What do Tony Robbins, Nick Vujicic, and Eric Thomas all have in common?

They all tell their stories to inspire others.

Whether it’s about grit, overcoming physical disabilities, or personal discipline, these motivational speakers have delivered speeches designed to inspire and guide their audience on a journey towards self-betterment.

The speeches they deliver can help people achieve personal and professional goals by tackling common perceptions and challenges and empower them to take action, solve problems and create positive impacts in their personal and professional life.

In this article, you are going to learn what exactly is a motivational speaker.

Contents show

About motivational speakers

Each motivational speaker usually specializes in a certain area, a “niche” learning drawn from their personal stories and past experiences, especially those that profoundly affect their lives and perception of the world.

Their personal experiences are also what gives motivational speakers their credibility and inspiration.

When they face adversity and trauma, instead of getting stuck in their own heads like most of us, they overcome them, reflect on their experience, offer fresh perspectives that help us perceive negative situations differently, and draw lessons that can inspire others.

Many motivational speakers also have extensive training and work experiences in business, academia, social work, or other relevant fields.

Their empathetic approach and personal stories can make academic insights seem more relevant to everyday problems, which helps the audience gain a more thorough, well-rounded understanding of their own experiences and start to problem-solve.

In addition to the stories they share, motivational speakers are also experts at public speaking and engagement. It’s not easy to stand in front of thousands of people almost every day and convince them to believe in your stories and messages.

Great motivational speakers have great conviction, charismatic story-telling abilities, and natural gravitas that make others want to believe them.

Why motivational speeches are impactful

What makes motivational speeches different from the average Ted Talk is that they are aimed to educate their audience and inspire behavioral change, even going as specific as listing actionable items for the audience.

These steps are often quite easy to follow, designed to reach every single audience member, who can then make daily, small changes that have a lasting impact in the long run.

A successful motivational speech fuels the audience with the intense desire to better their lives, mindsets, or conducts.

Moreover, it leaves a memorable impression that lasts beyond the duration of the speech and drives large-scale movements.

This is why businesses and organizations often benefit from hiring a motivational speaker to guide their employees towards purposeful practices, impactful company vision and long-lasting shift in company culture.

Types of motivational speakers

There are many types of motivational speakers for every kind of organizational needs.

1. Leadership Speaker

When it comes to motivating an audience to take action on something, many motivational speakers will talk about the importance of self leadership.

Just look at Jocko Willink TED talk on “Extreme Ownership” and you will see how he inspired many people to become accountable for their actions and to begin leading their own life.

See: Leadership motivational speakers

2. Personal Development Speaker

The most common, Personal Development Speaker, draws from his or her personal stories, trauma or understanding of the world, to help the audience find purpose in their own lives.

3. Business Motivational Speaker

The second type, Business-centric Motivational Speakers, are seasoned entrepreneurs who can offer lessons on success, finding meaning in their work, and guide a whole organization towards a united goal.

See: Top Business speakers

4. Community Speaker

Community speakers raise important societal issues to educate the audience and help them take actions to make a positive impact in their communities.

No matter what the issue at hand, motivational speakers are experts who can help organizations tackle their challenges and inspire their employees.

5. Youth speaker

Whether it be at high schools or colleges, there are now many speakers who specifically speak to teenagers and young adults on the importance of finding your life purpose, self discipline, hard work, overcoming adversity, and more.

See: Youth motivational speakers

Motivational speaking career

Besides speaking arrangements, many motivational speakers write self-help books and biographies, make YouTube videos, write blogs, host podcasts and appear on television.

These act as self-learning materials for the audience so that the speaker’s message continues to serve them long after the speech is over.

This well-rounded approach helps motivational speakers spread their messages to a wide audience, make a deeper impact, and create long-lasting change in our society.

See also: