Three great tips for motivational speakers
Motivational speakers can have a pretty negative connotation, right? Everything from Saturday Night Live skits to smarmy concepts like Tom Cruise’s role in Magnolia – they’re out there and everywhere. But in essence, any of us who speak are motivational speakers. It’s just a matter of how you handle the subject matter.
Whenever you’re called upon to speak, you’re being tapped for your perspective and command of a certain subject matter. If they wanted a talking head, they would probably play an audio book instead of going to all of the trouble of getting a real, live human being in front of their audience! You don’t have to put on the smarm in order to be effective, so here are three simple tips to keep YOUR next speaking opportunity in tip-top shape (and well-received by your audience).
Tip #1 for Motivational Speakers: It’s Personal
While a key tactic of motivational speaking is relating personal stories, you have to make your audience understand how it relates to THEM. Why THEY should find your message important. Don’t forget to make this connection.
Tip # 2 for Motivational Speakers: Foibles Are Funny
We all make mistakes and it’s important for people to see you as human. Don’t put yourself across as holier-than-thou. Be human. Share your mistakes and laugh at them. We can all learn from the mistakes of others.
Tip #3 for Motivational Speakers: Have a Call to Action
Don’t leave your audience hanging – give them something to do! The most effective speakers inspire people to go do things that affect change, so don’t miss this opportunity for the perfect wrap-up to your presentation.
Your action task for today is to find one piece of messaging – a blog, a speech, a marketing piece – and make sure that you tap into the three aspects above. Motivational speaking spills over into everything we do to market our business and ourselves – and if we can remember to apply it to one, the other areas aren’t far behind!
