While the usage of motivational speakers becomes increasingly common in the commerce and educational sectors of the United Kingdom, traditionalists throughout the country are often heard criticising and turning their noses up at what they scathingly declare to be some kind of ridiculous new fangled American trend. It’s funny, actually, exactly how anything at all that’s widely used in the US can be so swiftly written off by certain types of scornful Brits.
What is perhaps funnier, in an ironic sort of way, is that the motivational speaker could not be any further from some kind of new fangled American sensation. Motivational speaking isn’t completely new in any way. Examples of the motivational speaker are found all the way through history; as far back as speech itself goes.
Not only in history is the motivational speaker common. All through generations of literature, the best frontrunners were always fantastic speakers. Fictional motivational speakers have long motivated new generations of speakers. Which speaker has not attempted to emulate the power, influence and drama wielded by Marc Antony in Shakespeare’s rhetoric-laced ‘Friends, Romans, Countrymen’ speech?
The work of a excellent motivational speaker cannot be underrated. A strong example is that of Winston Churchill’s ‘We shall fight them on the beaches’ speech. Morale has been boosted and wars have been won and lost by excellent motivational speakers.
It follows then, really, that their capabilities in the business and educational sectors has been seen. When morale is low and sales have plummeted, it is quite easy for organisations to find themselves trapped in a rut. Uplifting words uttered by supervisors frequently take an accusatory or warning tone, which hinders instead of helps the situation. No real surprise then the motivational speaker is in much more demand than ever before.
Who then is the motivational speaker of the twenty-first century? In the public eye it’s still the politicians. In the field of sport it is the football managers. In the realm of education and learning it is the teachers. Yet as motivational speaking becomes big business the motivational speaker becomes a more vague, more fluid notion. The present motivational speaker is the big business man, the sports legend, the adventurer, the celebrity and the success story, or any mixture thereof. You may question their ability or disbelieve their authority, but you just can’t argue with the results of a fantastic motivational speaker.gab

















