How can motivational speakers help your international business?

141114-D-HU462-091Whenever we think of public speakers we think of self-made professionals who like to talk about helping people achieving inner peace and taking control of their life. While those motivational speakers can be of great assistance, in the business environment things are a little different.

There’s another category of speakers though, whose speciality is to bring value to organizations and corporations. Believe it or not, these can help a company reach full potential a lot faster. Before the official meeting, a motivational speaker will consult with the person in charge. They will also try to set goals as well as attempt to mold the presentation in order to meet with the specific objectives of the company. With the right material on hand a speaker can increase the level of motivation in your staff. They may even be able to boost engagement.

How can motivational speakers help companies attain international goals?

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A corporate motivational speaker is a professional leader who can work really close to an organization’s management team. They will be able to determine its objectives, values and goals without putting any sort of pressure on the staff. Expert speakers are trained in holding presentations; and they can do it in the most meaningful and useful way. This can have a great impact on morale. When proper motivational speaking is applied to the goals and values of a company, employees may take home that drive to strive harder. They’ll apply the principles in real life too; they’ll be happier and they’ll be more engaged in the workplace.

However, when your company deals with investors and suppliers overseas, or has employees that come from different cultural backgrounds, it can be difficult to relate to them. Keeping them motivated and grabbing their attention is often a challenge. Fortunately, motivational speakers can help companies overcome cultural barriers. They won’t tell you that if you want to gain someone’s trust you have to know their country’s history by heart; but they will advise you to engage in a dialogue with them, get to know them as human beings, and show an interest in their cultural background.

How motivational speakers are perceived by people from different cultures
If the people in your company are multi-cultural, it is important to hire the right motivational speaker to communicate with them. For example, if your employees are French, German, and Greek, it’s not a good idea to hire a speaker that only speaks in French. You could consider hiring someone who can speak in an international language, such as English. Everyone will feel that they have equal rights.

There are certain types of subjects speakers should avoid. Talking about religion is a delicate matter. Christians for examples, has different perspectives and beliefs than Muslims, and vice versa. Make sure to inform your speaker that your people are multi-cultural. This way they know what topics to avoid, or approach with delicacy.

Team alignment and teamwork

When you have a team that works well together you feel productive. Attaining international business goals can be a challenge when the people inside your company are not cooperative. It is important to have people aligned toward a goal; it is even more important to make them understand that their contribution (whether small or big) is valued and taken into consideration. A professional motivational speaker has the ability to build a sense of shared commitment among a company’s staff personnel. As long as there’s a common goal people must achieve, a corporate orator will persuade that team to operate with more enthusiasm and energy.

A lot of people think that public speaking is an art that only the best of the best can master. That might be true, although even the most skilled speaker was once a novice. Let’s not forget that behind all that jibber-jabber there’s a person willing to share personal information from his personal life to engage and motivate his audience. That can’t be easy, especially since a speaker must let his guard down and talk about things that either less pleasant or embarrassing.

Empowering employees

Everything a motivational speaker says has the role to employer listeners. In business, the right phrase said at the right time (and from the heart) can easily act like a set off. Believe it or not, a competent speaker can change people’s general perceptions entirely. Things keep changing in life and in the business environment. It is important for company owners to understand that they must adapt to change in order to thrive.

It not that easy though; a lot of people resist change and that’s because they live in a “comfort zone”. They don’t want things to change because they don’t want to take risks. What if something bad happens? Motivational speakers can help with these insecurities; they can assist groups to overcome resistance and focus on the benefits of change. When a company’s bottom line and engagement level are down, change is recommended; it is desired.

Motivational speakers can help improve productivity

Hiring corporate motivational speakers can do a lot of good to your company. It can improve profitability and productivity. When workers are happy with the job that they perform on a daily basis they feel energized and enthusiastic. When teams cooperate and work together in harmony, instead of picking fights, the required goal is achieved a lot faster and with a lot more exhilaration.

It’s quite amazing what a motivational speaker can do to someone’s perceptions. The way they commit to every claim they make is astounding. And yet some companies don’t believe in their expertise. It could be because they haven’t given them a chance to wow them yet!

By Daniel Lewis and LondonSpeakerBureau.com!

About Aleksej Heinze

Passport to Trade 2.0 project leader. My research interests are in the area of disruptive innovation using information technology (IT) and the use of IT in business management. Topics include: enterprise 2.0; web 2.0, international business culture, search engine optimisation, and social media marketing.