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When people ask me what I do, I tell them,
"I'm a motivational speaker." Often, their
response is, "Oh, so you're one of those guys who
pumps people up, eh?"
No, that's not what I do, nor should people in
general mistake what motivational speakers really do.
They don't, for example, "pump people up."
Flat tires and deflated air mattresses get pumped up.
Motivational speakers educate, train, guide, encourage
and inspire people, and I can only hope they do it in
a fun and entertaining way. Booking your next speaker
should entail more than just hiring an arm-waving,
fast-talking presenter to take up that spare hour
after dinner. You've got to decide what you really
want to do for your attendees.
More Than Just A Pep Talk
The term motivational speaker is subject to a wide
range of interpretation. For many, it conjures up the
image of a loud, spirited, cheerleading presenter who
implores his audience to be enthusiastic, achieve more
and become all they can be.
However, to be the kind of motivational speaker who
truly makes a difference, a presenter needs to deliver
much more than a pep talk. It's not enough merely to
awaken people to their potential, nor is it enough to
simply tell them what they ought to accomplish. A
rousing pep talk has no significant value if the
speaker doesn't also show his audience members how to
achieve their goals.
Creating A Road Map
Teaching specific skills and techniques for
accomplishing one's objectives needs to be part of a
motivational speaker's repertoire. Telling people that
they need to get from point A to point B without
telling them how to get there is futile. It only leads
to frustration and little change in long-term
behavior.
Motivational speakers who do make a difference in
people's lives are the ones who see themselves as
long-term "change masters" and not just
pump-the-audience-up, pep-talk coaches.
A good motivational speaker is both motivating and
inspiring. Is there a difference between them? The
answer is a resounding Yes.
First, let's look at motivation. The word
simply means a "reason" or a
"motive." Thus, being motivated is having a
reason for doing something. The reason is always the
belief in a "benefit." Everything people do
is motivated by benefits.
Benefits can be either personal or professional.
They can be physical, emotional, mental or spiritual.
Because all humans have varying needs and desires, an
effective change master speaks in terms that allow
each member of the audience to create his or her own
goals, and create, too, the reasons for accomplishing
them.
Now for inspiration. The word literally
means "to breath in" or "to give life
to." It is the energizing fuel for all action. No
matter what types of goals people set, they will not
seriously act upon them until they feel inspired to do
so.
The kind of energizing goal that inspirational
speakers bring to their audiences is the fuel of
possibility.
People will not get excited, enthusiastic or
sincerely act upon a goal until they believe that they
can accomplish it. In other words, people need to
believe that the achievement of a goal is possible
before they'll sincerely act.
Motivation Needs Inspiration
People who cannot foresee experiencing a benefit
from their goal also are those who have no reason or
motivation for trying to do anything to achieve it.
An effective motivational speaker is one who
regales his listeners with inspiring stories.
Inspiring stories talk to and about the human spirit.
These true stories, either from the speaker's own
experience or from the lives of others, introduce the
listeners to ordinary people who have accomplished
extraordinary results.
The anecdotes are told in order to inspire or fuel
the listeners' imagination. If another person who had
more to overcome than they could go on to accomplish
certain goals, then it might just be possible that
they, too, might also be able to do the same.
Presto! We have inspired listeners.
However, inspiration without motivation is as
futile as motivation without inspiration. Just as a
motivated person will not succeed if he is not
inspired to do so, conversely an inspired individual
will not accomplish much unless he is also motivated.
Both are needed.
Wonderful stories about great possibilities and
their accomplishments are nice to listen to and they
do make us feel good...for a while, anyway. But
inspiring stories alone can also lead to an experience
of guilt, lowered self-esteem and frustration if the
energy we derive from them is not channeled into some
positive action. It's like receiving a full tank of
fuel and having nowhere to go.
The Four-Legged Approach
Just as a chair needs four legs to function
effectively, people need at least four necessary
ingredients to accomplish their goals:
- They need to have a clear-cut goal.
- They need to have a motive, a reason or clear
vision of the benefits from accomplishing the
goal.
- They need to have a belief in the possibility of
the goal's accomplishment. They must have, in
other words, a conviction that it is possible for
them.
- Finally, they have to have a detailed,
step-by-step plan or road map for reaching their
goal.
It is the motivational speaker's responsibility to
help his listeners develop all four legs, necessary
for the kind of stability required for goal-setting
and accomplishment.
For this, you may want someone who is more than a
coach and an enthusiastic cheerleader, much more than
a humorist and story-teller, more than just a
charismatic and entertaining presenter, and certainly
more than someone who just gives pep talks. You may
want, and need, a teacher and a true change master.
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