Top Motivational Speaking Trends

Motivational speaking is an evolutionary process that top motivational speakers know must consistently change to avoid becoming stale or cliché.  The business of motivating people is one that follows the trends of what is working right now, combined with techniques that have always worked well. Audience engagement is the bread and butter of all top motivational speakers and the merits of any great speech can be judged by monitoring how the audience is responding. We’ve highlighted some of the top trends found in motivational speeches targeting productivity in the workforce and have provided some excellent examples of how top motivational speakers today have married these new and old strategies.

USE VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS TOOLS

Technology has served the communications industry very well by developing new and innovative ways for people to communicate and share ideas. A presentation or speaking engagement is most effective when it pushes past the boundaries of speech by itself and connects with the audience on multiple sensory levels. Great communicators know how to deliver a message and punctuate it at the right moments with visual cues. Pictures, infographics, and universally recognized symbols are also great ways to meaningfully connect with a diverse audience where people may be coming from varying cultural and social backgrounds. In effective communications, using visual aids should always help to clarify information and engage the audience.

Ted Talks motivational speaker Jon Bowers trains professional delivery drivers for UPS. Jon knows that he has an important safety message to communicate and he has to motivate his drivers to understand why perfection on the job is without exception. Watch how he uses visual tools to drive home the importance of “why we should all be equally diligent about striving toward perfection in everything we do, even if it means failing along the way.”

SHORTER MAY ACTUALLY BE BETTER

We have an ever-changing generational landscape and a widening gap between how these groups process this information is also an important factor to consider when working to engage a group of multi-generational people. In keeping with what we know about marketing and educational tactics, the digital world has ushered in an era where information is best served quick and concise. Shorter speeches suit busy lives and shorter attention spans making an audience more likely to stick around longer. The 30-minute keynote session has become very popular and the generally accepted length of a presentation has shifted from 60 minutes to a recommended length of no more than 45 minutes.

Motivational speaker Sally Hogshead knows that a speaker has to capture the audience’s attention in the initial seconds of a speech The average person has an attention span of about 9 seconds in which their focus may be captured. Watch as Sally discusses this very topic and fills these precious seconds with enough value to engage and break through to her listeners.

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USE REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES TO SUPPORT FACTS

One of the trends that has developed over the past decade is the drive to ensure that motivational sessions are also practical presentations that expert communicators can use to deliver strategies and tips that audiences can implement right away. An engaging and dynamic speaker can deliver real-world content filled with relevant research, insightful fact-based talking points and well-documented research that audiences can later refer back to. The evolution of how we support what we say aligns perfectly with shifting global trends that impact people and technology alike.

Top management consultant Jim Harris is an expert on the subject of disruptive innovation. He helps organizations thrive by staying ahead of industry disruptors. Jim’s real-world examples are his way of engaging with companies while he is speaking and describing the documented successes of disruptive innovation. Watch as Jim expertly uses real life stories and business examples to engage his audience and make them think about their own experiences. He paints mental pictures for his audience based upon shared, common human experiences in the real world today.

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ALWAYS LEAVE A LASTING VALUE

Leaders of industry know that the key to any organization’s success is in the collaborative efforts of its people. It’s about navigating through changes and working together as a team to grow and innovate. Impactful and meaningful communication is a collaboration in and of itself within the mind of the recipient of the information/message. A lasting impression is crucial to cementing the audience’s understanding. Truly engaging people is best accomplished when the audience leaves with a lasting impression and a means to trigger a response upon reflection at a later date. To ensure a deeper connection and a lasting impression, handouts, slides, follow up materials, research papers, visual summaries, reports and infographics can all be provided to participants at the end of the speech, or via an electronic delivery system at a later time.

Management Consultant, Gold Medal Olympian and Executive Coach Adam Kreek leaves a lasting impression on his audience by engaging them with a “pre-event fitness program” to generate energy before the event. He also conducts extensive pre-event interviews to maintain authenticity and reinforce the goals, interests and cultures of the audience/organization. Adam literally leaves his clients with worksheets and quote stickers after his events to cement their understanding of subjects such as Peak Performance, Shared Leadership, Managing Change, Mastering Health and Reframing Failure.

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PROVING THE VALUE OF YOUR CONTENT

The fast-paced shifts that impact customers in today’s marketplace often require more than just words to communicate. Techniques such as Q&A’s, workshops, and engagement tools for use on social media can help participants follow up and action what they have learned. Proving value through direct engagement will help put your tools into regular practice in the workplace. Valuegraphic assessments and customized research can be very powerful ways to motivate through content alone.

Marketing Expert, Author and Pioneer of Valuegraphics David Allison has conducted extensive research proving that shared values discovered with customized research and science can back up content in very meaningful ways. He explains how industry disruptions can be transformed from possible losses to new opportunities to seek out innovative ways to provide value. David uses valuegraphics to support the value of his research results.

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View a full list of our top motivational speakers here.