How To Write a Great Motivational Speech: Get Ready to Pull Out All the Emotional Stops

How do you go about writing a motivational speech? Well the first think you need to know is what the speech is for? Is it to encourage a sports team to make that extra effort to win a championship game? Is it to spur on a country to keep going when the odds are against it, as Winston Churchill did in Britain during World War II? Is it Martin Luther King delivering his I Have A Dream speech on behalf of all African Americans? Is it a CEO urging a sales team to produce exceptional results?

I have written several speeches where the objective was to encourage a team of people or group of individuals to perform at their best. Here are some thoughts for those of you who must write a speech to motivate others.

Motivational

Writers and speakers love to incorporate suitable quotes into their speeches as part of the motivation. Thousands of quotations have been used over the centuries from classics of literature, to Holy Books, to words of wisdom from the famous and not-so-famous. They serve as starting points to a speech. One of my favorites is from Grace Murray Hopper, a remarkable woman who happened to be an admiral in the US Navy as well as a computer scientist. Grace Hopper lived from 1906-1992 and here's the quote - A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are (built) for. The quote is a great metaphor for life and is easily workable into a motivational speech.

How To Write a Great Motivational Speech: Get Ready to Pull Out All the Emotional Stops

Another ideal component of a motivational speech is a story that generates an emotional response. Great examples of such stories are published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. They typically tell of human beings who persist through tough circumstances to come out on top. In a motivational speech, it's even better if the speaker has gone through difficult circumstances of their own, and can relate their story as an example to motivate others.

The conjuring up of images in a speech can also be very successful in helping to motivate people. Images and quotes from successful athletes can be very powerful. So too can images from nature. I once wrote a speech for a CEO to deliver to his company's sales team. In the speech he spoke of the need for preparation and quiet before a period of breakout performance. We used a metaphor of a tree in winter, quiet and conserving its energy prior to the onrush of spring. Everyone in the audience could identify with the image as they prepared for the new sales year. Winter was what they were now going through, but spring was just around the corner with its signs of hope and of prosperity. They could almost touch it.

Now think about the language you are using. My experience is that short sentences employing the simplest of words are often more effective than complex words and phrases. It's particularly powerful if the speaker takes his or her time, speaks slowly and softly, and allows the nuances of the words to come through.

If you have been hired to write a motivational speech, look for those things that can help you. Search out appropriate quotes, discover stories that convey the messages you want to get across. Are there images and metaphors that will serve your purpose? At all times, keep your eyes and ears and intuition open for those situations, those events that spark the emotion and the language that expresses it. When you do that, your speech could and should get a standing ovation.

How To Write a Great Motivational Speech: Get Ready to Pull Out All the Emotional Stops

Neil Sawers develops books and e-books on business writing to help you grow your business. He is a strong supporter of entrepreneurs, small business and students in business and entrepreneurial programs. To discover how you can write more effective and compelling speeches for your business, begin by downloading the free chapter on The Discovery Process available at: http://www.how-to-write-proposals.com. In this chapter you will find great tools and concepts to support any business writing you do. Check it out.

Motivational Speech Topics - How To Choose And Use Them

When making a speech your whole point in making that speech is to try and get a message across to your audience. So you need to make your speech in such a way that you motivate your audience into taking action. This, of course, is the main reason why you should use motivational speech topics but let's have a look in more detail.

Have you ever heard a speech that has made you cry? Have you ever heard a speech that leaves you uplifted and motivated to go and do something? When a speaker gives a speech that affects people that way then he has succeeded with what he wanted to do. He has won over his audience and they are now at his mercy.

Motivational

When giving a motivational speech you are aiming to uplift and inspire your audience. You want your speech to be relevant to the topic that your audience is there to listen to. You want to promote excellence and show that you are an expert in your field and give them the feeling that they need to pursue what you want of them. Most importantly you want your audience to leave your speech feeling better than they did when they arrived.

Motivational Speech Topics - How To Choose And Use Them

There are many occasions where you can use motivational speeches such as at weddings, graduations, business seminars, sports awards ceremonies, coaching situations, self-improvement seminars and many more.

What topic do you choose for your motivational speech? Well, it will all depend on the occasion for which you are giving the speech.

Some of the topics that you may be able to use are speeches for improving sales, improving self esteem, becoming a winner, setting goals for the future, positive thinking, religion, charity, letting go of the past, becoming successful, affirmations, losing weight, getting fit, breaking habits, career development, gaining confidence and I'm sure there are many more that I haven't mentioned.

These are all topics that you can use motivational speeches for and if what you're looking for is not listed then try and think about the type of emotion that you want to send to your audience and work from there.

Speeches can be difficult to write and it can help if rather than just writing it, stand in front of the mirror and talk. If you don't really want to be in front of the mirror then stand in front of the sofa and pretend you have an audience there. Sometimes just playing around doing a pretend speech can often bring out some great ideas whereas just sitting down to write a speech your mind can often go blank.

Just remember your main goals of what you want to achieve and be as motivating as you can to get that message across to your audience.

Motivational Speech Topics - How To Choose And Use Them

For more free tips on public speaking and choosing speech topics, visit Best Speech Topics Keep up-to-date on the newest information about becoming a better public speaker by subscribing to the Best Speech Topics Blog

How To Write a Great Motivational Speech: Get Ready to Pull Out All the Emotional Stops

How do you go about writing a motivational speech? Well the first think you need to know is what the speech is for? Is it to encourage a sports team to make that extra effort to win a championship game? Is it to spur on a country to keep going when the odds are against it, as Winston Churchill did in Britain during World War II? Is it Martin Luther King delivering his I Have A Dream speech on behalf of all African Americans? Is it a CEO urging a sales team to produce exceptional results?

I have written several speeches where the objective was to encourage a team of people or group of individuals to perform at their best. Here are some thoughts for those of you who must write a speech to motivate others.

Motivational Techniques

Writers and speakers love to incorporate suitable quotes into their speeches as part of the motivation. Thousands of quotations have been used over the centuries from classics of literature, to Holy Books, to words of wisdom from the famous and not-so-famous. They serve as starting points to a speech. One of my favorites is from Grace Murray Hopper, a remarkable woman who happened to be an admiral in the US Navy as well as a computer scientist. Grace Hopper lived from 1906-1992 and here's the quote - A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are (built) for. The quote is a great metaphor for life and is easily workable into a motivational speech.

Another ideal component of a motivational speech is a story that generates an emotional response. Great examples of such stories are published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. They typically tell of human beings who persist through tough circumstances to come out on top. In a motivational speech, it's even better if the speaker has gone through difficult circumstances of their own, and can relate their story as an example to motivate others.

The conjuring up of images in a speech can also be very successful in helping to motivate people. Images and quotes from successful athletes can be very powerful. So too can images from nature. I once wrote a speech for a CEO to deliver to his company's sales team. In the speech he spoke of the need for preparation and quiet before a period of breakout performance. We used a metaphor of a tree in winter, quiet and conserving its energy prior to the onrush of spring. Everyone in the audience could identify with the image as they prepared for the new sales year. Winter was what they were now going through, but spring was just around the corner with its signs of hope and of prosperity. They could almost touch it.

Now think about the language you are using. My experience is that short sentences employing the simplest of words are often more effective than complex words and phrases. It's particularly powerful if the speaker takes his or her time, speaks slowly and softly, and allows the nuances of the words to come through.

If you have been hired to write a motivational speech, look for those things that can help you. Search out appropriate quotes, discover stories that convey the messages you want to get across. Are there images and metaphors that will serve your purpose? At all times, keep your eyes and ears and intuition open for those situations, those events that spark the emotion and the language that expresses it. When you do that, your speech could and should get a standing ovation.

How To Write a Great Motivational Speech: Get Ready to Pull Out All the Emotional Stops

Neil Sawers develops books and e-books on business writing to help you grow your business. He is a strong supporter of entrepreneurs, small business and students in business and entrepreneurial programs. To discover how you can write more effective and compelling speeches for your business, begin by downloading the free chapter on The Discovery Process available at: http://www.how-to-write-proposals.com. In this chapter you will find great tools and concepts to support any business writing you do. Check it out.

See Also : Management Concept Style Motivational Techniques