Despite the recent success of the personal development industry, which includes motivational speaking, there are still some business owners who think a professional speaker is nothing more than an entertaining show. What they fail to understand is how effective a motivational speaker can be in realizing business goals. One presentation, or series of curated presentations, may provide returns for years to come—not just in the aspect of profits, but also in the intangibles such as leadership development.

This article cites the benefits of hiring a motivational speaker, plus some tips on booking the right one. Find out what a good motivational speaker can help you achieve!

What is a Motivational Speaker Actually Meant to Do?

The easy stereotype of a motivational speaker is a person who engages the crowd as a preacher does. But not one speaker is interchangeable for another; each has its own style, niche, or persona. The best ones in the industry know-how to market themselves as distinct and unique personalities for certain topics, industries, or types of business. Want to know how to book the right speaker? Here are 3 simple key questions that can help you arrive at the right choice. If you want your staff to learn something new about financial management, hire a speaker who has credentials in finance; if you want to encourage new leaders to step up in the business, hire someone whose background is in management training or human resources.

1. Is the speaker articulate and focused? 

Before hiring a motivational speaker, you’ll of course need to know if they can ‘nail’ the “speaking” part of the job. Not only should they be well-spoken and have stage presence, they should also know how to organize and articulate their ideas in a clear, logical manner. It also helps for them to be down-to-earth and able to adapt their speaking manner to different crowds. To get a feel of the speaker, you may want to look for sample videos, podcasts, or interviews.

2. Does the speaker have relevant experiences to share? 

A gifted speaker is well-versed in a variety of topics and would know how to relate even far-off experiences of their own to those of their crowd. That having been said, their content shouldn’t be too generic in nature or unrelated to the company’s business interests. When choosing a speaker, try to match their specialties with what the company actually needs. If you want your staff to learn something new about financial management, hire a speaker who has credentials in finance; if you want to encourage new leaders to step up in the business, hire someone whose background is in management training or human resources. That way, you can be sure that your speaker’s content aligns with your company’s business objectives.

3. Will the speaker offer you and your staff some fresh perspective? 

There’s no point in the speaker bringing up things that you and your staff already know. They should be able to offer new insights about the way you do business, the methods that you use to generate profit, or how you function as an organization. This much-needed perspective may help you and your staff members leave your comfort zone and grow in your entrepreneurial skills.

Why You Should Invest in a Motivational Speaker: 4 Key Benefits

The impact of a good presentation will be felt by your business team both immediately and in the long run. Booking a motivational speaker to do one event in your headquarters, or commissioning them to do a series of talks, may result in the following:

You and your staff will be able to learn from one person’s success story. An effective motivational speaker will be able to tell a story with the following elements: how they got to know themselves, how they cultivated a personal philosophy, and how they used this philosophy to overcome particular challenges. Such stories will be good at helping you and your staff realize your business goals: you’ll learn how to craft a vision for yourselves, how to handle problems similar to the ones shared by your speaker, and how to achieve success for yourselves based on the advice of someone who’s done it already.

New light. The best takeaway that your company can get from a motivational speaker is new perspective on how to do business. This may be your best weapon against complacency, stagnation, and other ills that keep you all from reaching your true potential.

You’ll gain valuable interdisciplinary skills that you can use in the future. There are also some very practical skills that can be gleaned from a motivational speaker who specializes in business and entrepreneurship. Some of these skills may deal directly with improving profits and keeping the company viable, such as managing company finances, closing sales, or networking. But it’s also from a well-delivered speech that you and your staff members can learn ‘soft,’ adaptable skills, such as connecting to an audience or using good body language around clients.

The motivational speaker can bring positive energy to the workplace. Last but not the least, a motivational speaker can bring pride the employees’ job by motivating them to work harder, smarter, and with more conviction. Once you and your staff members are properly inspired, you will in all probability do work of better quality—and this will be reflected in your business’s profits, reputation, and growth potential.

Conclusion

Don’t be quick to assume that booking a motivational speaker for one show would not amount to anything—it has the potential to excite and motivate attendees, just as performing artists can do at live concerts. Good speakers will see each presentation as more than just one-off events; their time, talent for speaking, and unique experience will provide value for longer than the presentation itself.

If you’re an entrepreneur and handling a business of your own, there is much you can benefit from in an encounter with a rising star in the personal development industry. They may be just what you need to push you and your team in the right direction! 

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