Getting Your Audience Motivated

Getting motivated for your annual conference can be a very exciting time. You get to be out of the office for a few days. More than likely, you are flying somewhere and staying at hotel, so you are able to get out of your usual routine as well. You have looked through the scheduled speakers and wrote our your itinerary in advance. You know where you will be and who you will be seeing for the entire time. Don’t forget the vendor room to keep up with the latest technology and innovations. Bring your business cards and take advantage of the networking opportunities. Come to think of it, going to a conference is a lot of work.

You still have to keep up with email and through your phone, you may be out of the office, but you are still working. You are expected to bring back exciting news and information back to office to implement to justify the expense of going in the first place.

Starting off right

By the time you get to the venue and have checked in, you are ready to go. It is going to be a busy week. But first…

Organizers know that a conference isn’t all fun and games. It may be in a fancy hotel and there are fun events and people catching up on life since they last conference, but people are there to work. They need points toward their certifications or their company is in need of a certain skill or technology. For many a conference is a source of stress. They have their company weighing on their shoulders.

A motivational speaker is the person that pulls off the bandage and reminds you why you are there in the first place. You have nothing to stress about because you are the best person for the job. Need proof? Look at your expense report.

When it comes down to planning a conference, what is the main benefit of having a motivational speaker kick things off?

Being a cheerleader

There is a phrase that says, “you can’t be a prophet in your own land”. When you work for a company or in a specific field, then you have made some decisions on your priorities. If you speak about your field, you may be passionate, but you are also biased. If you are in a room with others from your company or in your field, you are preaching to the choir. People will more than likely not be motivated by your words because they heard them all already.

You need an outsider to come in and remind you why you are there in the first place. It takes someone who is not in the field to get you excited and remind you that this conference may be work, but it is also a very exciting time where new ideas will be presenting and you have the opportunity to remind yourself why you got into the this area in the first place.

Bring an outside perspective

One of the main reasons you go to a conference is to learn new things. The brain does not like new things, so you tend to gravitate to the familiar. At the start of the conference is when you have the best intentions to expand your horizons, and at that very moment you have this dynamic speaker on the stage reminding you to take what you know and put it aside. A motivational speaker will turn your ideas on their sides and challenge you to embrace the opportunities that are ahead. All you have to do is look, listen, and accept new information.

Bring in the energy

There is a sense of excitement at the start of any conference, but there is also level of trepidation. You have your list of sessions and speakers you want to see. The list of events and things to do can be overwhelming. It is quite something to listen to someone who is generally enthusiastic.  That enthusiasm is infectious. You may not be running out of that first session screaming and pumping your fist in the air, but a motivational speaker will get the show started right making sure that everyone in the room is ready to go.

Everyone can use a dose of inspiration

Motivation is getting people physically and mentally ready, however when your speaker can also be inspiring, you are now bringing things to a new level. To be inspired is to round out the physical and mental preparedness with an emotional response. If you want your guests to be really excited and truly ready and open to new ideas they need to be inspired. They need to be inspired to challenge themselves to expand their horizons and accept new thoughts and ideas.

The main benefit of a speaker that can inspire is that you will now be ready to approach the conference with a positive attitude. People will be ready to learn new things and even teach others what you know. A truly motivated person will then take that and bring it back to their offices or businesses. They will be ready to implement what they have learned. They will bring their business and their co-workers along with them to this new paradigm. A motivated person will change how things are done for the better.