Hard-nosed sales managers and reps cringe at the thought of bringing a motivational speaker in to rouse the troops, but the bad rap they fight off is more the byproduct of unreal expectations than unmet objectives. It should never be confused with true training, but there is a time and place for an inspirational message to the troops.
A motivational speaker has two essential assignments, says Jeff Seeley of Carew International: to be entertaining without relying on a shtick, and to have an inspirational message that creates a self-motivating “a-ha” moment.
“Good motivational speakers get their audience to make themselves make a change,” Seeley says. “To think that you’re going to change them is asinine. The good ones create enough space for them to think about doing something differently. That ‘a-ha’ moment comes back around again and again long after the speech itself is over.”
Seeley says the best motivational speaker he’s ever seen is former Chicago Bulls basketball star Bob Love, who grew up with 13 brothers and sisters in a small Louisiana town. Love played seven years in the NBA, but encountered numerous challenges after his basketball career. He was making $4.45 an hour washing dishes at a Seattle Nordstrom Café when one of the Nordstrom family members recognized Love and took him under his wing, beginning by hiring a speech therapist to help him conquer a stuttering problem. You can see a video on Love on our website.
