There is a difference between motivational and inspirational speaking, as the words motivate and inspire have different meanings. To motivate means to provide enthusiasm for changing something or doing something. To inspire is to provide ideas for changing something or doing something. Here, we’ll take a look at what both types of speakers provide as well as how to choose a motivational or inspirational speaker.
Motivational speakers
Motivational speakers are usually hired for events to motivate their audience and to improve the productivity of that audience.
A motivational speaker will usually draw on their own personal experiences to motivate change, by providing the audience with the answers to the question of how they can make changes and find the enthusiasm to make those changes.
According to Shep Hyken in Forbes magazine, a motivational speaker should offer content that can encourage the audience to change something, start something or stop something.
Inspirational speakers
Inspirational speakers would generally help people to look inwards to inspire them to be better in all areas of their lives, inspiring their whole being and revealing the reason why they should perform better.
Speakers generally use an inspirational story, which unlike motivational speakers, does not necessarily use their history and personal experience to inspire their audience.
Inspirational speakers inspire their audience by helping them to find their own answers, answers to the question of why they should make changes. Inspirational speakers will provide their audience with ideas on how they can help themselves, and how they can improve themselves.
Choosing inspirational or motivational speakers
Both an inspirational and a motivational speaker can help to improve productivity, whether you’re hiring a speaker for a corporate, charity or social event. Good speakers will provide more than just entertainment, they should be able to help the audience to overcome problems, to think and work harder and better. They should be able to inspire or motivate, even both.
Although there are differences between inspirational and motivational speaking, that’s not to say that one speaker cannot provide the two elements in the delivery of their speech, to provide the audience with the enthusiasm as well as the ideas they need to help them achieve what they want to achieve and to really make a difference and make positive changes in their lives.
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