Galactic Activity 23

Motivational or inspirational presentations are like persuasive speeches on steroids. They should be memorable and move the audience to take action or change the way they think or act. The best inspirational or motivational speeches use stories to convey their message.

Activity 23 – Inspirational or Motivational Presentation

Duration: 5 – 10 mins
Applicable Streams: Personal challenge, Leadership, Learning & Development, Workplace skills, Education, Sales, Inspiration/Motivation, Conference/events, Humour

Aim

In this activity you are aiming to:

Prepare and deliver a presentation that is either motivational or inspirational

Objectives

To do this, you will need to keep the following objectives in mind:

  1. Prepare a structure that builds a story towards a logical and inspiring ending, lesson or moral.
  2. Ensure there is a ‘takeaway message’ for the audience included in the ending.

The Why…

Opportunities arise in life where we’re given the chance to deliver a speech that will inspire and motivate the audience; as a keynote speaker, at a highschool graduation, or even a Not For Profit AGM for example. These types of speeches are not something that you ‘wing’ or make up as you go along. They need careful preparation and planning if you’re going to have the impact you desire.

An inspirational speech will not always be motivational but a motivational story is always inspirational.

Where do I start?

Think about things you’ve overcome in life, or someone you know who is an inspiration to you. What’s the moral, or ‘takeaway’ of your story? How can listening to this story help inspire or motivate others in some way? Brainstorm out several ideas then settle on the one that you think will have the most impact on the audience you’re preparing to deliver it to.

Remember that the kind of stories that will have the most impact on a group of 14 year olds, is very different to the kind of stories that will impact a group of retirees. Choose your topic based on your audience!

The How

Specific guidelines on how to tackle this activity.

Ensure you provide enough background information and context so that the audience connects with the characters and feels a part of the story.

Build the story in a logical way so that the audience is engaged and eager to find out ‘the ending’. Ask rhetorical questions so they feel part of the story, not just spoken at or to; consider using phrases like ‘and do you know what happened next?’ or ‘and how’s THIS for serendipity?’ or ‘you’ll never guess where he ended up…’

Variations:

Consider the different audiences you may deliver this speech to – will it have the same impact on all audiences?

  1. to staff or workers or team
  2. to volunteers
  3. graduation speech to students – high school or university

Tips and traps

TRAPS:

  • Spending too long focusing on the context or parts of the background of the story that don’t directly help you understand how and why the story builds the way it does. Cut out the waffle!
  • Pointing out the ‘moral’ or lesson to the story too early. Let the suspense build and deliver the punchline as close to the end as possible.

TIPS:

  • Cut out the waffle! If it’s not helping you deliver the moral or lesson to the story, is it necessary? Does it help paint a picture for the listeners?
  • Does it help you make the ending even more powerful? If so, keep it – if not, ditch it!
  • Build as visual a picture as you can for the audience so they feel like they’re there in the moment with you as you recount the story.

Guidelines for Program Director:

It may be an idea to have the Member give you a quick rundown of the context and punchline of the story to ensure it’s appropriate for the audience. Any stories that are highly religious or political should be avoided.