It never fails to amaze me that top speaking professionals, working for a top company, will

come to a presentation skills workshop without a presentation! Moreover, these motivational
presentations are being video-taped and conducted, not only in front of their peers, but
also many times in front of their bosses. Still, remarkably, many do not prepare.
Often, I’ll try to break the “avoidance-syndrome” tension by reading those e-mails
aloud, evoking some embarrassed chuckling and confessions of “Oh yeah, you’re right.”
(I sincerely believe that if I didn’t read these “Exhibit A Evidences” to them, there would
still be a few who would stubbornly hold to the claim that they’d never heard about the
presentation requirement.)At this point, the room energy is comprised of a dangerous combination of
embarrassment and guilt. So I use humor to make the bitter truth more palatable. I
offer the following explanation: You probably did peruse the course description and signed up for the
course with every intention of doing a good job on your presentation for
yourselves, your peers, and your supervisors. You knew that it was important
and would be beneficial to a professional speaking career but you still had some time. Procrastination in preparing to speak is a toxic potion for one who wants to become a motivational speaker. You can’t wing it you have to take the prep time that is necessary for every presentation. I’ve heard people describe their talents as not needing preparation that they think better on their feet. You are deceived. It takes:
…reading for your speech
…note-taking for your speaking opportunity
…outlining for your speaking opportunity
…writing for your speaking opportunity
…editing for your speaking opportunity
…memorizing for your speaking opportunity
…developing supplementary materials for your speaking opportunity
…finding appropriate props
…and as many essential etceteras as you can shake a stick at!

Don’t make the mistake of so many who start in the speaking industry and then bomb when they have to stand and deliver as a motivational speaker. It takes preparation for public speaking…and lots of preparation to become a motivational speaker.

Click here to go to Motivational Speaker School.

The Following is 2004’s ranking:

1- Public Speaking

2- Heights

3- Insects/Bugs

4- Financial Problems

5- Deep Water

6- Death

Each year, the ratings are likely to change, sometimes considerably.  Death, for example, has been as high as the second greatest fear. Most of the others have shifted around as well, but one response has never changed in the history of this survey:  Public Speaking has always maintained the #1 spot as our greatest fear.

Accordingly, we would rather be penniless, covered head-to-toe with a crawling mass of vicious bugs, and plunging from an airplane to a horrific death in the deepest part of the ocean than standing in front of a group of people and giving a speech.  Or as Jerry Seinfeld humors: Soooo, if you have to be at a funeral, you’d rather be in the casket than delivering the eulogy. I wondered why the prospect of public speaking engendered such fear and trembling to the extent that we are less fearful of even the “Sickness Unto Death.” I’ve asked many audiences to give me their thoughts on the issue. They answer:

• Fear of criticism
• Fear of failure
• Fear of making a negative lasting impression
• Fear of rejection
• Fear of ridicule

Fear will smother the confidence of competent public speakers. It is impossible to be motivational when we are trembling with nervousness. The three points I teach in my workshops are ways to overcome these debilitating fears.  They are Preparation, Practice, and Passion, which not only make for better speeches, but also are the ultimate Fear extinguishers.
Don’t think that those who’ve already started their speaking career don’t have struggles with this same fear.
The key to overcoming the habit of fear is to replace it with the habit of confidence, preparedness and much rehearsal. Top Comedians, Oscar winning actors and top public speakers work hard on their craft with hours and hours of behind the scenes memorization of lines and even practicing in the mirror.
In our Presentation Fire Training School we will walk you through not only designing your message, but give you preparation methods that will launch you to new heights in your motivational speaking job.

Following are several great quotations that I hope you’ll find motivational. Copy and print the ones that motivate you most. Laminate them. Use them as motivational bookmarks. Post
them up on your job. Tape them to the ceiling at home and work. Carry them in your notebooks, purses, wallets, and in your car. Also work them into speeches for your motivational speaker jobs.

• “We become what we habitually contemplate.” — George William Russell, Irish Poet
• “Take charge of your thoughts. You can do what you will with them.” —Plato
• Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be.”  Vonnegut “Everything you can imagine is real.” Pablo Picasso“What we are is what we have thought for years.”  Gautama the Buddha

The Primary reason I take motivational speaking jobs is that I want to impact people’s lives. I once saw a bumper sticker that read: “Make a living, not a difference.” Now, I know it was intended to be humorous, but I thought, how sadly true. It’s just what so many people are doing.

I think it’s so important that we search for the “worthwhileness” of our our speaking careers –and don’t become a motivational speaker until we find it. Beforehand, if I cannot think of the statement in my speech that will make the difference, that motivational speech is not yet ready to give.

Click Here to view my Speaking Course.

Ask yourself this Motivational Speaking Question

After every speech, I ask myself, “Did I make a difference?”  After every day, I ask myself, “Did I make a difference?” There are days when I answer…“No.”  I then think of situations where I could have handled things better.  Could I have been more creative and innovative — perhaps more compassionate or patient?  What else could I have done to make a difference? There’s a definite connection between worthwhileness and passion. You can see one brick mason at work and ask what he’s doing. “I’m building a wall,” he replies.  You see another brick mason and ask the same question. “I’m building a home,” he answers.  Each is performing the same task, but they have different perspectives, different philosophies. Perhaps, too, a different quality of work.  One probably finds it much easier to “call in sick.”  After all, he only has bricks waiting for him, while the other has a family depending on him.   In our public speaking jobs, are we building walls or homes?  If we’ve shown love,  if we’ve played our music,  then we’ve made a difference. After public speaking opportunities, when I ask myself if I’ve made a difference, one of the criteria I consider is whether or not I’ve empowered my audience? Have I shown them that they are important? Have I proven that each of them makes a unique difference?    This is the most fulfilling part of my motivational speaking career.

In November of 2008 the number of jobs lost for that month was 533,000. We are entering troubling economic times in the U.S. and globally.

Even in hard times there is still public speaking opportunities for those who are aggressive and positive forward thinkers. That is also true when it comes to public speaking opportunities.
Did you know that if you can use humor and make people laugh you will keep having more and more opportunities in motivational speaking jobs.
I wait until I’ve opened a mouth wide with laughter…Then I pour a
dose of truth down it. –Charles Spurgeon

Well said. The proper use of humor in your motivational speaker jobs has effects well beyond its
entertainment value. It loosens up the crowd, and opens them up to your message. I have my own “humor file” of about two hundred pages. It contains humorous stories I’ve heard and jokes I’ve been told or have seen on television, in newspapers, magazines, and e-mails. I read maybe a book each month on humor, constantly looking for gems. Whenever I use one of the jokes from my file, I go back in the book and write down where I used it, for whom, and the response it received. Then, I might rework it, reword it and use it again later. I make it a point, though, to never build any speech around humor. I wait until the speech writing is completed, then look for a place where an appropriate joke or humorous story might “stack on.”

Humor can soften controversy and relieve tension. It can get the audience’s attention back if they’re drifting. And, most importantly, it can make them like you. Everyone enjoys spending time with someone who has a sense of humor, and if the audience enjoys spending time with you, you’ll have a much better chance of achieving your objective than if they don’t…never apologize for a joke in any way. No “Stop me if you’ve heard this one” or “Indulge me for just a moment.” No shrugging or other apologetic body language. If the joke is in the speech, you should already have determined that it’s appropriate, relevant to the material, and worth telling.” TCS

So, please don’t stop me if you’ve heard this one.  Find good comedy material, develop it, and practice it for all your public speaking jobs. Go to comedy clubs and watch stand-up on television. Examine how jokes are told well. Look for timing, pauses, facial expressions, body language, etc. Now, go put some smiles on some faces!

If you can develop a motivational speech that will blow audiences away every time then you can be among the elite who earn high income and have one of the highest paid jobs in america.

I’ve been doing public speaking for audiences for over 30 years. I can vividly recall the “early
days” when I witnessed unspeakable horrors in motivational speaking. I actually saw audience members yawning, checking their watches, and even nodding! OUCH! There are few experiences in life more humbling than to be baring your soul to the throngs, only to be ignored in return. Thus, I made a resolute pact with myself three decades ago: “I want to have one of the highest paid jobs so…I will not be a boring speaker…Period!” Thus, I graciously hand over the following “highest paid jobs fuel tips.” These are the logs tossed on a fire that not only keep it burning, but send the flames higher and higher. These “logs for the fire” will create warmth and light…and here is the word that pays, literally, captivation!!! One key which I teach for a full day in my workshops is the skill of telling stories. If you want to be one of the highest paid in your public speaking job then learn the art of telling stories. One other key to having one of the highest paid jobs is to be funny. Have great humor sprinkled and perfectly timed to compliment the point you are making.

The highest paid people in the world and the most powerful are great speakers. In being a great speaker you’ve got to use stories and humor like a master craftsman. If you are fortunate enough to be highly compensated as a speaker then you undoubtedly have mastered these two essential skills of a motivational speaker.

First you have to start the fire by gathering twigs of skill in Motivational Speaking. This first one may be for pay or “no fee” but you prepare for it as if it is paying $100,000 for a keynote speech. Twigs simply refuse to stack themselves. Carelessly tossing a handful of kindling into the fire pit yields nothing but wasted time and wasted matches. “Stacking twigs” for a public speaking presentation requires meticulous attention as well. It includes such things as arriving early at the site of the event – not ten minutes or half an hour early, but early enough to check, recheck, and connect. Other “twigs” to “stack”:
• Has the room been set up properly?
• Are there enough chairs?
• Does the lighting suit our purposes?
• Have we completed a sound check?
• Did we make sure the lavaliere would be effective while roaming the stage?
• What if we roam the room?

• Is the battery in the mike system fresh?
• Where is the thermostat?
• Who do we contact for technical problems?
• Has a glass of water been poured?
• Are we recording this presentation?
• Is our system ready?
• Are the batteries fresh?
• Is that smoke alarm too close for that special pyrotechnic effect?
• What if the “fireball” is tossed in that direction instead?
• Are the chairs in the audience too close together to permit “intimate” roaming?
• Where are the exits, in case of an emergency? (“fireball”)
• That group singing and shouting next door could be a problem!
• When does their meeting end?

And on and on — twig by twig, we stack for success as a Motivational Speaker. Assuming all of this is done, the next phase of “stacking” is greeting and meeting people as they come in, being sure to give each person you meet your full attention. Sometimes you’ll get some great material for your speech just doing this. One time I was asked to do a public keynote speech at a school.
My motivational speech was prepared beforehand, but I’d never spoken to this group before since I had become a speaker. There
was a dinner before the speech (and may I just mention that they served the finest tri-tip he audience members were parents of children attending this school. Again,
my speech was prepared, but I didn’t think I had enough of the personal touch. When
the call came to get in line, I took my notepad with me, and started meeting people in
line. I’d introduce myself as the evening’s Motivational Speaker and began asking them questions:
“Can you tell me what you like about this school?”
“Why do you have your child attend this school?”
“Who is your favorite teacher here and why?”
I “stacked” some very humorous and heartwarming quotes. Every time I got to the head of the line, I’d excuse myself, and go to the back of the line, still meeting people, interviewing and taking notes. After an hour of doing this, I was extremely hungry, but I had ten excellent interviews, of which I used the top five in my speech. Mentioning their names, their children’s names, quoting their statements, praising the school and its teachers—it made all the difference. I believe it is important to note that I had my speech fully ready and practiced beforehand. I had gathered my wood. Consequently, I had time to further personalize and customize it with these “twigs” in the final hour before “showtime.”
Too many Motivational Speakers spend that hour putting the final touches on their basic
keynote speech and, unfortunately, miss an opportunity to better connect with their listeners. I’ve been blessed to attend an international customer service seminar for the
past few years and heard lots of great Motivational Speakers. But I’ve noticed only one speaker has ever come out prior to his or her speech to meet audience members. That was Dr. Stephen Covey.
Turns out he is one of the most in demand Motivational Speakers

is to go beyond comfort and stretch yourself toward greatness.
My Friend, boxer, minister, and real estate developer Chris
writes: “Average is the top of the bottom… the best of the worst… the bottom of the top…
the worst of the best… The saddest epitaph is this: ‘Here lies Mr. Average. Here lies the remains of what might have been,  except for his belief that he was only average.’”

When I first met Chris, he was, by his own account, an average public speaker. He had limited education and very little motivational speaking experience. He was determined to improve and was willing to go to any lengths to do so. He watched other public speakers, always taking notes on each little detail of how they went about their public speaking job. Chris would always asked for feedback after delivering a motivational speech or sermon.Many nights I remember Chris, in my garage, practicing his
upcoming public speaking. Using my ironing board as his podium, he enthusiastically spoke to an audience of one. At each juncture I would offer suggestion after suggestion. After a some scribbling, he would begin again…and again. Chris became a powerful as a minister and later went to be successful in his Public speaking career! Chris now has spoken all over the world. Today, he is a favorite of many, including myself…and there is nothing average about as a public speaker.

I have different ones, depending upon my topic and my audience. I suggest sending your “Intro” to your “Introducer” to give them time to review it, insert their own comments, and practice it. I usually jokingly warn them against reading what I sent, and beg them not to say, “James has asked that I read this to introduce him.” If that happens, we have essentially just boasted about ourselves. Do that and we’ve just doused the kindling we are attempting to light. Theoretically, wet wood can burn, but it takes a long, long time to ignite.

You only have a brief window of opportunity to “light the fire” and capture the attention of your audience that you are speaking to. The first thirty seconds will determine whether your audience is going to fully listen and participate with you, or tune out the motivational speaker.
Think of the television industry. They understand that they have half a minute to capture your attention, or you’ll start channel surfing. Millions of dollars are invested to maximize the impact of those opening moments. Pay attention to the “tease” of television shows, and you’ll see countless examples of “lighting up.” One question I ask in my training workshops is, “Can you envision every
member of the audience you are speaking to holding remote controls in their hands and pointing them at
you as the motivational speaker?” I picture this and I’m determined to remove any of their temptations to change channels or hit the mute button.

Today’s audiences expect much more than did audiences in the past. They are
ready and willing channel surfers. So we had better ignite a bright fire, and ignite it
quickly. It is critical to grab their attention immediately. Notice how the best motivational speakers are able to employ humor right in the intro. You’ve heard the old maxim, “always open with a joke.” I would suggest, whenever possible, to use humor because there’s nothing like laughter to loosen up people. Moreover, all three of these examples demonstrate a keen awareness of the audience.  In short, they showcase the art of a motivational speaking job.