Speaking of Empowerment

I received some shocking news. Not every motivational speaker is as good as he perceives he is. Surprising I know. However, it’s possibly something you’ve thought after a great number of hours of listening to boring motivational speeches. As a motivational speaker, I hear many speakers drone on about how proficient they are. And then I see them and speculate whose definition of “good” they are using. Clearly, most of us can’t be trusted to be critics of our own competence. Neither are our good friends and family. I don’t want to burst your bubble, but you furthermore can’t depend on the ten percent of the crowd who just love everybody – you know the ones – they don’t have the heart to let you know that your speech was as motivating as a stick in the eye. Clapping doesn’t always indicate that you did a good job. Who hasn’t seen a case where one zealous individual can initiate a chain reaction standing ovation. I know it hurts, but if you want to be a motivational speaker, at some point you need to figure out if you genuinely motivate. Possibly just as crucial – do you produce an ROI for the individuals who engage you?
I am not speaking to trainers. What I have to say is targeted at motivational speakers who have advertised that they offer a richer experience. Trainers are judged primarily on the information that they pass along, although presentation is also important. The motivational keynote speaker is paid to come give an unforgettable presentation with information woven into it. Motivational keynote speakers are judged primarily on performance.

How can you be positive that your message is genuinely impacting your audience? If people line up when it’s over asking for your business card. If they say, “We want to hire you.” If the meeting planner is glowing, hugging your neck, and saying you made them look great. Getting asked back and telling all of their friends about you is a wonderful thing. You could consider all of these things good signs that you followed through on your assurances.

In comedy class we were taught something referred to as the 80/10/10 principle: Ten percent will invariably love you, ten will always hate you, and eighty percent will hold judgment. Concern yourself with that eighty percent. Ask yourself, “have you connected with that 80%?” No speaker ever reaches 100% of the audience 100% of the time.

Decide on the emotional reaction you want from the audience. What you would like them to think. Are you giving them a means of responding to your presentation? Evaluations? Surveys? Begin sifting through the survey information at your first chance. Sit up and take notice of reviews.

Having them tell you that was a good performance does not necessarily indicate they learned anything. Just because the audience gushes over how knowledgeable you are doesn’t mean they were in love with your delivery. Having them compliment your breakout session, doesn’t mean they’ll like you as a keynote speaker.  What you don’t want to hear from a customer: Well, how do you think you did?  If your customer smiles politely and avoids eye contact, you’ve got a problem.

What are you supposed to do when your speech falls short? Apologize. Give their money back. Take a look at the validity of their complaint. Use it to grow and improve.

In tough times, when you get bad evaluations or you wonder why you’re doing this – pull out those letters you got where people told you what an impact you made. They will remind you of the times you got it right. If you can’t find any, perhaps you should take a hard look at what you are doing. Don’t be disheartened. Nobody gets it perfect right out of the box. Realistically, most of us get a rough start and hard knocks. It’s a process. Now get back to work.

The force of celebrities is undeniable. They sell magazines, papers and they lead us all to switch on and tune in daily. They control the clothing people wear, the shampoo consumers use as well as the foods we consume, or do not. Precisely what, then, is the point of the celebrity speaker within our already celebrity obsessed culture? Surely the many more subtle endorsements, or rather the more conventional ones, such as TV advertising campaigns and the like, are a reasonable intrusion into and influence on us without the famed becoming celebrity speaker at anything from political rallies, to store openings to charitable dinners?

The celebrity speaker is more and more prevalent and potent. Whether it be of their own accord or as a result of a big hire payment, it’s more popular than ever to see some kind of celebrity or other at events. Notable cases of stars turning speaker are that of Bob Geldoff and the army of celebrity crusaders with a conscience, using their popularity and influence to boost awareness of the predicament of the starving.

More recently than that, celebrity speakers seem to have been observed participating in more of a political function. There’s Jamie Oliver and his one-man war on unhealthy foods and even more recently there was the situation of Arlene Phillips engaging in governmental politics as the dance tsar.

No matter whether we like it or not, then, the celebrity speaker is more established today than ever before. No more do famous people merely have an effect on fashion and beauty; today’s celebrity speaker has a strong message. What use for the celebrity speaker? The young look up to celebrities and even the more adult people among us have to confess to being a bit fascinated with what they have to talk about. Their fame is appealing and they are role models, no matter whether we like it or not. So if the celebrity speaker can push forward a charity’s cause, send a clear message to improve the country’s wellness or perhaps stir up a little involvement in politics, then certainly they have got a purpose. And not just a role: a responsibility, to make use of their influence responsibly.

Not everyone can comfortably speak or perform in front of a lot of people. For some, it can even be a frightening experience which is to be avoided at all costs. Stage fright or performance anxiety affects a lot of people and some of the symptoms include anxiety and paranoia before, during and after a performance.

Even keynote and business speakers who are experienced and trained in public speaking can suffer from anxiety before a speech. While some people have the ability and presence of mind to remain cool and composed in stressful situations, most of us are geniuses as far as coming up with all the negative thoughts that may happen before and/or during a performance.

The context of the performance will often play a role in the amount of nerves someone experiences. A speaker can feel more or less anxious depending on whether they are on the stage by themselves, the number of people in the audience and if the evaluation is important for career prospects among other factors. For a larger audience, the speaker might experience more nerves. In a job interview, the applicant is more nervous in front of the manager than the secretary.

Variations Of Anxiety.

1.     Most common among sufferers of performance anxiety is a fluttery, unsettled sensation which slowly dies down once the speech has begun. When the speaker begins to feel calmer, this shows that they are able and willing to perform and the adrenaline may even make them better.

2.     Reactive anxiety is something which happens when the speaker or performer is not prepared enough or they do not have any public speaking skills. This will go away with practise and experience and of course, more public speaking. Business speakers get better in this way.

3.     What is most common with stage fright are the physical and emotional signs which can include sweating and shaking, an uneven voice, fear and panic and a quick heart rate. The thought that you will be unsuccessful at the speech is what causes these reactions.

Positive thinking is a way that the anxiety can be alleviated as they no longer think their performance will be bad. The performer should learn to accept the fear but use breathing exercises and practise to overcome the fearful triggers. You may discover that fear still remains, but you notice that you can handle it, as you are beginning to get the sense of enjoyment from your performance and from connecting with others.