Generally a professional, a motivational speaker is a speaker whose aim is to motivate his or her listeners. More often than not, the audience is encouraged to take action by the energy that the speaker puts in to the presentation.

Good motivational speakers can command high fees and are often hired long in advance of the event at which they are speaking.They are commonly used in the corporate sector to boost morale as well as in the educational field. Many professions, such as sports management, use motivational speaking skills on a regular basis.

Any good motivational speaker will be able to use their public speaking skills to influence the audience to come round to their way of thinking.This art is nothing new. There are many historical examples, such as Martin Luther King and Julius Caesar who have changed history dramatically with only words.

Further, a good motivational speaker must be convinced that what they are saying is true. It is vital that a speaker appears convinced that what they are saying is true and that they appear confident in their message.Otherwise, no audience is likely to be motivated.Believing in one’s message goes hand in hand with wanting to spread and share it and the best motivational speaker will use such techniques as voice modulation, body language and eye contact to put their message across convincingly.The best speakers will also come equipped with anecdotes and examples which illustrate what they are saying.

Remembrance events are a time for reflection, for thanks and for respect for those who gave up their lives or suffered for the common good. however we never forget those who have suffered fighting for their country, which is easy to see in the outpouring of remembrance every November 11th and with the passing of the last soldiers who fought in WW1 earlier this year.

The emotional outpouring that occurred when the 100th soldier died in Afghanistan this year and the tributes that go to the men and women fighting in modern wars shows that we still not remember those fighting for us. At events held around the nation, people have been publicly remembering those they knew and strangers that have served, died or been injured in a war. Keynote speakers can create even more of an atmosphere by telling us about their first hand experience in the war and their touching accounts of their fellow soldiers.

Keynote speakers are often thought of as forgotten celebrities who will attend any event for some money. But speaking at events like these is the role of soldiers who have served in the armed forces with experience of battle, war and injury. They make the reality seem even more real, they bring it home just how dangerous war can be, even with all of the technology and equipment that are used in modern warfare.

However, the keynote speakers who have served for Her Majesty the Queen do not want to make the event over-sad but instead create a sense of optimism, patriotism and celebration that what we have achieved on the battle field has led to the UK becoming one of the most influential countries on the global scale. They demonstrate how our military efforts have made us one of the fairest democracies in the world and we keep on fighting to preserve our democracy from those countries that would see us fall.

Not everyone can comfortably speak or perform in front of a lot of people. Some may find it quite a frightening experience that they want to avoid at all costs. Stage fright or performance anxiety affects a lot of people and some of the symptoms include anxiety and paranoia before, during and after a performance.

Even professional and experienced speakers can suffer from anxiety including business speakers and motivational speakers. Some find it easier to remain calm even when they are stressed however most of us will fall into a state of panic as we think about the negative aspects of public speaking.

The fear that people feel before a performance may rely on the context of the speaking role. The size of the audience, being alone on stage, the importance of the evaluation; all these factors can change the level of anxiety experienced by the speaker. The larger the number of people watching you, the more nervous you may become. The demographic also influences like you would be more nervous speaking to the manager of the company rather than the receptionist.

Anxiety And Its Manifestations.

1. Commonly experienced by most people is intense, but transient anxious, fluttery sensations, that typically precede a performance, but disappear shortly after the performance begins. This indicates a readiness to perform; and becomes a source of energy that improves the performance.

2. “Reactive anxiety” occurs as a result of insufficient preparation, lack of performance skills or experience on the part of the presenter. This will go away with practise and experience and of course, more public speaking. This is how business speakers get to the top; practise, practise, practise.

3. The hallmark of performance anxiety is usually associated with signs of physical and emotional discomfort such as sweating, shaking, voice quivering, rapid heart beating, feelings of fear, and panic. The thought that you will be unsuccessful at the speech is what causes these reactions.

Believing that your speech or performance will be a success is a way to alleviate these symptoms. Typically this is done by asking the performer to accept the fear and come up with ways to get round it such as breathing exercises, audience relation and practise. You may even start to enjoy public speaking as the fear gradually erodes away.

Graduation ceremonies at university are very proud moments for those receiving their degree and the parents or friends who accompany them. Working towards a degree will bring you the chance to have a successful career, brighter job prospects and a life changing time away from home. The ceremony should celebrate the achievements of the attendees, and well chosen keynote speakers are one of the best ways that this can be done.

I do not think that a university life is for everyone, and I do not mean to sound like a snob, but picking a keynote speaker who has not been to university is the wrong decision for ceremony organisers to make. Going straight into a job after leaving school is a life completely different than if you choose to go to university for three or four years, and keynote speakers will not be able to relate with their audience if they have not gone through the same experiences.

There is an independence that comes with university. You live far away from home; have to live with people you might not like, become financially smart as soon as you start working out how much money you need to earn on top of your loan if you want to have a full social and academic life. These are things that you do not deal with when you stay at home.

For most people who go into work after school, they live with their parents for a number of months if not years, they choose friends to move in with when they do decide to leave home, and the security of a job contract leaves less financial worries than when you rely on student loans and part time work. And contrary to most people’s beliefs, those who do go to university mostly pay for the experience themselves by getting a part time job. Working through the holidays and paying of their loan once they have left.

And so when graduation ceremonies are being planned, the keynote speakers should be chosen on their experiences, including attending university themselves. If they have not been they will not be able to give a speech that targets their audience.

After a number of years studying at university, when you attend your graduation ceremony both the graduates and their parents will be full of pride. The work put in to achieving a degree means walking into a successful career, job prospects that a non-graduate could have or a life changing experience at the very least. The keynote speakers that are chosen to talk at the event should thus be chosen to reflect this achievement.

Whilst I fully support those people who decide not to go to university, choosing a keynote speaker who has not experienced a university life is sheer foolishness on the part of graduation organisers. Without knowing what it is like to be at university, keynote speakers cannot relate to their audience because life at university is completely different to life when you choose to go into a job straight from leaving school.

You become a more independent person faster when you go to university. You are faced with situation where you might be forced to live with people you do not get along with, you have to make new sets of friends and you have to be financially organised to be able to budget your loan or get a part time job to help with living costs. These are things that you do not deal with when you stay at home.

For most people who go into work after school, they live with their parents for a number of months if not years, they choose friends to move in with when they do decide to leave home, and the security of a job contract leaves less financial worries than when you rely on student loans and part time work. And contrary to most people’s beliefs, those who do go to university mostly pay for the experience themselves by getting a part time job. Working through the holidays and paying of their loan once they have left.

And so when graduation ceremonies are being planned, the keynote speakers should be chosen on their experiences, including attending university themselves. Otherwise their audience will be given a speech that has not resonance with their own lives for the past three years.