{"id":52,"date":"2007-03-01T15:00:34","date_gmt":"2007-03-01T20:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.AchieveMax.com\/blog\/2007\/03\/01\/motivational-speaker\/"},"modified":"2013-07-01T15:21:19","modified_gmt":"2013-07-01T19:21:19","slug":"motivational-speaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/achievemax.com\/blog\/2007\/03\/01\/motivational-speaker\/","title":{"rendered":"Motivational Speaker: A Misnomer?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Working in the consulting<\/a>, seminar<\/a> and keynoting<\/a> business, we receive a good number of calls from clients looking for a “motivational” speaker. I often struggle with that terminology. Very early in my career, I attended a number of programs which featured a “motivational speaker.” I was very fortunate to sit in the audience as a vast number of iconic characters took the stage to stimulate, motivate, and change lives. I remember with great fondness many of those who did this very successfully on a regular basis … Zig Ziglar, Denis Waitley, Wayne Dyer, Earl Nightingale, Robert Schuller, etc.<\/p>\n

Many of these great talents are still very active today, and I\u2019ve had the privilege to meet several of them later in my career. This impressive list has grown over the years to include such notables as Tom Peters, Tony Robbins, and several others who possess the fire and brimstone to wake us and shake us into action.<\/p>\n

I remember the days when the fire and brimstone was enough. I\u2019m not certain if that\u2019s true any longer. Today, we need something to take us beyond our car in the parking lot of the auditorium where the rally was held.\u00a0The very competitive and global marketplace requires much more of us now.\u00a0We truly need proven tips, tools, and strategies that are easily understood and readily applied.<\/p>\n

Interestingly enough, almost all of these successful speakers authored best-selling books to support their messages. I always found it intriguing to ask others what they thought about a live performance or best-selling book. It wasn\u2019t that far-fetched to ask five people for feedback and receive comments such as:<\/p>\n

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  1. “No value whatsoever.”<\/li>\n
  2. “Didn\u2019t care for it.”<\/li>\n
  3. “Really liked it.”<\/li>\n
  4. “Truly loved it.”<\/li>\n
  5. “Decided to live it.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Now when you review those responses to a speaker, his\/her message or book, would you\u00a0say\u00a0he\/she did a good job or a poor job? I think you must admit that the speaker did at least a good job of providing good information. If not, the\u00a0last three responses would never have materialized. However, upon closer observation, I think you must admit that the majority of the responsibility for success lies not with the speaker\/author but with those who receive the message. What they did with the information they received made all the difference.<\/p>\n

    One common thread I think I\u2019ve heard every “motivational speaker” share with those attending their programs is the fact that we CAN\u2019T motivate people. Accept that fact. True motivation must come from within. All we can do is create a culture, environment, and opportunity for our employees to motivate themselves. This leads to a number of challenges:<\/p>\n