how to deliver an inspirational speech

Motivational Speaking 101: How to Deliver a Killer Motivational Speech

Giving a motivational speech is helpful, especially for public speaking. These speeches offer new views, turn challenges into opportunities, and restore confidence. Knowing what to include is key to inspiring and persuading positive changes.

This article explains motivational speeches, guides you on writing one, and offers a glimpse at the most memorable speeches in the history.

What is a Motivational Speech?

A motivational speech aims to inspire change. It has a clear purpose and a personal story and ends with a call to action. These speeches improve personal growth , inspire action, offer new perspectives, reduce fear, build confidence, and boost work performance.

Why are Motivational Speakers Important?

A motivational or inspirational speaker inspires and motivates audiences through speeches. They encourage positive actions and offer new perspectives on challenges. Their talks often use real-life experiences for greater impact.

Entrepreneurs can hire motivational speakers to convey important messages. People often accept ideas more readily from an external source so this influential voice can reignite focus and enthusiasm, helping individuals and organizations achieve their goals and advance their careers.

4 Types of Motivational Speeches

There are 4 main types of motivational speeches:

1. The Hero

The Hero speech highlights people who have faced and overcome big challenges . It shows their courage and resilience. This inspires the audience by demonstrating the power of perseverance and bravery in tough times.

2. The Survivor

The Survivor speech honors individuals who have overcome severe hardships. It seeks to inspire others through stories of persistence and determination despite great obstacles.

3. The Religious

The Religious speech uses faith and spiritual beliefs to inspire and uplift the audience. It includes references to divine guidance, moral values, and the need to maintain faith during tough times.

4. The Success

The Success speech highlights achievements and the journey to reaching goals. It inspires by showing the benefits of hard work, determination, and effective strategies for reaching significant milestones.

What Makes a Great Speech?

If you want to become a motivational speaker, you should know that writing a good speech takes a few key steps. You need to plan carefully, know your audience well, and deliver it with impact. In this section, we’ll look at what makes a speech memorable and powerful.

Harness the Power of Eye Contact

Maintain eye contact to build trust and connect with your audience. It shows confidence and helps engage listeners, making your message more impactful.

Treat Your Speech as a Performance

Think of your speech as a performance. Use expressive gestures, different tones, and dynamic movements to keep your audience captivated.

Pay Attention to Your Posture

Good posture conveys confidence and authority. Stand tall, use open body language, and avoid slouching to project a strong, positive image.

Move Away from the Lectern

Step away from the lectern to connect more closely with your audience. This helps you engage naturally and make your speech feel more personal.

Add Stories to Your Speech

The best motivational content creators use personal stories and anecdotes to illustrate points. Stories make your message relatable and memorable, keeping your audience engaged.

Change Your Speaking Pace

Mix up the pace of your speech to maintain interest. Pause for emphasis, speed up to convey excitement, and slow down to highlight important points.

Talk About What You Know and Care About

Speak on topics you are passionate about and knowledgeable in. Your enthusiasm and expertise will make your speech more convincing and inspiring.

How to Deliver a Killer Motivational Speech

Whether you’re addressing employees, students, or a wide audience, the goal remains: inspire action and change. Let’s explore strategies and techniques that keynote speakers use to make their speeches memorable:

Introduce Yourself

Top motivational speakers start with an enthusiastic and confident introduction. Share a brief story or experience that shows your credibility and personally connects you with the audience.

Engage your audience with energy and passion. Use clear gestures, different vocal tones, and expressive body language. Keep their attention and make your message stick.

Have Fun With Your Content

Add humor and creativity to your speech. Have fun delivering your message and show your excitement. This will make your speech more relatable and enjoyable.

Practice Through Online Training Programs

You can leverage training programs to hone your speaking skills to become a professional motivational speaker. These resources offer valuable tips and feedback, helping you refine your delivery, build confidence, and advance your career as a motivational speaker.

Plan Out Main Points

Plan your main points carefully to make a clear and strong message. Use clear transitions and add stories to help your audience follow and keep the key points in mind.

The 5 Elements of a Great Motivational Speech

Crafting a motivational speech that connects and inspires involves key elements. These turn a basic talk into a powerful message that can create real change. Here, we will explore the five main components of an effective motivational speech.

1. Structured With a Beginning, Middle, and End

A great motivational speech needs a clear structure. Start with an engaging introduction to grab attention. Follow with the main message in the middle and end by tying everything together to inspire action.

2. It is Created and Delivered With a Passionate Energy

Passionate energy is crucial in a motivational speech. The speaker’s enthusiasm and conviction must be clear. This energy is contagious and engages with the audience, making the message impactful and memorable.

3. It Contains Inspiration to Make a Positive Change

Inspirational content is crucial for a motivational speech. It should prompt the audience to think about their lives and inspire positive changes. Provide hope and a vision for a better future.

4. Use of Stories Modeled After the Hero’s Journey

Stories based on the Hero’s Journey make the speech more relatable and emotional. They connect with the audience, showing that overcoming challenges is possible and that they can be heroes in their own lives.

5. It Gives the Audience an Actionable Strategy for Making Lasting Change

A good motivational speech gives the audience practical steps for making lasting changes. This helps them start working towards their goals and shows a clear path for continued progress.

The Best Motivational Speeches of All Time

Motivational speakers may change lives and inspire great change. Many famous speeches still impact people worldwide.

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

Steve Jobs is one of the best motivational speakers of all time. His 2005 Stanford Commencement Address is renowned for its insights on life and work. He shared experiences like dropping out of college, getting fired from Apple, and battling cancer. His key messages were to do what you love, be true to yourself, and embrace uncertainties. The speech urged the audience to trust their instincts and remain bold and curious.

Winston Churchill’s “We Shall Fight on the Beaches”

Winston Churchill’s “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” speech was delivered to the House of Commons on June 4, 1940. It is one of his most famous speeches. Churchill inspired British resolve during World War II. He promised that the British people would never surrender despite the tough situation after the Dunkirk evacuation. The speech is known for its defiant tone and powerful words. It lifted British spirits during a crucial time in the war.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream”

Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This speech is a key moment in the American civil rights movement. King dreamed of a future where people are judged by their character, not their skin color. His call for racial equality and justice had a lasting impact. The speech energized the movement and inspired many to work for a just and inclusive society. It remains a symbol of hope and a crucial part of American history.

J.K. Rowling’s Harvard Commencement Speech

J.K. Rowling’s 2008 Harvard Commencement Speech is famous for its honest look at failure and creativity. She discussed hitting rock bottom before finding success with Harry Potter. Rowling emphasized that failure can eliminate distractions, allowing focus on true passions and abilities. She highlighted the power of imagination to empathize and assist others. Her speech encouraged graduates to accept failure and use creativity to make a positive impact.

Malala Yousafzai’s Speech to the United Nations

Malala Yousafzai spoke to the United Nations on July 12, 2013, her 16th birthday. It was her first public speech after surviving a Taliban assassination attempt. Malala called for global access to education, especially for girls. She highlighted books and pens as powerful weapons against extremism. Her speech resonated worldwide, emphasizing the importance of education for peace and progress. It solidified her role as a leading advocate for children’s and girls’ rights.

How does a motivational speaker benefit my event?

A motivational speaker can enhance your event with an inspiring message that resonates with your audience. Their engaging storytelling uplifts morale and promotes positive thinking. They motivate attendees to pursue their goals.

Sharing relatable stories and valuable insights provides new perspectives and actionable strategies. Their presence energizes the event, creating a memorable experience. This fosters a sense of community and collective motivation among participants.

How is a motivational speaker different than other types of speakers?

A motivational speaker aims to inspire and uplift the audience. They use personal experiences, emotional stories, and insights. Their goal is to spark motivation and drive positive change. They empower the audience to achieve goals or overcome challenges.

Technical experts or industry leaders share specific knowledge, skills, or updates. Their talks are data-driven and informational. They aim to educate or inform. While they may offer practical advice, their primary goal is to provide information.

What is the difference between motivational and inspirational speech?

A motivational speech drives the audience to take specific actions or make changes. It focuses on overcoming obstacles, setting goals, and achieving success. Speakers use persuasive language, personal stories, and practical advice for immediate action.

An inspirational speech uplifts the audience emotionally. It provides hope and a sense of purpose. Speakers share profound stories and insights that resonate with listeners. This encourages reflection on values, dreams, and the meaning of life. Motivation focuses on the “how,” while inspiration centers on the “why,” leaving the audience with renewed passion and deeper connection to their aspirations.

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7 Steps to an Inspiring and Memorable Speech

A great speech isn't just about soaring rhetoric. it's about structure, timing, message, and other key components. here's how to write and give a great speech the next time you're asked to do so..

Minutes last forever when you're stuck listening to a boring speaker.

We've all been there, and with the season of graduations and commencements upon us, many of us will likely be there again. So, I've pulled together the seven most important things I've learned about making great speeches .

These are the lessons I've learned from the best practitioners, and that I share with my ghostwriting clients. Learn them if you're giving a talk, and politely share them with upcoming speakers if you'll be sitting in the audience.

1. Have a point (but no more than a few).

How many times have you heard someone give a talk, and walked away asking yourself, "What was he or she even talking about?"

This is the cardinal sin of speeches. Even if your audience hasn't had to pay money to attend your talk, they're giving you something potentially more valuable: their time. Respect them by having at least one main point, but also remember that having too many messages creates the same problem as having none.

2. Think about structure.

It's a basic but oft-forgotten rule: A good story needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. So does a good speech. You'll find that an audience reacts best if you tell them early on in your speech what you plan to tell them, and give them mileposts along the way.

Thus, don't just dive into your remarks. Tell the audience up front how you plan to arrange your talk, and even perhaps what your main points are. ("Today, I'm going to talk with you about three key things...") If all else is equal, also try to spend roughly the same amount of time on each section, and use verbal cues to let your audience know where you are in the talk ( "That was the first point. The second point I want to share with you is...." )

3. Connect, connect, connect.

Even though you're doing most of the talking, it's best to think of a speech as two-way conversation. Imagine that your relationship with the audience began before you arrived and will continue after you leave.

Add all of this up, and it means you need two things: confidence in your message, and a respectful understanding of your audience. Recognize that while you've ideally put hours into crafting your message, the folks in the folding chairs get a relatively short time to hear it. Don't talk down to them, but at the same time translate your words into language they're comfortable with.

4. Write poetry, not prose.

Written text works differently. Some things that look funny on the page work well when delivered orally, while other things that seem smart on paper fall flat when spoken aloud.

Therefore, model your text after poetry, lyrics, and of course, other great speeches. If nothing else, when you prepare your final draft, write it so that each new thought (and pause) begins on a new line. The final draft should look more like a poem than a page from a book.

5. Tell a story.

If you know anything about children, I can guarantee you one thing: Nobody has ever promised to go to bed if their parents agreed to give them a "bedtime lecture" first. We're simply wired to react better to stories than to recitations.

There are many great examples of this, but the one I always point clients to is the commencement address Steve Jobs gave in 2005 at Stanford. This was a masterful speech organized around into three stories: how taking calligraphy courses later impacted the MacBook (a story about connecting the dots), being fired from and returning to Apple (a story about love and loss), and what he learned from his first diagnosis with pancreatic cancer (a story about death).

6. Rewrite and practice.

Those who give speeches often reuse the same material. That makes sense, as long as you accept that continual revision and practice is your responsibility as a speaker.

Personally, I enjoy giving updated versions of my "standard" speech about the five key things any entrepreneur must understand in order to be successful: mindset, urgency, resources, people, and happiness. I've rewritten it many times, however, and frankly I was a few dozen drafts deep into it before I realized that I could keep the audience on track by organizing the whole thing around an acronym: M-U-R-P-H. Not coincidentally, that also happens to be the nickname I've answered to since I was about 7 years old.

7. Leave them wanting more.

When my publisher contracts with me for a 100,000-word book, I give them a 100,000-word book. When someone asks me for a 30-minute speech, however, I usually prepare something that will take about 20 minutes to deliver.

This is for several reasons. First, most events run long, and schedules fall apart, so it's better to be prepared to squeeze your remarks into a shorter time frame than anticipated. Second, I often find that no matter how long I think it will take to deliver remarks when I'm rehearsing, it usually takes longer when it's "for real." Finally, wrapping up a bit early forces you to involve the audience. And that's a great way to ensure that your speech is what it's supposed to be: a two-way conversation.

Want to read more, make suggestions, or even be featured in a future column? Contact me and sign up for my weekly email .

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16 Most Life-Changing Motivational Speeches & What You’ll Gain from Them

It’s all very well reading about ways to get ahead in life, but no account will ever reach you in quite the same way as hearing someone speak about their own experiences. While these people may be household names now, it wasn’t always that way, and this collection of some of the best motivational speeches will move you and inspire you to make your own dreams come true.

From Arnold Schwarzenneger talking about how he filled every moment of every day with steps to fulfil his ambition of becoming Mr. Universe, to J.K. Rowling’s life as an impoverished single mother, these speeches will fill you with the drive and determination to reach your full potential, and not let anything stand in your way.

Some are long, and some last just a few minutes, but each one will make you want to grab life with both hands and go for what you want, whatever it is.

“Most people have done all that they’re ever going to do – they raise a family, they earn a living, and then they die.”

That’s what we’re supposed to do, right? Wrong! Life is made for greater things, and you are meant for greater things.

When Les Brown was a child, he was labeled ‘educable mentally retarded’, and until a chance encounter with another teacher, he believed that he would amount to nothing. But this one teacher planted the seeds in Les’ head which would blossom and grow, and eventually make him one of the best motivational speakers of all time.

This speech will give you permission to rise above other people’s opinions, to break free of their prejudices, and make a success of whatever you do. Watch ‘It’s Not Over Until You Win! Your Dream is Possible’ and take those first steps towards following your passion and making your dream come true.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f0nIhDpXuU

“Stress doesn’t come from the facts, stress comes from the meaning that we give the facts.”

Life is about choices. Every day we’re faced with hundreds of choices, and this speech by Tony Robbins will help you see that it’s the choices, not the conditions, which shape our lives.

Take a moment during this speech to pause and reflect on some choices you have made in the past, and really think about the direction your life took because of them, both good and bad. Tony Robbins explains in his inimitable way that we have the choice to focus on what we want, and that when we focus, we can achieve whatever we want.

Part of Tony’s speech explains how, when the economy is down, some people thrive and some people crash and burn, and the COVID 19 pandemic is the perfect example. Small businesses took a huge hit, and while some of them threw up their hands in despair and said ‘that’s it, it’s over for us’, others adapted, and saw it as an opportunity to expand, diversify, and turn the situation to their advantage.

And that’s the cornerstone of this video – how we react, how we adapt, and how we choose is the difference between success and failure.

“So every rep that I do gets me closer to accomplishing the goal to make this goal – this vision – into reality.”

Be inspired by Arnold Schwarzenneger as he talks about his goal of becoming Mr. Universe. Never wasting a second of his day, Arnie worked in construction, spent 5 hours in the gym, and went to acting classes, all of which took him further along his journey to making his dream come true.

We all have a propensity to waste time, but if you have a goal, if you have a passion that smolders away, take a leaf out of Arnie’s book and make sure that everything you do propels you forward.

And don’t be afraid to fail.

“Your conviction and your convenience don’t live on the same block.”

If you are a fan of The Secret, you will be familiar with Lisa Nicholls. In this video, Lisa tells Tom Bilyeu how she was willing to leave everything and everyone behind in order to grow into the version of herself that she knew she wanted.

Lisa explains how, as a young mother, she was forced to wrap her baby in a towel for two days because she had no money for diapers, and how it was at that moment that she vowed never to be that broke or that broken again.

Change, success, drive…they’re all inconvenient and disruptive, and Lisa Nicholls demonstrates that wonderfully in this emotional and highly motivating interview in which she declares “your story is not meant to be your fortress, your story is meant to be your fuel.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toQmqLwNtho

Eric Thomas had a dream, a goal, and that goal was to be the best motivational speaker in the world. He didn’t achieve this by giving 70%, or 80%…he didn’t achieve it by staying in bed late in the mornings. He achieved it by giving 100% every minute of every day.

Listen to Eric’s words, hear the passion in his voice, and feel the lessons he is giving to you if you want to be the best at whatever you do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtuHZC-ObA8

“If we don’t take control of our environment, it takes control of us.”

This short piece by Tony Robbins has been designed to show you that you are in control of your own environment. Whether you realize it or not, what goes on around you has a massive influence on the way you feel and the way you act.

By taking leadership of your own life, you can defy outside influences and set your own tone for the day ahead, regardless of whatever or whoever is exerting pressure from the outside.

Follow Tony’s example of taking 10 minutes for yourself at the start of every day – for gratitude, prayer or wishes for family and friends, and a recap of what you want to accomplish that day, and your day will continue on that same path of thankfulness, hope, and goals.

“Your mind doesn’t know the difference between something you vividly imagined and something that’s real, literally!”

If you want to emulate the way successful people behave, take these 10 billionaires’ habits and adopt them yourself for 21 days.

Billed by Jim Kwik as being ‘like a magic pill’, these habits will rewire your brain into thinking and behaving like some of the world’s most successful people.

In this 8 minute clip, Jim shares how, for instance, your brain reacts the same way when you imagine your dog walking in as it does when your dog actually walks in, and this can apply to anything. What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

As much as this applies to positive things, it also can be applied to negative things, so if you imagine failure, that’s what you will get. Fill your mind with thoughts of success and that’s what will happen.

None of these habits are difficult to accomplish, but in doing so you will change your entire mindset into one of a hugely successful person, no matter what you want to achieve in life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fzGPwY40Cw

“Don’t leave crumbs.”

If this sounds more like a housekeeping hint and less like a motivational affirmation, you’re 50% right. Our lives do need housekeeping, and not leaving crumbs – i.e. regrets – which will come back and rob your tomorrow of joy, is one of the chores you need to do on a daily basis.

Matthew McConaughey delivers a powerful speech in a gentle way at the University of Houston Commencement Address.

Discussing the five rules he lives by, he will show you how to avoid falling into a trap of entitlement, and why ‘Unbelievable’ is the stupidest word in the dictionary.

With some invaluable life lessons contained inside a highly watchable speech, Matthew McConaughey is an unlikely but very inspiring speaker who has stayed humble despite all his successes.

“There are a lot of sharks in the world; if you hope to complete the swim, you will have to deal with them. So if you want to change the world, don’t back down from the sharks.”

Spoken with eloquence and quiet assuredness, this six-minute speech draws on US Navy Admiral William McRaven’s experience of survival in the Navy Seals.

He explains how making your bed, while seemingly insignificant and even pointless, will set a series of tasks in motion which will ensure that at best, the first job of the day is done, and at worst, you have a neat, tidy bed to fall into at the end of a trying day.

The world is full of people who want to bring you down (the sharks) but if you stand your ground, they will eventually swim away, leaving you to go on to bigger and better things.

“Sometimes life’s gonna hit you in the face with a brick…don’t lose faith.”

Steve Jobs, chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Apple Inc. was hit in the face with more than one brick during his 56 years on earth. From being given up for adoption as a baby, to being fired from the very company which he founded, he never let anything get in his way.

In this commencement speech at Stamford University in 2005, Steve explained how his love for what he did spurred him on to rebuild his life in spectacular fashion.

Life dealt a further blow when, in 2003, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

This speech focuses on three stories which, when combined, show how life offers opportunities for change and growth, no matter how dire the circumstances.

Steve Jobs never graduated college, but when he died in 2011, aged just 56, he had a net worth of US$7 billion. He achieved this by doing what he loved, and in this speech he will inspire you to do the same.

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously than you might as well not have lived at all. In which case, you fail by default.”

Let J. K. Rowling inspire you with this 2008 commencement speech at Harvard University. Extolling the virtues of failure and imagination, she tells the graduates how being at rock bottom set her free to pursue her dreams of being an author.

As poor as it is possible to be without being homeless, she created the world of Harry Potter and went on to amass a fortune of £795 million, but that without her failures in life, she would never have had the opportunity to do so.

Let her words become your own mantra, and view every failure in your life as a future success.

“We shine, because baby you just can’t dim the sun.”

A beautiful antidote for anyone who has ever felt or been told that they are ‘too much’, Gina Hatzis’ winning Speaker Slam speech of 2018 will give you permission to be unashamedly you.

Although written by a woman for women, this powerful and sometimes humorous speech about being your own authentic self will inspire anyone – man or woman – to shine and never dim their own light to suit other people.

“The first step you need to take is just that…step.”

If you are in need of a short, sharp burst of motivation, listen to this speech by ex Navy Seal, Jocko Willink.

Running for less than three minutes, this recording will inspire you to take a step into whatever you want to achieve. Awarded both the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for service, Jocko Willink is no stranger to taking those brave steps, having come face to face with Iraqu insurgents in Ramadi. He will spur you on to put one metaphorical foot in front of the other, and will leave you in no doubt as to what you need to do to achieve your goals.

“On the other side of your maximum fear are all of the best things in life.”

If you like your motivation with a side order of laughter, watch Will Smith as he talks about fear. Agreeing to skydive on a night out with friends, Will realizes that he actually has to go through with it.

Discussing how fear ruins things (he couldn’t sleep or eat before the jump), Will also discloses that beyond fear was the most blissful experience of his life, and how that principle can be applied to anything in life.

“Only those that can see the invisible, can do the impossible.”

Tyrese Gibson knows success, and in this speech he talks about how it can be achieved, by anyone who wants it.

Actor, singer, author, model…Tyrese seems to have the Midas touch, but he didn’t get it by luck. Follow his words as he gently but passionately guides you along the path you need to take if you have goals and dreams in life.

“I refuse to be another man who lived and died, and wasn’t significant’”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzl3CQXMRVo

“If it is written, so shall it be.”

When Steve Harvey’s teacher crushed his dreams of being on TV, the one person who believed in him was his father. He told him to put a piece of paper with his dreams on in his drawer, and to read it every morning and every night.

His dreams came true.

It didn’t always come easy for Steve Harvey though – he spent years living in his car when he had nowhere else to go, but the one thing he never lost was his ambition and determination to see his dreams through to fruition.

A firm believer in the Law of Attraction, Steve still has vision boards and still commits his dreams to writing, and encourages you to do the same in this speech that made Obama cry.

These motivational speeches, and many more like them, show how having guts, determination, and a vision will get you anywhere you want to go, no matter your beginnings in life. These inspirational speakers have suffered loss, sickness, and unbelievable hardships, but the one thing that got them through was their desire to win and their belief that they could.

Immerse yourself in their words of wisdom, and take that next step into your best life.

More on Motivation

• 8 Rituals to Cultivating True Self-Motivation That Lasts
• 10 Monday Morning Habits for a Successful Week
• Motivational Quotes

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How to give an inspiring and memorable speech.

If you are afraid to give a speech, you’re not alone. Public speaking is one of the top 3 fears that people have in life, right up there with the fear of death and going to the dentist. My dad was a dentist, and I teach pubic speaking, so we always said that we like inflicting pain on people. But all joking aside, here are some ways you can deliver an inspiring and memorable speech even if you are nervous about it.

1. Get the audience’s attention.

Let’s face it: people have short attention spans. And if you don’t hook them right away, they will most likely tune out. You can ask them a question, tell a story, tell a joke, play a video, or arouse their curiosity. Whatever you do, don’t start out saying, “What I’m going to talk about is …” or “Hi my name is … ” B-o-r-i-n-g. As often as I tell my students not to do that, many of them do. And inevitably, they are not the good speeches. So don’t forget the attention-grabber right away.

2. Tell them why you’re qualified to talk about the topic.

Did you notice that in my opening paragraph I told you that I teach public speaking? That was my “credibility statement” in this article. Would you read this article if it was written by a chef who had never given a speech in his/her life? Probably not. And you shouldn’t take cooking advice from me either because I can barely cook Hamburger Helper. I think you see my point. You need to prove to the audience that you know your stuff.

3. Preview your speech.

People like to know what’s ahead. That’s why we watch movie trailers. Most of us wouldn’t want to go to a movie if we had absolutely no clue what it was about. Speeches are no different. This is another huge mistake most speakers make. My students almost always forget to preview their main points. And when that happens, they sound like they are just rambling. This is not good for your credibility (see #2).

4. Be lively with your delivery.

I’m sure you have all been in an audience when you have had a boring speaker. It could have been a teacher, professor, or just simply someone you wanted to hear speak. But nothing will put an audience to sleep faster than a monotone person who doesn’t move around or use any gestures. I remember I had a sociology class in college where they professor literally did put most of the students to sleep. And I also had a Greek Mythology class where the professor acted out the Greek myths and wore costumes as he taught. Guess which class was more popular?

5. Don’t read the speech!

Going hand-in-hand with #4, one of the ways a delivery can be boring is if someone reads their speech. Yes, there are times when it’s appropriate, like in a graduation speech. In fact, I gave a speech at my 8th grade graduation and I read it. However, that was before I taught pubic speaking, so I didn’t know any better. But ideally, you just want to have key words to remind you of what you should be talking about. Having them on a power point is a great way to accomplish this.

6. Plan some main points that you will cover so the speech has a structure.

I’m sure you’ve heard speeches where the person just seems to ramble. That is because they don’t have any main points. This is a big mistake my students make. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat there listening and thought to myself, “What’s their topic? What are they even saying?” You don’t want to do that. You need to make it very clear that you have prepared your material and have a “road map” for where you are going with your speech.

7. Have connections between your main points.

Transitions between the parts of the speech helps you with the structure. Preview your main points. Use sentences between them such as, “Now that we have discussed the problem, let’s move on to examine some possible solutions” so the audience doesn’t lose track of where you are going in your speech. And in the conclusion, saying something simple like “In conclusion .. ” or “To summarize what we talked about today … ” signals that you are ending your speech.

8. Tell stories.

Everyone loves stories. We live in a world of stories: we watch TV, we see movies, and we read novels. We even tell stories to our friends about what happened to us. Stories are everywhere. So using them in your speech will help people relate to the material and to you as a speaker. In my classes, I tell personal stories all the time, and it usually makes my students laugh. And who doesn’t like to laugh?

9. Review your main points in the conclusion.

People have bad memories, and repetition helps them remember information. As I always say in class, “Tell them what you are going to tell them (preview), then tell them (main points), then tell them what you told them (review).” While it might sound like like unnecessary repetition, it helps people retain your information much better.

10. Practice, practice, practice!!

I can always tell when someone is “winging it.” It’s obvious. Preparation and practice are vital to a good speech. I remember when I took my first speech class in college, I totally blanked out in the middle of it. While it may not have made a lasting impression on anyone else, it did on me. From that moment on, I understood the point of practicing. It adds to your confidence and gives you more credibility as a speaker.

11. Leave the audience wanting more.

The audience should want to know more information about your topic when you’re done. They should want to come up to you after the speech and ask you to do another speech. You don’t want to have them sitting there wondering if they should clap because you’re done, or if you’re going to keep going. Believe me, that happens to me in class all the time. Do don’t do that. Make sure you end the speech with a bang, not a whimper.

Giving a speech can be scary for a lot of people. However, if you follow these simple suggestions, you will do just fine!

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Home > Blog > Speaking 101 > 10 Motivational Speech Examples To Inspire You Today

10 Motivational Speech Examples To Inspire You Today

Whether you’re a speaker or not, there come times in all of our lives where we need a little motivation. Maybe you’re struggling to find your purpose or are unsure about your path in life. Maybe you just had a bad day and need a reminder that tomorrow’s a fresh start. In either case, looking to famous speakers – and their corresponding motivational speech examples – is one sure way to boost your mood and help you find the energy to keep on keepin’ on. 

Here, we’ll look at ten different speeches from some of the most famous motivational speakers of the 21st century. Some are serious and take a candid look at difficult issues in the speakers’ lives. Others are humorous, designed to balance tough topics with laughter. 

Whatever tone you need to hear at this moment, at least one of the following speakers is guaranteed to brighten your day. They’re also all incredible examples for you to follow, simply from a speaking standpoint, when you next step on stage or record a virtual event . 

Hopefully, you get as much out of these examples as our own team did and are able to put the corresponding takeaways to good use. 💓

Steve Jobs: Commencement Speech At Stanford (2005)

First of our motivational speech examples is Stanford’s 2005 commencement speech, delivered by the late Apple founder Steve Jobs. Since his passing , much has been said about Jobs, some positive, some negative, with some people going so far as to publish their criticism or praise. However, regardless of whether or not they personally admired him, few will argue against Job’s brilliance. Even for those that scrutinized his business practices or personal life while he was alive, there’s little doubt that he was a major force in shaping the world we live in today through the technology he created. 

In this speech, Jobs’ mindfulness for these differing views is readily apparent, and overall, the entire speech is surprisingly humble. Jobs structures his speech as three simple stories, and of course they’re anything but simple, once you dig beneath the surface. 

One is a rags-to-riches story, which is expected, considering Jobs’ success. Second is a story of adversity in which Jobs explains the issues he faced after being “fired” from Apple. 

But it’s the third story – one about death – that’s truly surprising. It’s not a subject you’ll hear in many commencement speeches, let alone motivational ones. Yet, in telling this story, Jobs manages to present it in a way that it’s not depressing or scary but instead inspires his audience to live life to the fullest. 

In the same way, as you shape your own motivational speeches or as you approach challenging situations, remember that simplicity and logic are all well and good, like the stories Jobs includes at the beginning of his speech. But, if you want to truly stand out and conquer your challenges, be courageous! Approach tough topics head-on, don’t be afraid to be unconventional, and you’re sure to leave a mark, just like Jobs did.

Richard St. John: 8 Secrets of Success TED Talk (2005) 

Second of our motivational speech examples is that of author, marketer, and analyst Richard St. John , namely his 2005 TED Talk. TED Talks have become a staple in the world of motivational speeches, and it’s easy to see why this one made the cut. Based on his book , 8 To Be Great , St. John’s speech cuts to the chase in a way that most speeches don’t. In fact, it’s only three minutes long! 

Plus, although many of his points are simple, the speech itself is structurally brilliant, condensing 7 years of research and 500 of St. John’s interviews into a presentation that, despite its brevity, keeps audience members on their toes. Altogether, it’s a brilliant example of the use of momentum in storytelling. When it starts, for instance, St. John begins with “It all started one day on a plane,” which for many listeners – myself included – would seem like a signal to tune out a bit. It’s like hearing a speech that starts with “Webster’s Dictionary defines…” It works, but it’s used a lot . 

That said, the rest of St. John’s speech is the polar opposite, and quickly jumps from one interesting point to another without any wasted words or time. It also incorporates carefully-placed jokes. That way, even though he covers a lot of ground, his audience remembers all of it. It also allows him to connect with his audience and, unlike many speakers, share his information without appearing to be on a pedestal. 

With your own experiences or motivational speeches, St. John’s speech offers two important lessons. First, keep it simple. You don’t have to be flashy to be memorable. Second, don’t be afraid to laugh. In presentations, humor makes you more relatable and memorable, and in life, it makes hard times easier to handle. 

Dan Pink: The Puzzle of Motivation TED Talk (2009)

Third in our list of motivational speech examples is another TED Talk, this time from career analyst and bestselling author Daniel Pink. As an author, Pink’s built his reputation on many “legs,” including his publications, awards – even a stint as chief speechwriter for former U.S. Vice President Al Gore in the late 1990s.

Like these accomplishments, Pink’s TED Talk is a model for any speaker that needs to take a boring topic – like business or politics – and turn it into something inspiring and engaging. In this case, the former of these topics is presented as a puzzle. To start with, Pink explains the common economic approach to performance, saying “If you want people to perform better, you reward them. Right?… That’s how business works.” 

However, what he says next is what really puzzles you, as a listener: There is a mismatch between what science knows and what business does….the solution is not to do more of the wrong things, to entice people with a sweeter carrot, or threaten them with a sharper stick. We need a whole new approach.”

Ultimately, the topic of performance in the workplace is a relatively common one and the question “How do I motivate myself at work?” is a common puzzle. But Pink tackles out-of-the-box thinking in an out-of-the-box way and, in the end, concludes his story with a clear takeaway from the evidence and unconventional analytics he’s shared.

Likewise, with your own speeches or decisions, start by considering all the evidence you can find. That’s just a good rule of thumb, no matter what field you’re in. But, after that, try to consider it from another angle. Like Pink’s speech, it’ll make your topic vastly more interesting, and you’re almost guaranteed to grow, personally, because of your learning process.

Mel Robbins: How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over (2011)

Number four of our motivational speech examples belongs to Mel Robbins . As speakers go, Robbins is widely respected for her unique and candid approach to difficult situations, or, as I call it, the “gut-punch” approach. In other words, she’s not afraid to talk frankly about tough stuff. 

Dig beneath the one-liners and snarky comments, though, and Robbins’ approach is really about being direct to the point of bluntness. Some of the things she advocates are platitudes – focus on getting what you want, tell yourself the truth, force yourself out of your comfort zone, etc. – but she always backs it up with data that makes the gut punches land that much harder. 

Beyond her speaking style, however, Robbins is also known for engaging with her audiences. In this speech, for instance, she not only picks an individual from her audience to highlight the overwhelming odds of simply being born (this is the data we just talked about). She then goes on to meld that statistic with a model of the human brain, saying “I describe one side of your brain as autopilot and the other side as an emergency brake” and explaining her method for getting out of your own “autopilot” mode to meet your goals.

In this way, by presenting evidence but then relating it to a real person in the room, Robbins takes a subject that could be complicated or boring and makes it relatable. Likewise, if your speaking material – or your mood – has a tendency to flatline, change things up! Be blunt with yourself and candid with your audience. Then, do whatever you need to connect your message to other’s lives. Just like Pink’s speech, taking this Mel Robbins, “gut-punch” approach will make you relatable and likable, making you memorable.

Michelle Obama: Commencement Speech at Eastern Kentucky University (2013)

Next in our list of motivational speech examples is another commencement speech, this time from former lawyer, bestselling author , and First Lady to the 44th President of the U.S. Michelle Obama. 

Since stepping into the spotlight at the White House, Obama’s been regarded by many as a woman of power, and her personal and professional accomplishments are without question. In some ways, they’ve even helped her become a celebrity. This level of fame, however, is precisely where Obama’s similarity to celebrities ends. 

For many celebrity motivational speakers, speaking is just a gig, and the amount of time they want to spend on it corresponds directly with the money they receive to be there. In cases like these, it’s clear to the audience that the speaker may not even believe what they’re saying on stage or want their audience to succeed. They just want the paycheck. 

Yet, despite Obama’s popularity and prominence, her approach to speaking is anything but flippant or snobby. It’s all about connecting with the audience in a way that shows true generosity of spirit. In fact, every point Obama touches on is quickly translated and related to her audience in a way that’s both personal and powerful, making it clear that this speech isn’t haphazardly thrown together or something she’s said to hundreds of other audiences. It was carefully crafted to tie her core values – resilience, conscientiousness and service – into the setting and the needs of her audience, so they could leave with personalized affirmation and action steps. 

By doing this, Obama never fails to deliver a message that is both moving and quietly powerful. To do the same with your own speeches, follow her lead and remember who you’re there for: not the check, not the glory, but your audience .

Brené Brown: “The Power of Vulnerability” (2013)

Number six of our motivational speech examples is the shortest on this list, a less than three-minute short film from University of Houston research professor Dr. Brené Brown . 

Although Brown originally gained traction with her 20-minute TED Talk in 2010, this speech (or “mini-speech,” rather) takes the topic of that talk – vulnerability – and concentrates on a single facet of it. Specifically, she focuses on empathy and the age-old question of how to express empathy rather than sympathy and, in doing so, authentically connect with the person you’re trying to support in the moment. 

It’s a hard question, but, like Richard St. John’s speech, Brown shares a lot in a short message. In many ways, it’s her brevity that forces you to sit up and listen. In a little more than two minutes, her message is simple: When someone you know feels down and alone, don’t try to make things better. Just be there with them, and stick around, even if it takes them a while to bounce back. 

To illustrate her point, Brown presents her speech alongside an animated cartoon in which a fox is the depressed party and a bear comes to her aid. This helps her take a challenging and sometimes uncomfortable situation and not just make it engaging but also light-hearted. 

Similarly, if your speech tackles a tough message, consider presenting with a visual aid to lighten the mood, and keep the message as brief as possible. Don’t be the motivational speaker equivalent of “that guy,” i.e., the speaker who drones on and on but keeps repeating the same basic points. Use your speaking ability and visual aids to make a connection in the way that suits your audience best.

Jim Carrey: Commencement Speech at Maharishi University of Management (2014)

Seventh of our motivational speech examples is a 2014 commencement speech, this time from comedian, actor, and artist Jim Carrey. As you’d expect, part of Carey’s charm is his sense of humor, and it’s largely through his comedy that he keeps the audience engaged through serious topics. He’s also mindful of his tendency to walk the comedic line and uses this unpredictability to keep his audience paying attention, as they can pretty safely assume he has another joke up his sleeve.

Additionally, besides humor, Carey also engages his audience with something we’ve yet to touch on: authenticity! Unlike the other speakers in this list, Carey is widely known for his eccentricity more than anything. Most recently, as he’s shared more and more of his artwork, he’s also gained considerable attention for his creativity. Throughout his speech, although many speakers might choose to “dumb down” these attributes, Carey instead thrives on them, staying true to his authentic self, just as he encourages the members of his audience to be. 

To conclude his speech, Carey states: “You’ll come up with your own style, and that’s part of the fun… You are ready and able to do beautiful things in this world, and after you walk through those doors today, you will only ever have two choices: love or fear. Choose love and don’t ever let fear turn you against your playful heart.”

With your own speeches – and your own personal choices – keep this mindset close and remember to be yourself. Like Carey says, “you are ready and able to do beautiful things”. Plus, I can almost guarantee there are people out there who could benefit from the stories you have to share. Just stay true to yourself, stay humble, and your audience won’t want to look away.

Simon Sinek: Live2Lead (2016)

Next in our list of motivational speech examples is a speech from writer and TED speaker Simon Sinek . As author of the bestselling leadership book Start With Why , Sinek first appeared in his 2009 TED Talk , “How Great Leaders Inspire Action.” 

Since then, he’s gone on to publish a number of additional books centered around leadership as well as how to “wake up inspired, feel safe wherever [we] are and end the day fulfilled by the work [we] do.” These three ideas can be seen consistently throughout his ongoing work, speaking included. 

In this speech, specifically, Sinek deals with leadership in the business world, but his approach is based on the idea of destroying stereotypes everywhere. In short, he’s there to “blow up” paradigms and share new ones, based on his own research and experience. Here, Sinek focuses on “trust” and “communication,” for the former. Then, he proposes replacing them with “empathy” and “perspective,” for the latter. 

Although this may sound ordinary, Sinek demonstrates that he’s not just replacing one stereotypical topic with another. He’s also urging audience members to ditch their preconceptions about that topic, so they can approach it with an open mind. After having done that, he’s then careful to only provide extremely relevant and powerful arguments for his “new take” on the topic. That way, he provides details without overwhelming the audience.

Overall, these switches between “blowing up” and building provide a sense of balance in Sinek’s speech. In your own speeches, aim for a similar balance for your audience. Keep in mind that you’re there to educate but not berate with a ton of new ideas. It sounds simplistic, but staying consistent and on-point is key if you want your audience to leave inspired to act. 

Simon T. Bailey: To Break Through, Find Your True Calling (2017)

Number nine of our motivational speech examples is a 2017 speech from Simon T. Bailey. If you’re a regular SpeakerFlow blog reader, you already know there are many reasons Bailey is legendary among professional speakers. For one thing, his personal branding and digital presence are two of the best in the speaking industry. For another, his humility is seemingly endless despite his success, a trait that’s perhaps best summarized in his book, Success Is An Inside Job : “Success is not significance. Money is not meaning. Power isn’t purpose.”

In this speech, we see this idea reinforced through the third thing that sets Bailey apart, namely his speaking skills. Because he’s talking to a business-oriented crowd, in many ways, this skill isn’t immediately apparent. Truthfully, the first part of his speech is traditional. While it’s undeniably engaging, it’s sometimes a little hard to see why he’s such a renowned orator. 

Then he digs deeper. After his initial “traditional” approach, Bailey pivots to a creative angle, explaining how to “invent your future” and be unconventional in simple ways to slowly change your mindset. He then goes on to incorporate topics like emotional equity and commitment, love and respect as universally important values, and his trip to South Africa to “get free.” Combine this surprising switch from “conventional” to “creative” with Bailey’s optimistic tone, and you can almost feel the audience connecting with him. 

To create the same atmosphere on your own stage, aim for a similar element of surprise. Remember that you’re there to speak for more than a few minutes. Consequently, building up to a powerful ending is crucial, even if that means starting slow. 

Matthew McConaughey: Commencement Speech at University of Houston (2018)

Last but not least in our motivational speech examples list is a 2018 commencement, delivered by Matthew McConaughey. 

As an actor, McConaughey has arguably delivered motivational speeches in almost all of his movie appearances. In fact, whether it’s The Lincoln Lawyer , Mud , We Are Marshall, or Dallas Buyers Club , one of his best tricks as an actor is to take each of his characters by the horns and deliver a rousing speech at a critical point in the film.

Outside of the big screen, however, McConaughey’s commencement address for the University of Houston reflects similar confidence and power, in his words, his clothing, and his body language. As a well-known celebrity, this isn’t entirely surprising, especially considering his famously “swoon-worthy” movie persona. 

That said, when he gets to the heart of the matter, McConaughey dives well beneath the surface. His pointed words about motivation, success, and life being both tough and unfair are striking in a way you don’t always hear from celebrity speakers. He may begin with platitudes and stereotypes. But, the more he explains, the more intimate the speech gets. This makes it more memorable than even his best movie speeches.

So, what can you take away from McConaughey’s speech? Simply put, whenever you’re trying to put your best foot forward, whether you’re on stage or just walking down the street, remember that being memorable doesn’t require heels or a suit. For McConaughey, who here rocks a beard and open-collared dress shirt, it’s his words that make people pay attention, not a flashy outfit or dramatic entrance. 

Likewise, in your own life, the same can be true. Just speak with confidence and conviction, and no matter how you look or what you’re wearing, people will listen. 💖

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Jim Carrey is a very cool person! Every time he’s smiling with charming look, His speech is also very motivating! Thanks for sharing with us,

Agreed! It’s hard to look away when Carrey’s on stage or on camera, for sure. (And thanks for reading! 😊)

Usually, I am not doing comments anyone but it’s interesting, I really feel better to hear this.keep it up.

Glad you found these speeches inspiring, and thanks for the kind words! 🙌

You really don’t need to change the world, you just need to master your own self, align your values, your personality, and your purpose to your vision. That’s the core of making for a better world.

Well said! 🙌

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Crafting a Message That Inspires: 7 Tips for Giving a Motivational Speech

• Carolyn Manion Kinnie
• March 16, 2024

Table of Contents

We talk a lot about the business side of speaking on The Speaker Lab blog. That’s because the business side is really important–and something you won’t get a lot elsewhere. But we’re here to help you with all aspects of professional speaking–not just marketing, lead generation, and building your speaker website . Do you need some tips for how to give a motivational speech ? Not just any motivational speech, but a great motivational speech? We’ve got those for you. 

Here are seven tips for how to give a motivational speech that you can start applying right now. As you get ready to deliver your next talk, you can use these tips as a checklist to help your words make the greatest impact. As always, we’ve linked other resources to dig deeper into each of these topics. You can also check out our founder Grant Baldwin’s book The Successful Speaker which has a whole section on preparing and delivering your talk! 

1. Practice

Practicing your speech might seem obvious. All the same, in case you trust too much in your ability to improv a motivational keynote we’re going to chat a bit about it. You may have heard the phrase “practice makes perfect,” but we’re not about that. Don’t worry about practice making perfect–your talk does not, in fact, need to be perfect. We like to say practice makes peaceful instead. Being well-prepared is one of the best ways to calm your nerves and keep any last minute panic from interfering with your talk. 

Practicing is key, but memorizing your speech down to the letter shouldn’t be the goal. Instead, focus on internalizing your key arguments. Once you’re comfortable with those, you can change up the “filler” content with each delivery. This kind of non-memorization practice is really helpful when you deliver the same talk to different audiences. Imminent circumstances or different contexts might make it necessary to adjust your talk slightly to suit your audience. When you know all your main points through and through, you can rearrange them more easily, and if inspiration strikes you in the moment you don’t have to worry about messing up the flow of your talk. 

The best way to practice is to read your talk out loud. Start by reading it all the way through start to finish a few times to get a sense for the flow of your argument. Make changes as necessary if you notice any confusing transitions, non-sequiturs, or too much extraneous info. Then, go through your talk section by section, paragraph by paragraph. This is where you exhaustively internalize work of every point, story, joke, and transition. Once you feel prepared to deliver the talk from memory, try to video record yourself rehearsing so you can analyze your facial expressions, gestures, and pacing.

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2. Tell Stories

We harp on this one a lot. But storytelling is just that important. Stories are one of the most powerful ways to connect with your audience and make your point come alive. 

There are five storytelling strategies you can follow to help you master how to give a motivational speech. These strategies come straight from a podcast episode we did with speaker and coach Mike Pacchione.  

• Prime your audience. Storytelling is most effective when you have your audience’s full attention. Before you dive in, tell your audience that’s what’s about to happen. This could mean simply saying: “hey, I’ve got a story!” Or you can use a longer lead-in, like “something crazy happened to me once that illustrates this point. I’m going to tell you about it.” Once you say that, people pay attention. You don’t want to get started on your story while your audience is still trying to catch up to what you were talking about a minute before. 
• Use vivid details. Telling a story in itself doesn’t make your talk interesting. Use vivid details to help the story come alive for your audience. Try to keep them relevant though. If a detail doesn’t matter, your audience will fixate on it and be distracted from what matters. 
• Describe one of your characters in a sentence. This is really important for helping your audience really visualize what you’re talking about. Describe one character with one sentence about one trait. (You can describe more if the story calls for it, but only one is really necessary for helping your audience follow along). 
• Have a “tension” that gets released. Working backwards from the point you want to make, look at how your story fits into your overall message. Then, build up suspense, introduce a problem in need of solving, or utilize other “tension” in the story. This strategy serves a twofold goal. First of all, it keeps your audience on the edge of their seat waiting for what happens next! Secondly, the resolution should illuminate why the story is relevant to your talk. You want an “aha” moment– now they see what it’s all about!
• Declare the lesson learned in ten words or less. Whether you’re talking to 50 or 5,000, someone will inevitably zone out during your story. Wrap things up with a quick recap of what your listeners should take away before you move on with your talk. That way, if they missed the interesting part, they still get the requisite information. 

We have a few other podcast episodes about how to master storytelling here , here , and here . There’s no way out of it–storytelling is key when it comes to giving a motivational speech. 

3. Use humor 

Audiences love funny speakers. Humor is one of the easiest ways to draw your audience back into your talk. If you lose their attention, cracking a joke will often capture it again. Humor breaks the ice, defuses tension, and endears you to your audience. Unfunny speakers often come across as boring. Humor is a great fallback if you trip onstage or the mic stops working. If you’re not good at coming up with jokes, try to find ways to incorporate humorous side remarks, facial expressions, or gestures that make your audience laugh without demanding too much energy from you. 

It’s important to use humor that is well-fitted both to your niche and your audience. If you travel a lot for speaking engagements, that means doing some research about where you’re speaking and what they’re known for. Cracking a joke about Old Bay will go over well in Maryland but might leave a West Coast audience perplexed if not yawning. And we cannot stress this enough–avoid anything that might be considered offensive. If you have any doubt as to whether your audience will find something funny or inappropriate, go with a “safe” joke instead.

4. Close and open loops

This is one of our founder Grant Baldwin’s strategies for how to give a motivational speech that keeps your audience really engaged. Closing and opening loops helps your audience follow your argument and stay attentive. If you just rush into your talk making point after point, your audience might forget what you’ve already said or fail to make connections between parts of your speech. 

When you open a loop, you raise a question to which your audience wants to stick around and hear the answer. Closing that loop gives your audience closure, reminds them of what you’ve said already, and helps them connect the dots. Telling a story of which the meaning only becomes clear later on, for example, opens and closes a loop. So does saying “remember this–it will come in handy!” when you introduce a statistic, graph, or data point. Or you can hype up something that hasn’t happened yet: “in a few minutes, I’ll tell you _____.” Just make sure you close every loop you open!  

5. Involve your audience

Some of the best motivational speakers are those who use unorthodox but memorable means to engage with their listeners. Some ideas we have discussed on our podcast include magic, games, or using props in unexpected ways. Since your audience wants to make sure they catch what happens next, they’ll start paying attention (like when you start a joke, they listen for the punchline). Asking for a show of hands, leading a (serious or humorous) mental or physical exercise, and encouraging your audience to talk to those around them are all ideas for interaction.  

Involving your audience is a fun chance to think outside the box and do things that other speakers don’t do. Ideally, your audience will have a good time, really engage with the content of your talk, and remember what you have to say. We’ve had successful speakers come onto our podcast to share how they use everything from magic tricks to pop quizzes to interact with their audience in meaningful ways. 

6. Excel at your Q&A

Learning how to give a motivational speech goes beyond the speech itself. As we’ve discussed many times, you are the brand of your motivational speaking business. That means that how you handle your Q&A can affect the impact of your talk. 

Many motivational speakers dread the Q&A period. You can prepare, practice, and even perfect your speech to the best of your ability, but lose your presence of mind when someone asks a weird question. Though it’s tempting, you can’t count on planting allies at intervals in the auditorium who promise to ask questions that you give them in advance. Figuring out how to deal with questions of all kinds on the fly is part of becoming a good motivational speaker . 

Keep all your answers short and ask audience members to raise their hands before they say anything. This will start things off in an orderly and timely fashion. If an audience member rambles or gets off track, don’t feel shy about interrupting! You’re the one getting paid to speak. Gently redirect or restate the question, give your answer, and move on. It’s never a bad idea to say “I don’t know off the top of my head, but you can email me later” and share an easy way to contact you. 

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7. Win over your audience off the stage.

Interacting with people before and after your talk can make them more agreeable to what you say onstage. At big conferences, there are usually built-in opportunities like cocktail hours or welcome receptions that fulfill this purpose. In the absence of those events, small tweaks to your schedule can go a long way toward winning over your audience. You might be able to hang out during the half hour before your talk, introducing yourself and chatting with people as they walk in. By the time you go onstage, you’ll have a few friends and allies in the audience already. 

We recommend when possible to make yourself available for questions and conversations after your talk. Is that too late to make an impression on your audience? We don’t think so! Being there to address their questions and help them put your talk into action makes a huge impact. And if you announce that you will be available before you start your talk, you have already established your brand as a helpful speaker who really cares about their audience. These conversations are a great opportunity to direct audience members to other products and resources you offer, like an email list or course . It’s a win-win! 

Speakers who are very introverted or travel from gig to gig won’t want to spend much time on this so they can preserve their energy. (We have a podcast episode about speaking as an introvert right here .) If that describes you, that’s totally fine! Just find another area of your speechcraft or marketing to pour some of that effort into. Remember, while giving a great speech is the best marketing for your speaking business, it shouldn’t be the only thing you do. building a good rapport with clients and audience members helps a lot too!

These are our top seven tips for how to give a motivational speech, but it doesn’t stop here! Many other factors contribute to preparing and delivering a great talk. Becoming a great speaker is all about finding the strategies that suit your message and your mission. 

• Last Updated: March 16, 2024

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Deliver Inspiring Speeches at Work

Let’s look at how to utilize these four secrets to Deliver Inspiring Speeches

Offer more energy..

Research has found that emotions and the energy associated with them are contagious. Think of the people you work with. Who brings you energy? Who drains you? Do you drain or offer energy to others? To be inspirational you will need to show your energy. Think of times when you’ve been animated. Maybe you were involved in a favorite sport or hobby. Are you willing to bring that kind of passion to your workplace?

In exercises during Fearless Presentation classes my participants were often surprised to see how attractive they were when they were more enthusiastic. Time after time, participants who were willing to inject more zeal were judged to be more inspiring and charismatic. When the group experimented with exaggerated gestures and vocal projection, participants discovered more of their potential. They realized the gap between their habitual energy levels and their greater capabilities.

But having more energy doesn’t mean that we have to jump around. Vitality can also have impact when it is suppressed, as though we were a tight spring, capable of sudden lively shifts of tone, tempo, and movement. If we think of people who have inspired us, they probably had lots of dynamism. If we want to inspire others, we will need to have find our unique ways of expressing energy .

Use a viewpoint that is future focused and positive.

To be inspiring we need to be positive, build a vision, and be future focused.

If we use a positive frame we don’t ignore bad news but we concentrate on growth through challenges. A manager tried to inspire his team saying, “Our merger may mean that we lose parts of our small team culture, but if we do, be assured we will never lose the mission and values at the core of our business.”

When we build a vision we contribute more than ‘necessary’. This means that we paint a picture using the small details which help our audience visualize and connect to our goal. We are future focused when we build a vision. We can help our audience understand that the current struggles will lead to important gains.

Connect your speech to a higher purpose

In order to deliver inspiring speeches, we need to have a purpose or objective. It is sometimes difficult to think of a larger purpose that can galvanize others. One useful tool is a set of questions which can help us uncover our purpose. These questions can also give us more specific details to use in our message.

The questions are:

• What are my personal reasons for wanting to take this action?
• If I succeed, who will benefit and how?
• What higher purpose could this contribute to?

Purpose or the bigger picture can be used to make emotional connections with an audience. When combined with the other tactics – language, positive framing and enthusiasm, the impact can be great.

Choose powerful words

In addition to these other elements, our word choice is very important. We want to avoid generic or cliché phrases and use words that are decisive, engaging, and unexpected. (JFK: “We will have a man on the moon by the end of the decade.”)

To be decisive means that we aren’t half-hearted but are full of conviction. We avoid hedging words like “perhaps, maybe, I guess…” To be unexpected we can offer more candor than our audience expects. A managing director who starts a presentation with ‘I am distraught to be here today’ gets our attention.

Finally, we must never forget the power of stories. Steve Jobs is famous for his use of stories to inspire. When speaking to the graduating class of Stanford University Jobs didn’t make generic statements like “seize the day.” Instead he described the day he received a cancer diagnosis and his choices after that. After his story Jobs used decisive, unexpected, and strong word choices to deliver his message.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

We don’t need to be famous to be inspiring. We can all use our energy, strong word choices and positive framing to help others tap into their own greatness. To continue to inspire we must remember to walk our talk. If we do, we won’t lose credibility and we’ll be able to use these tips to inspire our vendors, our boss, and our teams every day.

So if you want to deliver inspiring speeches at work, offer more energy, use a viewpoint that is future focused and positive, connect to a higher purpose, and choose powerful words.

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30 Famous and Short Inspirational Speeches (5 minutes or less)

• December 13, 2023

This post is all about the best short inspirational speeches.

If you are in need of a quick boost of inspiration and motivation, you will find that in this post. I am one of those people who loves to get motivated. That sounds weird, right?

Well, a lot of people these days tend to give motivation a hard time because they don’t believe that it has lasting effects. In other words, they believe that what’s most important is your own self-discipline, because that’s what you have to rely on when motivation isn’t there.

And while I do agree with that sentiment in general, I will never pass up a great motivational podcast or YouTube video! 😀 There’s just something about them that even if they might not have lasting effects, they do truly help pump me up in the moment to get work done. And that’s usually what matters to me the most when I am looking for them in the first place.

So, here are the very best short motivational speeches so you can get that quick fix of motivation that you’re looking for, and ultimately move closer to your goals and dreams.

Short Inspirational Speeches

Believe in yourself speeches.

If you lack confidence or you are doubting yourself, these short motivational speeches will help you to believe in yourself again.

1. Rocky’s Inspirational Speech to His Son | ROCKY BALBOA

In less than 5 minutes, you’ll watch Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) explain to his son that if he wants to have the life he desires, he needs to believe in himself. He needs to stop listening to the people that tell him who he is, and instead go be his own person, and stop looking for someone to blame when things aren’t working out for him because ultimately it’s on HIM. This is one of the greatest inspirational speeches of all time.

2. Find Your Purpose | David Goggins – Motivational Speech

David Goggins is truly incredible. A former Navy SEAL, he has broken records and ran more races than you’d imagine. But the one thing that really stands out about him is his mindset.

Listen to this video if you want to be great. He tells you exactly what you need to do to get there.

Also, if you’ve never read David Goggins’ book “Can’t Hurt Me” , I highly recommend it. He talks about his rough upbringing, and how he was able to essentially become an entirely new person to become a Navy SEAL.

3. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF – Motivational Video (ft. Jaret Grossman & Eric Thomas)

This video is all about how important it is to have the proper belief system. If you truly believe that you are one of the best, you will start acting that you are one of the best, and eventually you may just be one of the best.

4. DON’T LET YOUR DREAMS DIE – Motivational Speech

This YouTube short by Mel Robbins is so good, I had to share it. A light bulb went on in my head when I first watched this. If there is something that is always on your mind, don’t let it haunt you forever because you never put yourself out there to try it. Go and DO!

Motivational Speeches About Not Giving Up

The following short motivational speeches are all about not giving up on your dreams. If you are losing hope, these short motivational speeches will inspire you to keep going.

5. Brené Brown It’s Not The Critic Who Counts

This speech will give you chills, and it is packed with great lessons about life. Brené Brown is a researcher who went viral for a Ted Talk, and here she talks about how to overcome critics and to keep believing in yourself no matter what. If you are worried about what people think of you, you NEED to watch this.

6. Amazing Motivational Speech by Denzel Washington 

This is another video that gave me chills. The main theme of this famous speech is “ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship”. Stay consistent even when it’s hard. Easy task after easy task won’t get you to where you want to be.

7. Steve Harvey – Inspirational Speech | Motivational Short Video | Incredible You

This short motivational speech by Steve Harvey is short but impactful. If you are someone who stepped out of your comfort zone to pursue something really difficult, and you’re thinking about giving up, this speech may just prevent you from doing so.

8. Ed Mylett on The Power of One More

Ed Mylett shares the story of how his father stayed sober until his dying day, and how Ed himself uses that same philosophy to never give up. Personal stories like these are always the most inspiring.

By the way, if you REALLY want to push yourself and become the best, read Ed Mylett’s most recent book on this same topic, “The Power Of One More” .

Motivational Speeches If You’re Feeling Behind

Are you feeling behind in life? If so, let’s change that. Watch these videos to be reminded that you are on your own unique path. You have no competition other than your past self. These short motivational videos will help you believe that.

9. Before You Feel Pressure – WATCH THIS | by Jay Shetty

Jay Shetty talks to a school class about how there’s no one “perfect” life timeline to follow, and that we are all on our own clock. 

10. Kevin Hart Motivational Speech

If you’ve made mistakes in your life (haven’t we all) this is a great story from Kevin Hart (famous comedian and actor) that will remind you of the power of making mistakes and pushing through hard times.

11. Oprah Winfrey | 5 Minutes For The NEXT 50 Years of Your LIFE

In this video, Oprah talks about the importance of really knowing who you are and what you want in your life. She talks about surrounding yourself with great people, and how to have enormous success. “Let excellence be your brand.”

Listen To These If You Need Perspective

Sometimes in life, we get so caught up in the day to day that we forget what truly matters – the people we love. If you are having trouble with something in life, give these videos a listen, because they just might help you realize what is really important.

12. Arnold Schwarzenegger – Organize Your Day | 1 MINUTE MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO

Are you the kind of person who always complains that you don’t have enough time to do something? If so, you’re not alone. We are all busy humans, running around doing a million things. But if you aren’t prioritizing what you know you should be doing, listen to this video.

13. How to Judge Your Life Using 3 Simple Questions | Brendon Burchard Speech| Goalcast

Have you ever heard of Mortality Motivation? It’s essentially what it sounds like… being motivated by the impending reality of your death. It sounds a little morbid, but it’s actually quite beautiful and it can be really beneficial if you harness it for good.

In this video by motivational speaker Brendon Burchard, he shares how a car accident when he was 19 gave him mortality motivation and changed everything for him.

14. FALL, SUFFER AND LEARN | MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH BY OPRAH WINFREY

This speech by Oprah was given to Harvard graduates, and it’s a unique speech because she talks about failing, even after the major success of her television show for over 20 years.

It’s refreshing to hear that even the most successful people fail. What really matters, though, is what you do with your failure. Do you learn from it and move on? Or do you give up?

15. YOU VS YOU – Best Motivational Video

This is a pretty intense video about competition. If your #1 competition is someone else, you need to change your perspective. Your only competition is YOU. The only thing preventing you from moving forward is you.

16. The Speech That Brought This Entire School To Tears

This is a speech about a man who never really paid much attention to his mother, until she passed away. It’s an emotional reminder to cherish the time you have with your loved ones, because you never know if the next time you see them will be the last time.

In my opinion, this speaker embodies many qualities of the best motivational speakers because he really knows how to capture the audience’s attention and pull on their heart strings.

17. 5 Minutes to Start Your Day Right! – MORNING MOTIVATION

This motivational speech is by a Navy SEAL who will remind you to start each day with a task completed, respect everyone, take risks, step up during tough times, and never give up. If you do these things, the next generation, and the generations that follow, will live better lives than we live today.

18. The Real You – Jim Carrey

This video is one of the best motivational speech examples because it reminds you of something so important: sometimes we can be so focused on earning more money, gaining fame, and becoming admired that we lose ourselves or we lose sight of what’s really important to us in the process.

Jim Carrey talks about how he is a great example of that. He got all of the money, fame, and admiration, and admits that that wasn’t really who he was. Sometimes it’s nice to be reminded that money and fame, or even getting to the top of the corporate ladder, while nice, aren’t going to be the thing that brings you fulfillment when it’s all said and done.

19. Ed Mylett Motivational Speech

I posted another motivational video by Ed Mylett above, but if you don’t know much about him, prepare to have your world rocked. He’s probably my absolute favorite motivational speaker because he is successful and he works hard, but he’s also (seemingly) a kind, family guy who’s been through a few things.

In this video, he talks about being “the one” that changed his family tree. Take a listen because I’m sure it’ll get you thinking on whether or not you can be “the one” in YOUR family.

P.S. If you love personal growth content, you should check out Ed Mylett’s podcast . I listen to it every week and it is one of my favorites.

20. If You Feel LOST, LAZY & UNMOTIVATED In Life, WATCH THIS! | Tony Robbins Motivation

If you are someone who is constantly blaming others or your circumstances for your unhappiness, you need to listen to this video by Tony Robbins . Bad things happen to us all, it’s up to you to focus on what you can control.

Great Inspirational Speeches About Hard Work

How hard do you think you work? Could you be doing more? If there’s a little voice inside of your heart that knows you could be doing more and better, these motivational videos about the value of hard work will help you push yourself.

And a side note: your chances of having good luck increase the harder and longer you work.

21. You’re Not Tired, You’re Just Weak – David Goggins Motivation

If you’re feeling lazy or like you don’t want to do something, watch this video til 2:25 . It will give you the push you need to put your head down and do the work. It’ll remind you to keep pursuing your goals and to keep challenging yourself. Key takeaway: push yourself beyond your perceived limits.

22. Hard Work & Patience – A Gary Vaynerchuk Original Film

If you want to be motivated to work hard, listen to Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary Vaynerchuk is a creative genius known for his marketing tactics. This famous motivational speech is all about playing “the long game”, as in, working for a long time and having patience instead of working hard for a short period of time and expecting to win quickly.

23. OBSESSION – Best Motivational Speech

This is one of my favorite short motivational speeches because it makes me feel a little more normal for being “weird”. I’m the kind of person who chooses to work on the weekends instead of hanging out with people. Crazy, right? But it’s because I’m working toward a dream of mine and it’s something that’s really important to me. The most important thing to remember: it’s okay to devote yourself to something. It’s the only way to get what you want in life.

24. WORK LIKE HELL – Best Motivational Video

This is a series of motivational speeches about doing a little bit more and outworking your competition. I’m not going to lie – I’m up late writing this post and listening to this very video is what’s motivating me to keep going.

25. The video EVERY woman should watch!

Whether or not you’re a Rachel Hollis fan may be up for debate (and that’s okay!) but I happen to think she’s a great motivational speaker. This entire speech will inspire you to work hard and take massive action – today.

26. NEVER SURRENDER – Powerful Motivational Speech (by Kobe Bryant)

This one minute video by the late Kobe Bryant is one of the most famous short speeches. I read a book recently by his former personal trainer and I learned that Kobe really outworked everyone. He talks about a quote in this video that really stuck with him, and I think it’s great advice if you’re the kind of person who needs motivation to keep working hard.

Motivational Speeches About Working Smart

Have you ever heard the saying “work smarter, not harder”? That saying is all about ensuring that the work you are doing is actually efficient. Are you getting to where you want to go with all of the work that you are putting in? Are you getting closer to your goals and your dreams? Or are you sprinting like a hamster on a wheel and just running in circles?

Here are great videos on the importance of working hard but also working intentionally.

27. SET SYSTEMS RATHER THAN GOALS – Motivational Speech – James Clear

A goal gives you a sense of direction, but if you don’t spell out precisely how you are going to get to a goal, it is useless. You must develop systems. Listen to this James Clear video to gain valuable life lessons.

By the way, James Clear is an author who wrote perhaps my favorite book of all time: “Atomic Habits” . It’s life-changing if you haven’t read it yet.

28. Matthew McConaughey | 5 Minutes for the NEXT 50 Years of Your LIFE

This is one of the best motivational speeches of all time about how to live a great life for YOU. It’s filled with little pieces of wisdom that’ll really get you thinking about how you live your life and in what direction you want to go.

29. Visualization is the key – Bob Proctor

Do you believe in the Law of Attraction? If not, I have to say I’m surprised! I’ve experienced it in my own life more than once, and it is incredibly powerful. Here’s a great video that sums up the power of visualization, and if you want to learn more about the Law of Attraction or manifestation in general, read this post .

This video shows the true power of words, thoughts, and feelings that you have.

30. How to Stay Motivated – Carla Harris

Here is a YouTube short with very practical advice from Carla Harris on HOW to stay motivated. It’s all about having a vision!

This post was all about short inspirational speeches. Which one was your favorite?

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Inspirational Speech

Inspirational speech generator.

Life, as you know and experience has always been hard. You may have tried various things to make yourself motivated no matter how big the waves of challenges and problems are crashing upon you. You may have encountered or listened to an inspirational speech before which may have helped and inspired you to continue winning in life. Now, you may want to create one for yourself but you do not know where exactly you should be starting. This article will help you in making one with the help of these six speech examples .

What Is an Inspirational Speech?

Let’s define inspirational speech by separating the two terms.

What is an inspiration? According to the Oxford Dictionary, inspiration means the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

What is a speech ? Merriam-Webster defines speech as the power of expressing or communicating thoughts by speaking.

Now, if we combine the two together: inspirational speech is a kind of speech that persuades or convinces people that they can succeed and win in life. Inspirational speeches would often include success and uplifting stories and real-life situations and experiences that the speaker thinks the people listening to it will be moved and inspired to do greater and better things in their life.

Sample Inspirational Speech

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Transcripts of Famous Inspirational Speeches

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Alumna Inspirational Speech

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What Makes an Inspirational Speech Successful?

An inspirational speech drives people to change for the better. If you want to make your inspirational speech successful, you have to make sure that you drive them to change. Here are three simple tips that will make your inspirational speech successful:

Share Your Personal Story

Always include your personal story in your speech. Although we are living in different lives, chances are, there are a lot of people who can relate with your struggles and some would also want to prepare when they are expecting to experience the same struggle as yours. When you share your personal story, you do not only touch the topics they can relate with but you can also touch their hearts and feelings and nothing can be as moving as when your feelings are touched.

Tailored to the Audience

An inspirational speech is only effective if the audience you are delivering the speech to can relate to it. You cannot expect to inspire people with the age bracket of 12-15 years old and your inspirational speech is all about college fresh graduate dilemmas. Before you are going to write for your speech make sure that you ask the organizers what the theme of the event is as well as the age bracket of the audience.

Make Every Point Connected and Relevant

You cannot also expect inspiring people when the points of your speech are all over the place. In your introduction, give at least three points and give a brief talk about it but on the body, elaborate more and in the conclusion, make sure you repeat the three points again, summarize everything and do not add more ideas. An inspirational speech that is well-crafted can not only inspire people but it will also make them understand more.

How to Give an Inspiring and Memorable Speech

Now, you may have a little knowledge of how to make your inspirational speech successful but your question now is, how do you exactly make your inspirational speech actually inspiring and memorable for your audience? Here are five simple tips that will make your inspirational speech inspiring and memorable:

1. Grab your audience’s attention

This is an old trick in the book but this trick always works wonders. Why? Because your inspirational speech is for your audience. You can grab their attention by starting your inspirational speech with a mind-blowing quote o question, your personal story, a joke, or play a moving video. You can do everything as long as you do not bore your audience at the start of your inspirational speech.

2. Always be upbeat.

Another possible thing that could make you lose your audience’s attention is when you would be delivering your inspirational speech lousy and uninteresting. Be upbeat especially in the introduction part of your inspirational speech. Sure, you have a sad story to tell but share that in the middle of your inspirational speech when you have already caught their attention in the introduction part of your inspirational speech. You are to deliver an inspirational speech and you are not there to sing a lullaby and make people sleep.

3. Do not literally read your inspirational speech in front of your audience.

Reading your inspirational speech on a paper in front of your audience inspires them to do one thing: when it’s their turn to deliver a speech one day in their lives, they will think it’s all right to deliver a speech on a paper. Reading your inspirational speech on a paper can make you less credible. Some people might question your credibility, and would ask whether you really are fit to deliver a speech or not. There might be times when reading it on a paper is all right like when you would deliver a graduation speech. But it is really best if you memorize your inspirational speech. You can always make use of a power point presentation if you have a hard time memorizing. And additionally, practice makes perfect so before presenting your inspirational speech, you must always practice practice, and practice.

4. Share your personal story.

This is a repetitive tip but this, like grabbing your audience’s attention, is an old trick in the book but always works wonders. Everyone loves to listen to stories especially from people who are known for the struggles or field. Even if people do not exactly relate to it, people would still love to listen to stories. Make sure you include only the ones sensible and relatable with your main points, or else people would think your speech is all over the place, and they would not be able to understand it anymore.

5. Make the audience want more.

This tip does not necessarily mean you leave your audience hanging with your inspirational speech. It means that you would drive your audience to want more ideas, information, and lessons about your inspirational speech. A sign that you left them wanting for more of your wisdom is right after your inspirational speech or the entire event, they would come up to you, ask you a lot of questions, and ask for any way to contact you. End your speech with a round of applause or a bang and never ever leave them with nothing to bring and that is the learning they can generate from your inspirational speech.

Motivational Speech Sample

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Simple Inspiration Speech Example

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Success and Failure Inspirational Speech

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Elements of an Inspirational Speech

Make sure you always include the following elements in your inspirational speech so that you will be able to write a successful, effective, and of course, inspirational speech:

1. Optimism

An optimistic inspirational speech would give and ignite hope to its readers. Make sure that your motivational speech truly delivers this element. One proof that your speech has successfully included this element in your inspirational speech is when right after your speech, your audience is filled with so much hope in their eyes that they are very much willing to change for the better or to continue becoming better because they have been inspired by your speech.

2. Call to Action

Your inspirational speech must always provide objectives that would call your audience to action. It is pointless to feel inspired but you do not actually act out what you have learned about. Also, make sure that what you are trying to call to action is something anyone can act out and are achievable. You may also see special occasion speech .

3. Passionate and Personal

A passionate inspirational speech often comes sincerely from the heart and mostly, the things that come from the heart are often based on experience. Making an inspirational speech out of personal experience makes our heart pour out These are the kinds of inspirational speeches move, appeal, and inspire people.

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Giving a speech

It's the season of speeches.

Every four years, Americans are treated to oratory by speakers of both parties who address their national party conventions. The purpose of such oratory is less to persuade than to fire up the attendees who will sally forth from their respective conventions determined to mobilize forces for their candidates up and down the ballot.

Some of the speeches are downright scary, while others are joyous and uplifting. Regardless, the focus on so many speeches in such a condensed period of time emphasizes the power of the spoken word.

As a former speechwriter turned executive coach, I have helped many women and men hone their messages. I want to share a few things I have learned, mainly through trial and error.

Know your audience. People want to hear what you say, but you need to do your homework before you can connect. Understand what the audience expects of you and tailor your remarks to resonate with their needs.

Acknowledge your limitations. Many times, what a leader has to say is what they must say. That is, the situation is challenging and presents problems. A leader can only accomplish so much. Failure to acknowledge what you can do and what the organization must do is asking for trouble. People will simply tune out.

Address objections. Everyone wants to give an uplifting speech that resonates with harmony and joy. Unfortunately, life is not like that. Leaders need to paint a realistic picture, citing the pluses and minuses. What the leader must do may conflict with what the organization wants to do. It is the leader's responsibility to be honest about the decisions and set the course forward.

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Tell stories. Reveal yourself through stories. Cite examples of individuals in organizations who are making positive contributions. No leader succeeds alone. Every leader needs the team's buy-in. So, make that clear.

Issue the call to action. Not every speech may need a formal call to action, but every public utterance needs to be understood as a call for unity, a coming together to achieve the mission. However, if there is a call to action, learn from the politicians—ask for their support. Simultaneously, include your commitment to supporting the individuals and teams that make up the organization.

Uplift your audience

Knowing, acknowledging, addressing and challenging are just the basics of speechmaking. Each speaker must craft a message that reveals who they are and what they want to accomplish. Give people a reason to believe in you because you believe in them.

One thing I have yet to emphasize in this little essay is delivery. So let me quote the legendary film director, John Ford , “You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.” In short, relax. If you have a good message, speak directly. Show people how you feel with the words you deliver. Doing so will encourage listeners to have faith in you and your leadership.

So often, it is said that a leader's job is to elevate followers and enable them to do their best. If that is the case, a good speech—well-honed or off-the-cuff remarks—is an excellent way to begin the uplifting process.

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Never Give up on Your Dream, Motivational Speeches

When you show courage in the ..., template: letter to request to attend a conference, do you want to attend a ..., motivational speech template to congratulate your team, an excellent safety motivational speech, i recently saw safety ....

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How To Give a Team Motivational Speech to Boost Morale

Few leaders are exceptionally good at rallying the troops. They want results, but their words don't inspire action. 

A team motivational speech will temporarily inspire teams. Yet, As stress continues to pile up back at work, the motivation will eventually fade. However, if a speech motivates action, it builds momentum that builds on itself.

What makes any speech motivating is positive energy and enthusiasm. The speaker is lending their buoyant, positive attitude to lift the group.

Enthusiasm is contagious. 

WE ALL CRAVE MOTIVATION

People don't just work for a paycheck; they want to feel purpose and meaning. The need for motivation is about balance. Throughout the day, teams feel bombarded by problems (customer complaints, cutbacks, limited resources); this weighs them down. Over time, negativity can surround our problems and be a drag on morale. Left unmonitored, this workplace can turn toxic. 

Uplifting, motivational moments serve to buffer negativity. However, motivation needs to be regular and consistent to have a lasting impact. Workplaces that suffer from low morale don't have enough positive messages to keep people engaged and happy. 

Leaders who deliver regular team motivational speeches ( one on one and as a group) will keep spirits high. Focus the message on group accomplishment, the overall significance and meaning of the work, and moments to be proud. Overall, bringing up a spirit of enthusiasm. 

A leader's most significant role is to inspire hope in others. There is no better way to do this than by motivating the troops with an inspirational speech. Below are some ideas on how to accomplish this heightened sense of hope and inspiration. 

Remember, every motivational speech should take the audience from where they are now, to a new, better reality. 

Start writing a motivational speech by taking your audience's current situation and comparing it to a better future. Best selling author and keynote speaker coach, Nancy Duarte suggests, a great speaker will make the gap between the two realities as dramatic as possible.

Throughout the talk, take people from the present to the future, and from the problem to the solution. The motivational speech should continue to be an ebb and flow from what is and what could be.

If you are trying to convince people that a new policy is good, clearly outline how we work now (and all the inefficiencies) and how down the road ( once all the kinks are worked out), this will improve our work situation. Also, appreciate people for the work and effort they put in. 

Finally, every speech should end with a call to action that cements in the new, better reality.

THREE TYPES OF PERSUASION TO USE IN YOUR TEAM MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH

Reporting facts and information is only one part of creating a compelling motivational speech. A successful keynote speaker has to strike a balance between analytical and emotional content.

Aristotle argued that to persuade, we must employ three types of argument: ethical appeal( ethos), emotional appeal(pathos), and logos(logical appeal).

Consider each element below as you craft a team motivational speech to persuade:

Ethical persuasion

By sharing your values, experience, and goals, you build credibility with an audience.

The audience will feel connected to you when they appreciate you share similar values.

Logical persuasion

Develop a compelling message supported by a structure that logically supports your premise. State a claim and provide evidence to support it.

Emotional appeal

Appeal to people's feelings by weaving stories and experiences evoking pain or pleasure. Emotional connection with the audience is critical to persuade. Funny keynote speakers use humor to engage emotion, while inspirational speakers use motivational stories to engage passion.

 I've seen a lot of guest speakers focus entirely on facts at the expense of emotion and ethical persuasion. 

Team Motivational Speech Activities

Take a meeting from good to great or from average to amazing, with interactive activities to reinforce ideas and solidify engagement.

I was a funny keynote speaker for a healthcare organization recently where the program planner organized some fun, lively games to engage the crowd. Audience participation and interaction kept people engaged and involved in the meeting.

Here are a couple of activities the guest speaker facilitated:

The Telephone. 

In this team motivational speech activity, start a message at the beginning of a row and have it be verbally communicated progressively down the row to the last person. Once it hits the final person in the row, have them compare the final information with the original message.  Peels of laughter result as people find the message is drastically different as it passes down the line.

Tie the lesson to how messages get distorted, misinterpreted, and altered as they move through different people.

To further amplify the activity, tie the messages to content reinforced in the meeting.

Innovation builders. 

Organize teams around Tables of 6 to 8 people. Each table gets a bag of marshmallows and a bag of straight pretzels. Instruct teams to build something innovative, preferably related to the meeting theme.  Give the groups 5 minutes to make something when time is up, vote on the most innovative design.

A variation to the motivational speech activity is to instruct groups to build the highest freestanding structure.

Topics: howtowriteamotivationalspeech , keynotespeaker , funnykeynotespeakers , nevergiveupspeech

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