What do you do if you're a seasoned public speaker looking to shift into teaching or coaching?

1 Assess your strengths and goals

Before you dive into teaching or coaching, you need to have a clear idea of what you can offer and what you want to achieve. Think about your strengths as a speaker, such as your style, your content, your voice, or your humor. What aspects of speaking do you enjoy the most and feel confident about? These are the areas that you can focus on when sharing your expertise with others. Also, think about your goals as a teacher or coach. Do you want to work with individuals or groups, beginners or experts, online or offline, casually or professionally? How much time and energy are you willing to invest in this new role? These are the factors that will shape your approach and methods.

2 Choose your niche and audience

Once you have a clear vision of your strengths and goals, you need to find your niche and audience. Teaching or coaching public speaking is a broad and competitive field, so you need to differentiate yourself and target a specific market. For example, you could specialize in teaching or coaching TEDx speakers, salespeople, entrepreneurs, academics, or storytellers. You could also focus on a particular topic, such as persuasion, storytelling, humor, or confidence. Whatever your niche is, make sure you have enough knowledge, experience, and passion to deliver value to your audience. Then, research your audience's needs, challenges, preferences, and expectations. This will help you tailor your content and style to their interests and goals.

3 Develop your curriculum and materials

After you have identified your niche and audience, you need to develop your curriculum and materials. This is where you apply your speaking skills to teaching or coaching. A good curriculum should have a clear structure, a logical progression, and a balance between theory and practice. It should also include learning objectives, assessments, feedback, and resources. Your materials should be engaging, relevant, and accessible. They could include slides, videos, podcasts, worksheets, exercises, quizzes, or games. Depending on your mode of delivery, you may also need to use online platforms, tools, or apps to facilitate your teaching or coaching. Make sure you test and refine your curriculum and materials before launching them.

4 Promote yourself and your services

Now that you have your curriculum and materials ready, you need to promote yourself and your services. This is where you use your marketing skills to attract and retain clients. There are many ways to promote yourself and your services, such as creating a website, a blog, a podcast, a YouTube channel, or a social media profile. You could also use email marketing, webinars, podcasts, guest posts, or referrals to reach out to potential clients. The key is to showcase your expertise, credibility, and personality. You want to demonstrate that you can help your clients achieve their speaking goals and that you are the right person for the job.

5 Keep learning and improving

Finally, you need to keep learning and improving as a teacher or coach. Even if you are a seasoned public speaker, teaching or coaching is a different skill that requires constant practice and feedback. You should always seek to update your knowledge, expand your skills, and refine your methods. You should also collect and analyze data from your clients, such as their feedback, testimonials, ratings, or results. This will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, measure your impact, and adjust your strategies. You should also network with other teachers or coaches, join communities, attend events, or take courses to learn from others and stay on top of trends.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?