Speaking can be defined as the art of transferring one's thoughts to others in a precise and convenient manner. The effect of such speaking should be able to affect people in a certain way to act. A good speaker is supposed to keep his audience engrossed with his ideas and speech and therefore it is important that speakers intersperse their speeches with humor, entertainment or story-telling.
It is the proper and consistent mix of such good qualities of a speaker that makes a good Motivational Speaker. A motivational speaker should have the ability to transform a dormant audience to react to his line of thinking.
In history we have seen motivational speakers who have used their very words to change an entire generation and the entire course of history. Sir Winston Churchill, JFK, Martin Luther King and Adolf Hitler can be spotted as such people who were instrumental in bringing a gigantic change with the use of their mere words. Motivational speeches in fact go back to the time of Caesar
Thus, the importance of motivational speakers has been noticed since time memorable. As mentioned earlier, there have been great speakers who have touched the lives of many.
A motivational speaker needs to have some basic attributes. He must live his thoughts; he must modulate his voice; his body language must be such that he is able to connect to the audience.
To become a successful motivational speaker, one must have the following qualities:
(1) He must be credible enough for the audience to connect to him (2) He must be passionate and inspiring- this allows the audience to follow his thought naturally and with conviction (3) He needs to be sincere- the sincerity of the motivational speaker will prompt the audience to believe in the speaker and align their thoughts with those of the speaker. (4) He must have a vision to lead others- this is most paramount. Without a vision the audience will be left aimlessly to wander with your thoughts. Your vision will help the audience to shape their thoughts (5) He needs to be confident-The audience will have confidence and follow you if you demonstrate the confidence in yourself.
Motivational speaking need not be learnt but is inborn or inherent in the person. As discussed the person needs to have the qualities mentioned above.
Since public speaking forms an integral part of motivational speaking, persons can be trained in effective public speaking. You can enrol in a few clubs.These clubs provide exercises to members to hone their speaking skills. One can learn by observation and practice by listening to constructive suggestions followed by new public speaking exercises which include oration, use of gestures, voice modulation, vocabulary, register and word choice; speaking notes; using humor and developing a relationship with the audience.
On an international level, the National Communication Association (NCA) exists to assist professional communicators – both marketplace and academic. There is also a convention usually held annually with a number of presentations addressing the apprehensions central to effective public speaking. Institutions such as, National Forensics Association (NFA) and the American Forensics Association (AFA) are also some organizations that help training in public speaking.
Today we notice that the schools of North America have motivational speakers that motivate them to remain in school, to say no drugs etc. Adults are motivated by such speakers to remain focused in jobs in spite the pressure.
Motivational speaking has therefore become a lucrative career today. Motivational speakers are paid today thousands of dollars to address their audience. If you are an award winning person, a writer then the demand of such persons as motivational speakers doubles.
