Become a Motivational Speaker in 2009

Become a Motivational Speaker

I want to introduce you to a speaker who, in his time, set a standard for presentations unapproached by his peers. Several years ago, while living in 

South London, I discovered the fascinating story of Charles Spurgeon, and, from the heart of his story, both the theme and title for this book.

I feel connected to this reverend for the following reasons:

• Our fathers were both Baptist preachers.  

• We both preached in London, England.

• On a personal note, we've both been described as portly, and have relished a fine cigar. 

The dynamic Charles Spurgeon was a minister in the Elephant and Castle district of South London in the latter nineteenth century. While researching this "man of the cloth," I learned some disturbing statistics describing church attendance. During his lifetime, attendance was at an historical low in churches of all faiths throughout England. The average attendance ranged from between five and seven people per service, per church! The notable exception was the Metropolitan Tabernacle, the largest independent congregation in the world, where Spurgeon had a regular attendance of five to seven thousand every Sunday morning!

What really compelled me to study this man's speaking skills was not just this astounding attendance. It was the appeal he made to his congregation on Sunday mornings at the end of his sermons. He would ask those in attendance to not return that evening so that others would have an opportunity to get in, who that morning had been turned away!

I'd never heard of a minister having to make that kind of announcement. What made Charles Spurgeon so popular? What about him appealed so powerfully to others? In my research, I uncovered an interview with Spurgeon that provided, with the brilliance of a few searing words, the answers I sought. When asked why so many people were coming to his church when other churches were nearly empty, Spurgeon's response was:

I am on fire for God. And when I preach, people come to watch me burn. His words are worth repeating…"I am on fire for God. And when I preach, people come to watch me burn."

Here we need to concentrate only on the fire, not the fuel. I don't want you to be put off by the particulars of our good minister's flame, nor distracted from the general truth of his message. Regardless of the source that fueled his fire, he WAS on fire, and people came to experience his heat, to watch him burn in his public speaking!

I'm sure that there were other ministers in Spurgeon's time that were more learned and better scholars, but they lacked his speaking skills.

Spurgeon commanded an intense and authoritative passion during the presentation of his sermons, and this filled his church. (And though I can't prove it, I feel certain that most of his congregation didn't arrive early to fight for the pews at the back of the room.) Likewise, we need that passion in order to burn. If we have intensity in our presentations, it will show, and it will have that same kind of appeal and attraction. And there's something I want you to keep in mind, something that I cannot emphasize enough:

The fire you want burning during your motivational speaking doesn't start by accident.

It has to be carefully, methodically built, and every time in your motivational speaking career, people will be not only captivated, but also grateful, firewatchers.

If you're still wondering just how important it is to add that extra element of passion in your motivational speaking, please allow me to offer you several striking examples---

I conducted a motivational speaker training for a Fortune 400 insurance company. I was in a meeting with one of the company executives who asked if I would be willing to help one of the managers (let's call him John) with a presentation he was to do in seven days for senior executives. I said of course I'd be happy to do that, as long as John was willing. This executive went on to explain to me that this would be a very important presentation and that John was an excellent manager who probably deserved to be a director. It turned out that the only thing keeping John from being promoted was his lack of presentation skills. I was then told that if John did an exceptional job speaking, he would receive that promotion to director. And I was left with these final words: "Oh yeah, and you can't tell him about this."

So, the next day, I met with John. He already had the content that he was speaking on written because it was one he'd spoken on several times. To be honest, he didn't seem that excited about it. I said to John, "Why don't we really go after it this time and make this presentation better than it's ever been?" "I know, John, but for this Monday night, why don't we go for it? Let's put in some good humor, create a very captivating introduction, and initiate a call to action?"

"I don't know. I hadn't thought about doing that much."

"John, we have six more days. We can practice it, we can rework it, we can really spice it up and make sure it's fantastic!  What do you think?" That's when he blurted, "Here's what I think- I think you are more excited about my presentation than I am!"

"No offense, James, but I'm not very interested in putting too much time into this. I already pretty much have my thoughts together and I know what I want to say."

By now, I was really biting my tongue. I pressed on.

"I know, John, but for this Monday night, why don't we go for it? Let's put in some good humor, create a very captivating introduction, and initiate a call to action?"

"I don't know. I hadn't thought about doing that much."

"John, we have six more days. We can practice it, we can rework it, we can really spice it up and make sure it's fantastic! What do you think?" We laughed about it a bit. Of course, I couldn't tell him what was riding on it, but he did practice, and he did rehearse, and he did a truly wonderful job on the presentation. As a result, he was promoted to director and is probably now on his way to vice-president. I often wonder if there are not hundreds, even thousands, of stories like John's. Are you ready to make 2009 the year you become a motivational speaker? Let's go.

Posted via email from motivationalspeaker's posterous

How to Become a Motivational Speaker 

There has never been a better time to become a motivational speaker. Companies need more motivation now than ever before, not less. Jobs in Public speaking are available so let us train you how to become a motivational speaker and get started now.

Be A Motivational Speaker in 2009

Become a Motivational Speaker in 2009

Posted via email from motivationalspeaker's posterous

Become a Motivational Speaker

Many people wonder how Tiger Woods got to be the best golfer in the world at 

such a young age.  Perhaps his secret lies partially in a decision he made very early in 

his career to study and learn from the best in his sport.  He chose to learn from both 

those playing against him and those who played before him.  Tiger’s strategy was to pick

fifty golfers, fifty of the greatest, study them and try to 

extract the very best parts of each of their games, and incorporate them into his own. 

His goal was to create one super player…and for all intents and purposes, 

he’s done just that! 

 

In my motivational speaking career, I have tried to do the same to become a motivational speaker.  

This process began about thirty years ago.  I began seriously listening to other motivational speakers by whom I was 

captivated.  I studied what I thought each did exceptionally well, picked out parts of their 

“games,” and incorporated them into my own professional speaking skills.  I strongly urge everyone who is trying to 

take their speaking career to the next level to do the same. Let me give you five examples of my “case studies” and what, in my opinion, each did best: 

 

 

1) Maya Angelou 

 Maya Angelou is a Grammy Award-winning poet, writer, and speaker who is also 

currently a professor at my alma mater, Wake Forest.  (I’m throwing in this plug for my 

Demon Deacons.  Fight on!)  Very few speakers have Maya Angelou’s flair and 

creativity in speaking.  The way that she captures an audience, even in her 

introductions, is just fabulous.  And her mastery of pauses...powerful! Study her 

techniques and your captivating powers will indeed “Rise”!  

2) Charles Spurgeon 

Charles Spurgeon, whom I discussed in the introduction, is my mentor not only in 

the field of passion, but also of humor.  Spurgeon often used levity in his sermons, 

which was very controversial in his time—and to a lesser extent, remains so in churches 

today--- because the idea of using the pulpit to make people laugh was considered 

rather sacrilegious.  When Charles was once asked why he used humor, his response 

was, “I wait until I open a man’s mouth wide with laughter, then I pour a dose of truth 

down it.”  This lesson is the basis of all the humor I use in my speeches. 

3)  Martin Luther King, Jr.   

Martin Luther King, Jr.…As I write his name down and gaze at it, I ask myself, “Is 

any explanation necessary?”  He is my hands-down favorite speaker of all time.  His 

soul, his spirit, his song, his use of parallel phraseology was spectacular!  (Unlike any 

before or since his time)  At the end of the nineties, Martin Luther King, Jr. was voted as 

one of the best two speakers of the twentieth century, second only to Churchill.

4) Richard Rogers 

Richard Rogers was a preacher who lived in Lubbock, Texas.  I first heard him 

speak in 1977, and he’s certainly one of the best speakers I’ve ever heard.  There’s no 

doubt that his “best game” is his story-telling prowess.  Absolutely no one, in my 

opinion, could breathe life into a story like Richard.  To this day, my wife, Tanya, 

mentions that she remembers us on our dates riding around in my old VW van.  She 

recalls me listening to her with one ear, but listening to speeches from Richard Rogers 

on a portable cassette recorder held up near my other ear. (You can plainly see what a 

patient and forgiving woman Tanya has been.) I’ve collected and purchased every single audio tape available. 

Now more than 500! Many of them I've listened to more than once, and one time joked with Richard that if he ever needed a stand- 

in, I could step up and recite his messages, with his stories included.    

My ability to tell a story was revolutionized by Richard Rogers.  I called Richard 

one time while I was living in Boston, and asked him if I could possibly fly into Lubbock, 

Texas, just to spend some time with him to learn a little bit about how to tell a story.  It 

would have been worthwhile for me to make the trip for one hour of his time. He agreed 

and invited me to his home. I flew in on a Friday and shadowed Richard for much of the weekend.  I 

returned to Boston on Sunday evening with some newly hatched skills for one part of my professional speaking 

that would forever be changed. Tiger had learned from Watson the secrets of putting, and Richard had just 

taught me the secrets of captivating stories! 

 

5)  Winston Churchill 

An interesting dilemma for me is that Churchill is generally not my cup of tea.  

And yet, how can I leave him off of my list of fifty to be studied, when he was voted the 

most powerful orator of the twentieth century?  Here’s a man whose voice was not only 

as necessary as troops and armaments were to the British war effort, but also a man 

who won a Nobel Prize for Literature and his oratory.  So much a “man of the hour” was 

Churchill, that he was the first non-U.S. citizen who was granted honorary citizenship in 

the United States.  In fact, in his honor we have the battleship USS Churchill.  I also 

had to include Churchill on the list of fifty because he’s my “poster-boy” for speech 

preparation.  When once asked why his speeches were so popular and powerful, his 

response set a new standard for masterful preparedness: "As a rule of thumb, I try to spend one hour of work and 

preparation for every one minute of a speech that I give."

 

These are but five of the speakers from whom I’ve learned.  Tiger Woods knows 

the importance of learning all he can from both those before him and those around him 

to make himself better.  What prevents us from doing that in our speaking careers? Many times it comes down

to just one word....Ego. Take your Speaking Career to the next level in 2009. Stay tuned for my 

Motivational Speakers Training Course and become a motivational speaker in 2009. The doors will open in a few short weeks.

Posted via email from motivationalspeaker's posterous

Professional Speaking is a Rewarding Job

Do you Enjoy your work?

Confucius says: “Choose a job you love, and you will never  have to work a day in your life.” 

I once read an article titled, “Top 4 Reasons to Change Jobs”: 

 1. You dread going to work. 

 2. You live only for the weekends. 

 3. You no longer take pride in your work. 

 4. You’ve lost your sense of humor. 

Not long after reading this article, I was invited as a motivational speaker to speak to a work team of eighty. The director explained to me that they 

had lost seven employees in the past two weeks. She was concerned, and was hoping I could say something to stop 

the exodus. You should have seen her face when, instead,  I read the article! I commented to the crowd that if they did not enjoy their work then maybe it was time

to look elsewhere. She called me three hours later. Frustrated, she told me she had received nine more notices to quit! I explained that these decisions would probably 

benefit her remaining team, her customers, and perhaps even those who had departed. After some thought, she agreed. My friend, do you enjoy your work? Perhaps you 

feel trapped. It may feel like you don’t have choices, but you do! Take action. See if your company is hiring in another department, or perhaps 

start looking for a job someplace else. But please don’t walk around saying, “I want to go home... I don’t want to be here... I’m so glad it’s Friday... The weekend 

was too short...” You deserve better. And so do your co-workers. 

Posted via email from motivationalspeaker's posterous

Servants Become a Motivational Speaker

 Become a Motivational Speaker

– Dr. Albert Schweitzer  wrote a great quote:“I don’t know what your destiny will be,  

but one thing I do know...The ones amongst you  

who are really happy are those who have sought  

and found how to serve.”  As Motivational speakers we’re determined to be grateful, here’s a fantastic 

way to show it: Be a servant in your public speaking jobs. That may mean something as 

simple as getting your spouse a cup of coffee or buying your 

co-worker a Coke. Don’t ask “How much will this inconve- 

nience me?” Instead, ask “How important is it to them?” 

One of my friends was having marriage difficulties.  

Separation seemed imminent. I asked,  

“What do you want from your marriage?” 

He replied, “I want to make it work.  

What do you suggest I do?” 

I offered this most important question:  

“What is the one thing you could do tonight  

that would absolutely shock her with glee?” 

Without even a blink, he chimed,  

“Oh, probably cleaning the toilets.” 

“Well, there it is, my friend. There’s the solution.” 

With a disgruntled look, he complained,  

“What do you think I am – a servant?” 

I mused, “Now you’re getting it.” 

He did not clean that toilet. 

“It just didn’t ring true for me,” he later told me. 

By the way, they’re now divorced. 

Perhaps there is no nobler position. Be a servant and you'll become a motivational speaker in high demand.. 

Posted via email from motivationalspeaker's posterous

Become a Motivational Speaker

Most professional speakers are painfully aware of the important role self-confidence plays in competent motivational speaking.  What is rarely understood, though, is the role the subconscious plays in the development of motivational speaker’s confidence. 

To be a Motivational Speaker Get to Know the Power of the Subconscious

If this blog sparks some curiosity or passion within your motivational speaking career, you may intuitively understand the potential power you possess right now. Is this an Overstatement?  I don’t think so.  Consider a few of the empowering thoughts found in my favorite book on the subconscious, Hidden Power: How to Unleash the Power of Your Subconscious Mind, by James K. Van Fleet: 

 • …[Your subconscious] is a source of energy stronger than electricity, more powerful than high speed explosives.  Your subconscious mind is unlimited, infinite, and inexhaustible.  It never rests, for it keeps right on working for you even when you are asleep… • …Of all the creatures on this earth, man is the only one who does not need to depend upon past experience to control his future.  Another way of saying this is that man is the only one of God’s creations who is allowed to finish the act of Creation himself…  • …Your subconscious mind will react automatically to give you whatever you program into it, either real or imagined… • …It is important to point out to you here that your subconscious mind will not take the trouble to work for you if you do not believe init.  Next, it is also highly important that in transmitting your message to your subconscious mind, you should do so in the spirit that the work has already been done. 

Let’s apply these concepts to motivational speaking. To maximize your abilities, you must not just hope that one day you will be a better speaker, but already believe that you’re a good speaker. This is the key! The vast majority of people I train and coach do not think this way.  They come in with the belief that they’re not very good speakers and are just hoping for some improvement.  Of course, this belief is the opposite of what is needed to activate your subconscious mind to produce positive results. As-if principle:  If you want a quality, act as if you already had it. –William James 

Evidently, when you say, “I’m a good speaker,” subconsciously, your mind makes that a reality.  The same is true with the statement, “I am funny.” Talk about supercharging your act and your brain.  For one thing, you let yourself know you can.  So you feel like, boy, I am talented and I am funny.  You can also set your subconscious to think funny.  You’ll think of extra jokes all during the day, once you get going. – Comedian Drew Carey Believe you can, and you can.  Thinking you’re a good speaker is the most fundamental step to being a good speaker.  I find this incredibly uplifting.  Built-in blazing self-confidence.  The power resides in our own minds.  We control our destinies.  We canreprogram our subconscious minds.  What more could we ask for?  Just give yourselves a little motivational speaking pep talk before you speak saying: “I’m on fire. Watch me burn!”   

Posted via email from motivationalspeaker's posterous