Can a Motivational Speech Invigorate Your Workforce?

Or will your employees get the wrong message?

Some speeches have changed the world—or at least parts of it. Before routing the Spanish Armada, Queen Elizabeth I of England roused her troops at Tilbury with the declaration that she had “the heart and stomach of a king—and of a King of England too.”

Royalty is in good company: Martin Luther King’s 1963 dream speech pushed for a world where the color of a person’s skin is irrelevant; Neil Armstrong’s 1969 words marked humanity’s giant leap to the Moon; Ronald Raegan asked Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall; and Randy Pausch inspired the world with his 2007 “last lecture.”

These speeches are memorable for the simplicity of their message. Delivering motivational speeches—whether in recognition of victory or in preparation for trouble—can be a great way to rally the troops. The right words at the right time can help to increase sales, improve customer service, keep your customers coming back, or simply to improve employee morale and teamwork.

Learn from the masters

To make sure your team is getting the message you want to convey, be clear about your message in the first place. Strong speeches have clear language. Generally, this means shorter, punchier sentences. You can learn from the masters: If a recording exists, listen to your favourite speech, and the way the speaker uses their voice.

Don’t limit your inspiration to historical speeches: consider your favorite movies, books, or TV shows. Speeches delivered in person sometimes have important different subtleties: Consider going to see a local politician or motivational speaker.

Once you begun to formulate a speech, make sure you read it out loud. If necessary, sing it to one of your favorite tunes—you’ll be surprised how much singing can help identify any awkward phrases, or different words that need to be emphasized.

So how do you ensure that your motivational speeches do, actually, motivate? The only thing worse than silence is a speech that falls completely flat.

Avoid the blame culture

Whether you like it or not, blame is something that inevitably gets thrown around. If your speech emphasizes what’s gone wrong, your team will feel like they’re being blamed personally. Nothing that this accomplishes will be positive. So when you’re delivering your speeches, concentrate on envisioning a positive outlook for your team.

Avoid clichés and jargon

If you can, avoid time worn-clichés and nonsensical management jargon. Use simple, straightforward language: not only will it make your team feel you’re truly attempting to communicate with them, it also establishes that you’re secure in your knowledge. You don’t need to hide behind long words and incomprehensible babble.

Speak from the heart

By the same token, don’t spin the truth when you’re delivering a motivational speech. Heartfelt and sincere is good. If there are difficulties to face, be honest. Your team is made up of intelligent adults—they’ll see through any attempt to pull the wool over their eyes.

Feedback

Don’t be afraid to ask your team for feedback—it’s how you all improve. You can monitor the success of a motivational speech by simple observation of the morale amongst your team members. Anonymous pre- and post-speech surveys are even more effective.

So how do you deliver?

Keep your speech simple. You shouldn’t need to prepare a long text or rehearse it over and over again. The best speeches cannot sound forced. Repeat your main ideas several times to reinforce the message. And always keep it sincere. The best speakers deliver from the heart. Body language and tone are everything.

Finally, don’t fool yourself into believing that a motivational speech will solve fundamental problems in your business. Words won’t turn around a sinking ship—only actions can. And no matter if you decide to go forward with some inspiring language, remember that that’s only one motivational tool at your disposal.

 

Consult, manage, and inspire your team with HR software from TribeHR. Get started right now with a free 60-day trial. 


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