South Africa Event Planning

Motivational speakers are used mainly by large companies and organisations and are sometimes known as inspirational speakers, although these are not exactly interchangeable terms. A motivational speaker is a professional speaker that gets paid a standard fee for making different presentations to groups of people. He or she usually specialises in a specific field or industry (e.g. finance or sales), but some speakers are flexible enough to speak to any profile of person from any area of the job market, just tailoring their presentation slightly.

The presentations made are intended to motivate the listeners to accomplish more, feel more confident about themselves and encourage one another to greatness and increased productivity. This builds the interpersonal relationships of the workplace and helps employees to feel valued and important to the company.

The motivational speaker will need to have a good idea of the dynamic, ethic and productivity of the company or department to which he or she will be talking. This will give them the understanding required to target their presentation to that specific audience, making it relevant and applicable to them on an individual and a group level.

While motivational speaking does not actually require any specific training or certification, there is certainly a gift involved. Courses in public speaking and corporate communication are advised as this will prepare the speaker for the high-paced demands of the business world. What is paramount, though, is that a motivational speaker has experience and a reputable list of references. Do not hesitate to contact the references and ask them questions about their satisfaction with the motivational speaker’s presentation, speaking style, interaction with their audience, and so on.

Allow the experienced speaker to have some input, based on his or her extensive skills and experience. They may be able to suggest novel ways of approaching a situation more effectively. Some speakers also design games or activities in which their audience must engage, encouraging team work and communication and assisting them to understand one another better.

While a boss or manager may feel that they are equipped to inspire and motivate their staff, a motivational speaker is a professional that does this for a living. Their methods are unique and often quite dramatic. There is also the element of them being a guest speaker, one with a new face and a novel way of speaking. This all works together to create a very effective approach – indeed, a more effective approach than when the ‘boss’ tries to accomplish the same thing.

To understand their methods and success better, it is vital to grasp their modus operandi. A motivational speaker will 1) identify their niche market so that their presentations are knowledgeable and focussed. 2) They will then create a skeleton presentation, which can be adapted and evolved to cater to different companies and groups of people. Experienced speakers should 3) compile a profile, as well as try to get as much published as possible (whether on the net or in books and journals), so that these may act as references in future.

Any manager or director will know that it is imperative that his or her team feels inspired, involved and motivated in the workplace. Without this, they will not perform at their full capacity. Therefore, getting them to feel this sense of motivation is certainly worth hiring a professional.

Photo Credit: Wise 4 Living