Motivational speakers play a significant role in society. They should be able to motivate and inspire people to make life changes and share their experiences to entertain and educate an audience. However, even if you’re a fantastic orator, you won’t be able to persuade people to change if they don’t respect your authority on the subject matter or if you lack the qualities that make a good speaker.
A motivational speaker has to be charismatic and inspiring, but that’s not all they need to succeed in the field. In order to deliver an engaging, inspiring, and compelling speech, you must also have a few other qualities in your personality and presentation style. Here are some qualities every speaker needs for success.
A Likeable Speaker
Speak With Purpose
A speech without a clear goal or message is like an art exhibit without a theme. Why are you here? What do you want the audience to remember from this speech? Ask yourself these questions, and then answer them in your introduction and concluding remarks. And make sure that everything you say connects to those two points.
Engage The Audience’s Emotions
Unless you’re delivering a speech entirely by yourself on an empty stage, every motivational speaker has a live audience who might not be particularly interested in what they have to say. It’s your job to captivate them, just as any speaker would hope their words would capture their listeners’ imaginations and keep them transfixed throughout the entire experience of hearing what you have to say.
Physical Appearance
While the term motivational speaker can cover a broad range of professions and backgrounds, they often have one thing in common. They’re passionate and genuinely believe in their message. They are invested in their cause and not just going through the motions.
A Unique Message
People attend motivational speeches because they’re looking for something new. Make sure you share your unique perspective on an issue or topic that people want to hear about.
Emotional Connection
It’s always worth remembering that we’re all human beings with emotions.
Connect With Your Audience
To succeed in the field of motivational speaking, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of what your listeners need and want. If you can do this, you will be able to give them something they can identify with. You also need to be persistent with your message and ensure that people are always aware of your endeavors to get the help you need when things eventually get tough. It is also essential for top motivational speakers to believe in themselves because if they don’t, then no one else will either. Lastly, your words must be from the heart and full of passion, as this is what helps fuel an individual’s spirit and give them more motivation to fight on until the end.
Pause When You Need To
It is essential to have a message. You want to connect with the audience and be remembered for years after. Presenters need messages that are simple, bold, and inspirational. Secondly, you will need the skills to carry this message out. To get your point across, you need experience engaging an audience and making them want to listen. For example, humor can be an excellent way for an inspirational speaker to do this because it’s memorable and engaging for the audience.
Another quality of an effective motivational speaker is confidence in themselves. Your character should shine through as a confident person who believes in their mission of promoting change within individuals or in society as a whole.
Use Stories As Examples
The following five qualities make a great motivational speaker:
- Honesty
- Intelligence
- Charisma
- Persuasion
- Empathy
Honesty is essential for a motivational speaker because this will give the audience something they can trust. Intelligence is crucial because it means the speaker can plan their speech or talk about complex topics in a way that makes sense to the audience. Charisma goes hand-in-hand with honesty and helps to establish credibility. Persuasion is another critical component of being an excellent motivational speaker because, without it, you won’t be able to convince people they should change themselves or follow your lead; if you don’t have this, then the audience won’t buy into what you’re saying and instead will sit there and listen politely before leaving.
Be Enthusiastic
When it comes to the difference between a motivational speaker who has a career and those who don’t, it is generally not what they know but who they know. So if you’re looking to start a new motivational speaking career in the coming year, consider these qualities that might help you succeed.
A willingness to get out of your comfort zone. The speakers with the most success are constantly willing to take chances, try new things, and speak in front of different audiences. Some do this in their careers, while others volunteer or run workshops just for the experience. And secondly, highly organized time management skills.
