Credibility
The first thing to think about when choosing motivational speakers is whether this person will appear credible to your audience. Will your audience find their story inspirational? Will they respect and admire the motivational speaker’s accomplishments?
Most motivational speakers can make their messages transferrable across multiple industries, and most have an impressive list of accolades to their name. But putting an esteemed scientist in front of athletes would not be the most effective solution for anyone involved.
A Talent for Communicating
A talent for communicating is generally a given for any experienced motivational speaker. But what if you have a celebrity or sports star in mind who doesn’t typically speak at events? If you can’t find any evidence of them speaking to a crowd on YouTube, think about whether their job requires a knack for communication.
A duo like Hamish & Andy aren’t typically known for their motivational speeches, but they’re well-versed in communicating with people from all walks of life in a way that’s relatable. Similarly, an athlete who has a proven track record of presenting on live television is likely up to the task.
A Strong Message
The best motivational speakers don’t talk about their achievements; they talk about the lessons learned along the way. The motivational speaker you choose should be able to synthesise how each of your event attendees can apply this message to their own ambitions. Particularly for corporate events, you’ll need a speaker who can tailor a strong message to your company’s organisational goals.
We’d recommend chatting with one or two motivational speakers to guage their interest in talking about a particular theme. Doing so might make your decision considerably easier.
Return on Investment
For corporate events, it’s worth thinking about the return on investment you’ll receive thanks to a motivational speaker. If you’re needing to provide justification to the top dogs in your organisation why a motivational speaker will be beneficial, this sort of quantification can go a long way.
Which begs the question, how exactly can you quantify the return on investment from a motivational speech? Firstly, think about the organisational goals that this speaker could help your team get closer towards? Will this speaker make your team feel inspired, and therefore more productive? Would a 5% increase in productivity be reasonable to expect? What would that look like for your company’s output? All valid questions to be asking.
And while calculations before the speech are incredibly useful, there are also ways of definitively quantifying responses to the speech afterwards. For example, you could ask attendees to download an event app that gauges the percentage of people who found the speech helpful/engaging/impactful to inform the direction you take next time.
Booking Great Motivational Speakers
To start the process of booking a brilliant motivational speaker, have a look at the speakers we represent. If you’re not sure where to start, we’re happy to make recommendations and point you in the right direction. Get in touch with our team at RUSH to book your motivational speaker.
