Motivational Speaking

Motivational Speaking

Monday, March 7, 2015

IB Literature & Language

Orion Yedidia, Blaise Antico, Tom Yuz

Linguistic Analysis

Understanding the Motivational Process

Tony Robbins

• Establish speaker credibility
• Side-step the anti-motivational mindset
• Apply buzz-words appropriate to audience
• Introduce self-actualization
• Present actions achieve future goals

• "My challenge is: the shortest seminar I usually do is 50 hours."
• "I'm the "why" guy. I want to know why you do what you do."
• "Internal drive, rationalize, bottom line, fullfilment"
• "What is your motive for action? What is it that drives you in your life today? Not 10 years ago"
• "We've said decisions shape destiny, which is my focus here... you must give it a meaning, and that meaning produces emotion. "

Why We Do What We Do

Connection and Action

Focus on Self-Actualization

Read the Speech and Answer the Following Questions:

1) What is the purpose and goal of this speech?

2) How does the author attempt to accomplish this goal?

3) What specific words or phrases are associated with motivational speaking?

“You are all great, you are all smart, we are all smart, you are all awesome!”.

• Establishes connection to audience

Motivational Speaking: Act of convincing people to do something they already know they should be doing

If motivational speaking is the boat, then buzzwords are the paddles

George Hedley

Delving into Buzzwords

Professional Speaker: Construction Industry

Constituents of any motivational speech

Comparative Example

A New Speaker a New Way?

Answer the Following Questions:

• Robbins's speech contains over fifty buzz-words
• Socio-linguist Robbert Leonard:
• Buzz-words do not convey factual meaning
• Instead they connect speaker to audience
• Dr. Nikola Davies: Buzz-words instead capture attention of audience
• Are used as emphasis for certain ideas

• What is the difference between the purpose of this speech and the one by Tony Robbins?

• What specific words or phrases are used to entice motivation?

• How does the change in the target audience of this speech (construction managers) translate into a change of language?

Evaluation

Effects of Motivational Speaking

Comparing the different motivational speakers

Bringing Aforementioned Concepts Together

Conclusion: The Power of Language

Robbins

Hedley

How It Physically Changes the Way We Think

• Motivational speaking is a fluid medium
• Staples include-
• Connection to audience
• Identification of personal fulfillment
• Application of buzz-words
• Demonstrated that buzz-words can accomplish different goals
• Much like a key to an inside group

• Buzz-words reinforce audience attention
• Addresses managers of other corporations
• Uses: accountability, integrity, fulfillment
• Recognizes motivational drive
• Calls for action through positive reinforcement

• Buzz-words connect speaker to audience
• Addresses crowd of employees and managers alike
• Questions the motivational drive of an individual
• Calls for action in search of positive repercussions

• Studies have shown that motivational speaking stimulates different areas of the brain
• Buzz-words are words which we attribute power to
• The very act of speaking can have tangible effects on a persons behavior
• Motivational Speaking may be stigmitized but...