Secrets of Motivational Speakers - Point, Story, Connect, Point

Motivational speakers, the good ones, know there is no 'one way' to deliver employee motivation or sales training. But they also know there are some tried and true ways to engage audiences.

If you are a guest speaker at a conference, an after dinner speaker or a leader looking for a way to conquer a general lack of motivation with your group then use the following sequence. This sequence is what I've learned over 17 years of personal development presentations and increasing sales around the world.

1. POINT Make your point and ensure it is innovative or counterintuitive. Saying clichés like "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" or "You must believe to achieve" only accomplishes the opposite of personal development. Clichés unconsciously trigger a part of the audience's brain that says, "I've heard this before." String a few comments from the podium that are commonplace and you will eventually lose your audience all together. So make it innovative or counter intuitive.

Let's say you're trying to make a point about stretching your creative muscle. You would turn them off if you said, "We must creative on a daily basis." But, if your POINT was, "Get out of the wrong side of the bed." Then you expand on the concept of doing things differently. For example: Taking a new route to work. Use your non-dominant hand for three hours. Then you'll have your audience starting to think, "Gee, I hadn't thought of it that way."

2. STORY After a clear, succinct, innovative/counter intuitive point tell a story from your life, a case study or a third person account. Remember, when telling this story that person sitting in the chair, listening to you, really doesn't care how wonderful, smart, intriguing you are. He cares about himself. She only has her own interests in mind. Keynote speakers are under the illusion they are there because of how special they are. False. If you are keynoting a conference, tell story's that demonstrates how special THEY are by being authentic, vulnerable, honest, altruistic in your delivery.

When audiences experience my story about being unable to find a wind tunnel for aerodynamic training, they learn about the idea to ride on top of a car. They hear "You're wearing a pink rubber suit. Your biggest fear is not crashing the car. It's getting arrested. Folks, you're wearing a pink rubber suit." Compare that to: "I wore a pink rubber suit. I wasn't as concerned about he car crashing as I was concerned about the car crashing. I'm wearing a pink rubber suit. That's why I felt that way." Can you see and especially FEEL the difference?

3. CONNECT This is the part where you relate your point and even your story you just told, if appropriate, to their everyday lives. Imagine you just told the story about the pink rubber suit. Then you connect this example with how the audience goes to work and hits road block after road block with government regulations. Saying things like, "You can creatively meet the government standards that make your customers know how much you care."

4. POINT Now circle back to the original point to hit it home. "So when you get out of the wrong side of the bed you start thinking creatively, you create momentum for innovative ideas and solutions for you and your customers."

To see an example of this:

Use Point, Story, Connect, Point as a general template for how you get your message across. You are selling ideas and people buy more readily when they feel connected to a story, experience you as a person and relate it to their lives as something they need to do or have.

Do this and the secrets of motivational speakers isn't a secret any more ;-)

If you are an experienced speaker and want to elevate you expertise we have two options available:

1. Keynote Coaching - a month to month coaching program.