Motivational Speeches: Some Pointers

In the spirit of helping bosses give motivational speeches in these times of economic trial, I thought I might give a few pointers.

1) When giving a motivational speech, do not start by making offhanded comments about problems you are having with the individual, their coworkers, or their department.

2) If you ask for justifications of situations, do not shut down the response with "That's not really the point" or "That's too much detail".

3) If you ask for input or responses, listen to them. Don't roll over them with your own opinion.

4) Motivating people by saying "If you don't do this, I'll report it to my head and they'll make you do it" is probably not a successful strategy.

5) You say "accountability". People hear "reason to blame me".

6) If you don't talk about rewards in conjunction with accountability and responsibility, don't be surprised if they don't listen.

7) "Motivation" and "Motivational speeches" are not fire escapes for your own issues or inabilities.

8) If there is not some kind of link between you and the audience, your ability to motivate will be slender. Be sure to take the time to build that link.

9) If people have learned to distrust you, don't expect them to sudden "light up" when you try to motivate them.

10) True motivation speaks to what the individual wants and needs as well as what the organization wants and needs. Don't confuse your or the organization's needs for the individual's.

And the bonus line item:

11) Before trying to motivate others, take an honest look about why they may be demotivated. The answer may surprise you.