A frontline public speaker and founder, Talkademy, Joyce Daniels, has said that people could make an honest income and build careers by being professional masters of ceremonies.
Giving insight into what led to the establishment of Talkademy, where she said over 2,500 people had been trained as professional masters of ceremonies otherwise known as MCs in the last few years, Daniels said the training was one of the tools she deployed to address unemployment and underemployment in the country.
Daniels, who spoke to select journalists as part of activities to mark her birthday today, projected that in the next 10 years, public speaking would be as prestigious as the fintech profession.
She said: “In Talkademy, we have trained over 2,500 students. I believe in the philosophy of being fruitful and multiplying. Therefore, within my industry, it was imperative to multiply people who possess the skills that I deploy. I also wanted to give life to the idea and possibility that there are people who can make honest income and build careers and livelihoods by being professional masters of ceremonies but will need guidance, handholding and exposure to trade secrets. Training others in the art of being masters of ceremonies is a tool I deployed to address unemployment and underemployment of individuals, including employees who could afford to engage in another stream of income.
“Training people in speaking and presentations is a need I noticed in the corporate space and among leaders who want to change and improve society by sharing and selling their ideas. They need exposure to best practices to help them sell the ideas in their head.”
According to Daniels, Talkademy was born to create that standard via educational curriculum to develop the capacity of professional masters of ceremonies. She noted that the prospects of public speaking jobs in Nigeria was high, insisting that the art would potentially compete with fintech professions in a few years to come.
“Public speaking will be more institutionalised in the next 10 years because in the next 10 years we will have a national association that would standardise training, produce a proper directory, collaborate with event planners and event owners so that they get the best fixed for their events. Within the next 10 years, it would be as prestigious as the fintech profession if I’m not sounding too lofty.
“Talkademy teaches about the art and science of being a master of ceremony, from mindset to vision to understanding audience engagement, client engagement, how to consider corporate governance and more. It is not all about teaching English. In fact, we outsource the diction, illocution and grammar to professionals because that is a different kettle of fish. We teach people how to manage their stages and the business side,” she added.
