Chances are you’ve heard the time-worn joke about people being more afraid of public speaking than they are of dying.

Surveys have found that three out of every four individuals suffer from speech anxiety and it can adversely effect their careers. A fear of public speaking can have a significant impact on your career. On average, those who have speech anxiety make about 10% less than those who don’t.

But let’s say you’re different. Let’s say you thrive on getting up in front of a crowd and having something to say. If you’ve got good command of a crowd, there’s a chance you might be able to turn that into a business.

If speaking is something you enjoy and want to make money from, here are some tips that will set you on a path to becoming a paid international speaker.

• Keep it simple:

When it comes to delivering a message to an audience, keep the message simple. If you know a lot about a subject, find a way to deliver your knowledge in a way that’s easy for audiences to digest. Let’s say for example you’re an expert on economics. Your depth and breadth of knowledge is no doubt impressive, but you don’t want to bore your audience five minutes into an hour long presentation. Distill your information down, keep the message simple and people will get what you’re trying to say.

• Make a connection: If you’re trying to become an entrepreneur and a successful paid international speaker, one thing you need to do is make a connection. It’s easy to think you need to prove to the audience that you’re smart, but if you’re the featured speaker at a convention you’re obviously there for a reason. When you’re on the stage, you’re job is to connect with the audience; show them that you’re a relatable person who’s funny, approachable and real.
• Practice: The old adage that practice makes perfect even applies to a paid international speaker. If you work hard and become a successful entrepreneur at public speaking, you don’t want to get too cocky. If you’re doing a corporate job or a big convention, the last thing you want to do is wing it. There’s nothing wrong with ad-libbing a couple funny stories, but when you’re really trying to hammer home the main points of your message, you’re going to want to make sure you’ve rehearsed a little bit.
• Have a road map: Depending on what kind of message you’re trying to deliver as a paid international speaker, you want to establish a roadmap for your presentation. Think about what you’re trying to accomplish with your message. What are you trying to do? Are you trying to make people laugh or cry? Are you trying to inform your audience or inspire them? Knowing what your goals are with your speech will help you craft your message and help you stay focused.
• Inject some personality into it: One way you can connect with people as a paid international speaker is by telling some personal stories. Whether you make people laugh or cry, telling stories is a way to make that aforementioned connection and make you more relatable to your audience. If you’ve got a funny story or an inspiring story you can open with and then another you can close with, you’ll keep the audience engaged and have them in the palm of your hand for the entirely of your speech.
• Show your passion: If being a paid international speaker is something you’re passionate about, let that passion shine through in your speech. Studies have shown that what you say to an audience isn’t as important as how you say it. Studies have also shown that an effective presentation is 55% non-verbal communication, 38% a speaker’s voice and only 7% the content of the presentation. So if you’ve got a great message to share with people, use your passion for what you do to make that message resonate with people.