The 7 Best Speaking Courses to Get Paid for Your Voice in 2025
I can teach you to speak well enough to get a standing ovation in the next 90 days. Not might. Will.
But here’s what I can’t teach you in 90 days: how to turn speaking into actual income. How to get booked consistently. How to position yourself so organizers seek you out instead of you begging for spots. How to deliver talks that lead to real opportunities, not just applause.
That’s the difference between speaking training and speaking business training. Most courses teach you to give good talks. The ones worth your time teach you to build speaking careers.
I’m not here to stroke your ego about your “authentic voice” or tell you everyone’s a natural speaker. That’s nonsense. Speaking is a skill. Building a speaking business is a different skill. And getting paid well for speaking? That’s yet another skill.
Let’s cut through the motivational fluff and look at courses that teach you the actual mechanics of profitable speaking.
Speaking Courses by Investment Tier
Premium Tier: TEDx & Major Platform Training
The TEDx Program by Suzanne Adams – Best for TEDx Talks That Open Doors
What You’re Paying For: Suzanne Adams’s complete system for landing, preparing for, and delivering TEDx talks that become career accelerators. This isn’t generic speaking training—it’s specifically focused on the TEDx format and using it strategically.
Why TEDx Matters for Your Career: ✅ Booking System: Getting accepted to TEDx events (which is harder than people think). ✅ Talk Development: Crafting ideas worth spreading in the specific TEDx format. ✅ Delivery Training: Presenting in ways that work on the red circle (different from other stages). ✅ Production Quality: Technical aspects of delivering broadcast-quality talks. ✅ Strategic Positioning: Using TEDx as credibility builder and door-opener. ✅ Post-Talk Leverage: Maximizing the career impact after your talk goes live. ✅ Application Process: Navigating the actual logistics of getting selected.
Here’s the Real Value: TEDx talks aren’t just speaking opportunities—they’re credibility assets. A good TEDx talk positions you as thought leader, provides evergreen marketing content, and opens doors to paid opportunities. The ROI isn’t in the talk itself (TEDx doesn’t pay), it’s in what the talk enables.
But getting selected is competitive, and bombing a TEDx talk is worse than never doing one. Suzanne’s program increases your odds of both getting selected and delivering effectively. If you’re going to invest time in TEDx, don’t wing it.
What You’re Actually Getting: This is comprehensive preparation for one specific type of talk. If you want TEDx on your resume (and you should, it’s valuable), this dramatically increases your success odds. But it won’t teach you to keynote conferences or run workshops—it’s laser-focused on TEDx.
Budget Reality: ❌ Specific Focus: TEDx only—not broad speaking training. ❌ Premium Investment: This is high-ticket because it’s specialized expertise with clear ROI.
Straight Talk: Get this if you’re serious about TEDx and want to do it right the first time. Skip it if you’re just exploring speaking or want general speaking skills—there are cheaper ways to start.
Mid-Tier: Authority & Visibility Building
Brand Authority Profits by Dan Henry – Best for Speaking That Converts to Business
What This Covers: Dan Henry’s system for building brand authority through multiple channels including speaking—but focused on authority that converts to actual business, not just recognition.
Authority That Pays: ✅ Strategic Positioning: Becoming the obvious expert in your niche through speaking and content. ✅ Conversion Focus: Speaking that leads to clients, customers, and opportunities—not just applause. ✅ Platform Building: Creating multiple authority channels that reinforce each other. ✅ Content Strategy: Using talks as content assets that continue working for you. ✅ Business Integration: Speaking as part of complete business strategy, not separate activity. ✅ Profit Mechanics: Understanding economics of authority-based businesses.
Why This Matters: Most speakers focus on stage skills. Dan focuses on business outcomes. His approach treats speaking as one tool in authority-building toolkit—important, but not the only thing. What matters is whether your speaking translates to business results.
The framework helps you position yourself so speaking opportunities come to you, and when you speak, it generates business outcomes. That’s the difference between hobby speaking and professional speaking.
Reality Check: ❌ Not Pure Speaking Training: This is authority and business building that includes speaking. ❌ Business Focus: You need business to apply this to—not for absolute beginners.
Who This Works For: Entrepreneurs and experts who want speaking to feed their business. If you’re building a business and speaking is one channel, Dan’s approach ensures speaking produces ROI.
View Brand Authority Profits →
Iconic Personal Brand 2.0 by Kathryn Porritt – Best for Personal Brand Through Speaking
What You Learn: Kathryn Porritt’s framework for building iconic personal brands—with speaking as major component. This is about becoming known for something specific and valuable.
Brand Building Mechanics: ✅ Positioning Clarity: Getting clear on what you’re known for and why it matters. ✅ Message Development: Crafting message that resonates and differentiates you. ✅ Visibility Strategy: Strategic visibility through speaking and other channels. ✅ Authentic Expression: Building brand that’s genuinely you, not manufactured persona. ✅ Market Positioning: Finding intersection of your expertise and market need. ✅ Long-Term Building: Creating brand that compounds over time.
The Strategic Angle: Kathryn’s approach recognizes that speaking doesn’t exist in vacuum—it’s part of broader personal brand strategy. You’re not just getting better at talks, you’re building reputation and recognition that makes talks more valuable and easier to book.
The best speakers aren’t necessarily the most skilled presenters—they’re the ones with strong brands that make people want to hear them. This program builds that foundation.
What You Should Know: ❌ Brand Focus: About overall personal brand, speaking is one component. ❌ Long-Term Play: Building brands takes time—not quick tactical wins.
Best For: Experts and thought leaders building long-term personal brands. If you want speaking to be part of comprehensive brand strategy rather than standalone skill, this provides the framework.
View Iconic Personal Brand 2.0 →
Budget-Conscious Tier: Skill Development & Specific Applications
The UGC Masterclass by Club Life Design – Best for Content Creation Speaking Skills
What This Teaches: User-Generated Content creation—including on-camera speaking and content that brands pay for. This isn’t traditional speaking but it teaches valuable on-camera and presentation skills for content creators.
Content Creator Speaking: ✅ On-Camera Presence: Being comfortable and effective on camera. ✅ Brand Collaboration: Getting paid by brands for content creation. ✅ Quick Content Skills: Creating compelling content efficiently. ✅ Speaking to Camera: Different from stage speaking but valuable skill. ✅ Income Generation: Monetizing your speaking and presentation abilities through UGC. ✅ Portfolio Building: Creating body of work that demonstrates your skills.
Different Application, Similar Skills: If traditional speaking isn’t your path but you want to get paid for your voice and presence, UGC is viable alternative. You’re still developing presentation skills, comfort on camera, and ability to communicate effectively—just in different format.
The market for UGC is growing fast, and brands pay well for quality content creators. This could be your entry into getting paid for your voice without the complexity of booking speaking gigs.
Keep in Mind: ❌ Not Traditional Speaking: This is content creation, not stage or platform speaking. ❌ Brand Focus: About working with brands on content, not building speaking career.
Works For: Content creators who want to monetize on-camera skills. If you’re more interested in digital content than live speaking, this teaches you to get paid for presentation skills in content format.
Sell Your Brilliance by Becky Keen – Best for Selling From Stage
What You Get: Becky Keen’s training on selling your expertise effectively—including speaking that converts to sales. This is about monetizing your knowledge through speaking and other channels.
Sales Through Speaking: ✅ Selling Framework: How to sell from stage without being sleazy. ✅ Value Communication: Articulating your expertise in ways that resonate and convert. ✅ Conversion Speaking: Talks designed to lead to sales naturally. ✅ Positioning Strategy: Setting yourself up so selling is natural extension of teaching. ✅ Ethical Sales: Selling in ways that feel good and work. ✅ Multiple Formats: Selling through various speaking formats—stages, webinars, workshops.
Why This Matters: Many speakers struggle with the sales component. They can deliver great talks but can’t close business from them. Becky focuses specifically on the conversion mechanics—how do talks lead to income?
If you’re speaking to grow your business, you need this skill. Great talks that don’t convert are expensive marketing with no ROI.
Straight Talk: ❌ Sales Focus: Specifically about selling, not just speaking skills. ❌ Business Requirement: You need something to sell—not for pure hobby speakers.
Right For: Entrepreneurs who speak to generate business. If you do or want to do talks that lead to sales—webinars, workshops, keynotes—this teaches conversion mechanics.
Magic on Legs by Melanie Ann Layer – Best for Embodied Presence
What This Covers: Melanie Ann Layer’s program on embodied presence and personal magnetism. This isn’t speaking technique—it’s about the energy and presence you bring to any situation, including stages.
Presence Development: ✅ Embodied Confidence: Presence that comes from within, not performed. ✅ Personal Magnetism: Developing natural charisma and impact. ✅ Energy Management: Understanding how your energy affects rooms and audiences. ✅ Authentic Presence: Being powerfully yourself instead of imitating others. ✅ Nervous System Work: Regulating yourself for calm, confident presence. ✅ Stage Presence Foundation: The inner work that makes outer performance possible.
The Inner Game: Most speaking training focuses on external technique—what to do with your hands, how to structure talks, where to stand. Melanie focuses on internal state—who you’re being, what energy you’re bringing, how grounded you are.
This is the work that makes technique effective. You can learn perfect speaking mechanics but if you’re nervous, disconnected, or performing instead of present, audiences feel it. This addresses the foundation beneath technique.
Reality Check: ❌ Not Technique Training: This is inner work and presence, not speaking mechanics. ❌ Energy Language: Uses concepts like energy and embodiment—not everyone’s approach.
Best For: Speakers who have technique but lack presence. If you know what to do but feel nervous, disconnected, or like you’re performing, this inner work creates foundation for authentic stage presence.
The Alignment Accelerator by Nadia Khaled – Best for Aligned Speaking & Business
What You Learn: Nadia Khaled’s framework for building businesses and careers in alignment with who you actually are—including speaking that feels authentic and sustainable.
Alignment in Action: ✅ Self-Alignment: Getting clear on who you are and what you want to say. ✅ Authentic Message: Speaking from truth instead of what you think people want to hear. ✅ Sustainable Approach: Building speaking career that energizes instead of depletes. ✅ Business Integration: Speaking as part of aligned business, not separate burden. ✅ Values Clarity: Speaking about things that actually matter to you. ✅ Energy Efficiency: Working in ways that work with your nature, not against it.
Why Alignment Matters: You can force yourself to speak about things you don’t care about, in ways that don’t feel like you, to audiences that don’t energize you. Some people do this successfully. They’re also miserable.
Nadia’s approach starts with alignment—what do you actually want to speak about? What format energizes you? Who do you want to reach? Then builds strategy around that instead of forcing you into molds that don’t fit.
For long-term speaking careers, alignment isn’t luxury—it’s operational necessity. You won’t maintain momentum speaking about things that bore you or in ways that drain you.
Consider This: ❌ Alignment Focus: About finding your authentic path, not following formulas. ❌ Inner Work Required: Asks you to get honest about what you actually want.
Works For: Speakers building long-term careers who want sustainability. If you’re tired of forcing yourself into speaking molds that don’t fit, Nadia’s approach helps you find what actually works for you.
View The Alignment Accelerator →
How to Actually Choose Your Speaking Training
Stop overthinking this. Here’s the decision tree:
Get TEDx Program if: You want TEDx talk as credibility asset and career accelerator. It’s expensive but if you’re serious about TEDx, the ROI of doing it right justifies the cost. One good TEDx talk opens more doors than dozens of mediocre speaking gigs.
Choose Brand Authority Profits if: You’re building business and want speaking to generate tangible results—clients, customers, opportunities. Dan’s approach ensures speaking produces ROI, not just ego boost.
Go with Iconic Personal Brand if: You’re building long-term personal brand where speaking is major component. This gives you framework for brand building that makes speaking more valuable and easier to book.
Pick UGC Masterclass if: You want to get paid for on-camera presence through content creation rather than traditional speaking. Growing market, lower barrier to entry than speaking circuit.
Select Sell Your Brilliance if: You speak (or want to speak) to generate sales—webinars, workshops, keynotes. If conversion from speaking is your goal, Becky teaches the mechanics.
Try Magic on Legs if: You have speaking technique but lack presence. This inner work creates foundation for authentic stage presence that technique alone can’t provide.
Explore Alignment Accelerator if: You’re building sustainable speaking career and need to find approach that fits you. Nadia helps you build speaking career around who you actually are.
Budget Breakdown: TEDx Program is premium ($3,000-5,000 range). Brand Authority and Iconic Personal Brand are mid-tier ($1,500-3,000). UGC, Sell Your Brilliance, Magic on Legs, and Alignment Accelerator are more accessible ($500-1,500).
Time Reality: TEDx preparation takes 3-6 months minimum. Brand and authority building takes 6-12 months to see real results. Skill development can show improvement in weeks but mastery takes months of practice.
My No-BS Take on Speaking Training
Most speaking training is oversold and underdelivering. You don’t need another course on breathing techniques or hand gestures. You need either:
- Technical skills for specific high-value opportunities (like TEDx Program)
- Business strategy to monetize speaking (like Brand Authority Profits or Sell Your Brilliance)
- Inner work to show up powerfully (like Magic on Legs or Alignment Accelerator)
- Brand strategy that includes speaking (like Iconic Personal Brand)
If you’re just starting out, honestly? Practice more, train less. Join Toastmasters, speak for free, get reps. You don’t need expensive training until you’re ready for specific high-value opportunities or serious business results.
But if you’re past basics and ready to either land major speaking opportunities (TEDx), build business through speaking (Brand Authority, Sell Your Brilliance), or create sustainable speaking career (Alignment Accelerator), then strategic training has clear ROI.
Don’t buy speaking training because someone told you everyone should be a speaker. Buy it when you have specific goal and the training directly advances that goal. Otherwise you’re collecting courses, not building careers.
Ready to get paid for your voice? Pick the course that matches your actual goal—not the one that sounds most impressive. Then implement relentlessly. The speaking business rewards people who execute, not people who train endlessly.