The line between an amateur & a professional speaker is not money, it is the posture of the audience. If they are hoping you do well, cheering you on, you're an amateur. The speaker is so nervous, the audience stops listening & cheerleads out of the goodness of their heart.

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Often an intern at our church would speak, many people afterward, 'that was so good.' But it was sliding-scale good, 'good for a rookie.' Encouragement is necessary and needed, but it is helpful for the intern to realize 'I am still an amateur.'

2/

Professionals still get nervous, make lots of mistakes etc, but fundamentally, the audience posture is different. Not cheerleading, but letting the speaker lead them, opening their heart to learning etc. They see speaker as a decent authority on the topic.

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