Tell A Great Story. A Business Motivational Speaker Gives Advice

As an author and business motivational speaker, I have seen the viewpoint-changing power of a well-told story many times. Here’s a short story which, if you live in the US, you will already know. After weighing in a 425 pounds, Jared Fogle decided to go on a ‘Subway Diet’. And, over a period of time, dropped to 180 pounds. Amazing!

And an equally amazing response by Subway’s marketplace. On January 1st 2000, Subway began telling Jared’s story in a regional advertising campaign. On January 3rd, the chat-show superstar Opera Winfrey called, wanting Jared on her show. And, over the next two years, Subway profits leapt a massive 34 percent! Staggering!

As all business motivational speakers know – like in the legendary Subway campaign – the right story (told at the right time) can bring outstanding results. And that’s why it’s important to recount stories in your business presentations. And so, as you look for suitable stories to motivate and inspire your audience, here are three tips to keep in mind.

Get Clear About The Aim Of Your Speech

Is your speech designed to motivate your staff through organizational restructuring? Or is your presentation focused on persuading a prospect to buy your product? An experienced business motivational speaker is clear about the goal of his speech. As a result, suitable stories readily come to mind.

In truth, industry speakers rarely have this kind of clarity around their business speeches. And one of the ways an inexperienced speaker can tell that he or she lacks clarity around a topic is that relevant stories are tough to find. Conversely, when you’re 100% clear about the point you  want to convey, you’ll start to spot suitable stories everywhere. In a magazine, at a movie, while talking with prospects. (Remember, a wonderfully relevant story can come from a totally unrelated source.) Crucial Point: Don’t forget to write down the story as soon as you find it. Otherwise, I promise you, you’ll forget it.

Top Motivational Business Speakers Make Someone Else The Rock Star

Fact: In a business setting, most audiences don’t care about you at all. And so, if all your stories revolve around how smart you are and all the things you’ve done, don’t expect your audience to be impressed. However, make it about them and they will love you for it.

One final (and important) point: motivational stories don’t need to be long-winded. A brief story is often more than enough to achieve your objective. When you have total clarity around the goal of your speech, a short (less than ten sentences) story is often more than enough to get your point across.

If you take these quick and easy tips to heart (and act on them) your stories will make you sound like a true business motivational speaker. Good luck.