3 Criteria All Motivational Speeches Should Meet

Dr. Gary Arnold's Book
How the Top 1% of Speakers and Coaches Do Internet Marketing
Paperback: ISBN:978-1-57867-041-3; eBook: ISBN:978-1-57867-043-7

 Motivational speeches can be many things, but if it meets these important criteria it is sure to spell success.

Criterion #1 that all motivational speeches must meet:

The person who is trying to motivate and inspire the audience has to come across as an honest and reliable person. His talk must be truthful and sincere. Insincere and artificial sounding talk will be obvious to the audience and not achieve the desired results. Would you be motivated by a person whose talk is obviously not who they present themselves to be and had no depth? If you don't mean what you say, then your audience will sense it immediately. If you make a negative impression on your audience, then that is the reputation you will create.

Criterion #2 that all motivational speeches must meet:

Humor truly is the best medicine. People love to laugh. Chances are, the speakers who are most memorable to you are those who conveyed their message and were able to do it with humor. Motivational speeches should contain a good bit of humor. After all, motivation is all about uplifting the audience, and what better way than with humor?

But aware that humor can become a double-edged sword. If you do not use it cautiously, and end up making inappropriate jokes that don't enhance your topic then your public speaking career could be doomed. Have you heard about the speaker who told a derogatory joke about a Rabbi to an audience that was predominantly Jewish? To avoid such an awkward and embarrassing situation, some background information about your audience. Also find out about any sensitive issues that both the audience and the organizers who invited you to speak may be sensitive to.

When using humor in your talk, learn to find the balance between the more serious points you want to make and a light-hearted demeanor and presentation. You don't want to come across as an insensitive air-head.

Criterion #3 that all motivational speeches must meet:

Include practical anecdotes from your own life. The audience will be able to relate to you as a regular person who has been through and overcome tough times. This will help you develop an instant rapport with your audience. Your audience has to be able to identify with you if you are going to create a genuine connection with them. There is nothing more inspiring for the audience, than to realize that the person who is standing in front of them has actually made it through and become successful. They will get the feeling that if you can go through what you did and came out on the other side successfully they will believe they can too. That is the name of the game for motivational speaking. The objective is always to help others see beyond their current situation and see themselves enjoying more successful and happy times.

Some speakers make up stories of struggle to impress the audience. This is not necessarily the worst thing to do, but as with humor, you need to be sure that your story is not too far from reality. No one wants to be lied to. If you grew up as a trust fund baby, don't try to sell a story of your childhood in poverty. It won't fly. If you need to slightly embellish a true event in your life do so with caution. Overdoing it will not come across as authentic. Don't go overboard and never let the audience doubt your integrity.