking is definitely one of the key ingredients however it also has some things one need to work upon! One thing I have found helpful in networking is be authentic and invest time in building connections. Second and most important - how can one expect growth when one is not a part of circle and platforms where there is a tribe which you can learn, connect and grow from! A tribe of people who have been there done that and guide! It’s just like one wants to be a coach but himself/herself has never experienced it. Lastly - having a mentor or guide helps one accelerate the journey and a road to success then doesn’t have to be lonely! We can always have a team that will cheer for our success and hold us when we need it.

Your connections are your backbone who decides your authority. And it's true that these connections can offer mentorship, advice, and opportunities to collaborate.

When you build connections, do so authentically, and beware of those who use you to step higher without taking you with them. You can constantly give and give and give, but when there's nothing coming back, maybe it's time to cut the rope and blaze your own path. Those who DO support you in a genuine way - hold them close! Just be aware of the different connections.

La colaboración cada vez está siendo más presente entre los oradores. Es la manera de llegar a diferentes tipos de público y sobre todo es la forma de generar una gran confianza en tu público. Muy recomendable colaborar con personas que estén alineados con tus valores.

You have to be you. That means some people will not like you and you have to be OK with that. I have been told that I am, "Too Much," or "Not Serious Enough," when I speak. But that is what makes me different. I want to be a muppet. So I am a muppet. What do you want to be?

We should actually be called inspirational speakers. You can inspire others to motivate themselves to do/change something in their lives, business, or circumstances. Sometimes motivational speakers gets a bad rap as it is not a 'happy clappy' all conquering profession where everything will be ok, but one that can provide hope, encouragement, and possibly inspiration. To do this in a genuine way, you must speak from your heart, even be vulnerable. When you meet with skepticism, which will happen if you are in the industry long enough, you need to be open, ask questions, and be empathetic with their reasoning. See it as feedback and, if there are genuine concerns, maybe address them before your next talk.

You’re either speaking your mind or someone else’s. Our insights can truly inform and inspire when infused with our real self. If we hold back, the audience will too. Authenticity means not holding back the you in your message. I used to wear black suits and speak “professionally” to play it safe. Now I ask hair parting questions (with love) and use “shiznit” and “whoop whoop” as catch phrases. Old me would be devastated! It was hard to let go of the image I thought I was supposed to meet but learned the more I trust me the more the audience trusts me. That shift took my talks from average to awesome.

Cuanto más autentico seas, más enganche vas a provocar. Ser autentico es: - Contar el contenido de forma personal y directa. - Crear situaciones relacionadas con el contenido. - Hablar de historias reales y sencillas.

I value authenticity. I believe other people value it as well. For women, we try to live up to unrealistic expectations. If we don’t watch out, we end up being someone other than our authentic self - our true self. The best thing about crossing the age of 50 is that I stopped caring what other people think. Once I discovered my authentic self, I can share me - the real me - with others. Real is in. Fake is out. Get real.

This is simple - know your audience. (But since LinkedIn requires more words to post something, I'll put this sentence for fun.)

There are dozens of watch brands that all sell time. You don’t modify the watch, you find the right buyer for your particular watch. If you meet resistance over your presentation, you may be presenting to the wrong audience. If you want to speak to this audience, you will need to adapt. That is a business choice you will need to assess throughout your career.

When facing external rejection or criticism, it's important to keep taking action. Dwelling on negativity can lead to self-doubt and questioning our abilities. Consistently working towards our life goals every day leads to success, and those who criticize will eventually become our cheering fans.

Find a different, better audience. I don't speak where people have been drinking. I've shared one presentation over 1,300 times and there are very rare occasions when there are inebriated individuals in the audience...and they apparently enjoyed catcalling me.

Your clear points should be consistent, as they are hiring you for your message. But you should customize your examples to fit your audience. Have an inventory of examples and stories that can help you engineer and deliver a message that is most relatable to your listeners while staying true to your purpose.

DON'T get on stage because you love speaking... you were born for the stage... or you love the adoration! - jog on by! Only become a speaker if you are in service to others, and you have a message that can benefit and help others. I remember my mum saying to me, "Oh, Michelle, why would you put yourself in the position where people could judge you, disagree with you, and ridicule you?!!" I said, "What about those I can inspire, move, and help?" Two opposing attitudes, defined by out behaviour type. More importantly, I'm the 20 plus years that I have been speaking professionally, I have always said that the story is just the wrapping paper. The gift is the lessons inside... (tm! 😂) Storytellers can make change and make history.

The journey of motivational speaking can be lonely, tough, but rewarding. Failures, criticisms, and doubts are expected! As long as you know your purpose of speaking, you have something compelling to say, and you can deliver your messages like a performance artist, just do it!

Don’t get lazy in whatever you do. Regardless of what that is for you. Be “hungry” for more. More opportunities. More learning experiences. More life. Contentment can be found in our passion. We don’t live as if life is never enough. We live contently in our hunger to know more. Do more. Be more. Rest when you die. Until then, LIVE!

Other people’s resistance & scepticism may simply be: -others don’t see the talent in me -others are projecting their fears on me. - an individual’s bias informed by society’s wider bias Finally, it may also point me towards something I need to learn or improve. Either way, as a motivational speaker, it would be ironic if I let this resistance and scepticism stop me being motivated about my career path! So sit with the feedback, see if it’s valid and either way keep persisting. Sustainable resilience and a moment of reflection between action, are good ways forward, in my view, when facing career obstacles.