Being a motivational speaker is not easy. You need to know your audience, curate your stories and advice to target them. You have to be open enough to connect to them but active enough to keep them interested.
Unfortunately, there is diversity in an audience. They may have some things in common, but, ultimately, they are all different. They have different mindsets, views, and life experiences. To give them motivation, you have to touch every one of them. That is where Motivational Topics come into play.
Specific motivational topics can cover more than what is necessary. You can have a general theme, but you can narrow down parts with particular topics. This is a good thing, too, because the variety of topics can hit a broader range of audience. There may be some parts that some people can’t relate to, but other parts will have their full attention.
Having a set of topics for your motivational speech will keep things organized. It can prevent you from rambling on about a lot of stuff and confusing your audience. They will stop listening if they have no idea what you are talking about. These topics will help make things flow smoothly.
Here are the 14 Motivational Speech Topics.
#1. The future
The future could be a broad topic. Talking about the positive and negative possibilities of the future can urge them to act for the better. Make them see the consequences and probable outcomes of everything they say, do, and think. Show them how those actions can affect them and the people around them.
Once they know what they want to have in their future, they can plan what to do and what to avoid to get there.
You can also talk about how the future will affect them. Tell them that things will not be easy during their journey, but if they are determined and disciplined, they can achieve their ideal life.
#2. Being a better role model
Talking about being a better role model can be connected to the future, specifically how they can affect the people around them. Enlighten them on how important they are in the lives of the people surrounding them and that they play a significant role, especially to those who look up to them.
Make them see there are people who look up to them and want to be like them. They should set a good example. If they create more good people like them, they can shape the future into a world that is good for everyone.
#3. Breaking bad habits
Also connected to the future, breaking bad habits directly affects personal growth. Setting yourself apart from negative patterns will make room for positive growth. Tell the audiences the downside of sticking to things that hold them back or set them on the wrong path.
Talk to them about getting their lives straight and how they can do it. You can give them advice or tips that can set them back up. With good habits, they can attract a bright future. They can have better people surrounding them, an objective sense of success, and a generally happy life.
#4. Confidence and positivity
Confidence and determination easily go together. If they genuinely believe they can achieve something, they will do your best with all their hearts to get it. If they have doubts and reservations, chances are will start second-guessing and won’t go through with it.
You can hear a lot of people say, “Positive attracts positive,” and that’s true. People who think about the downside tend to dwell on the negative things, while people who are happy doing what they’re doing get the job done.
Instill in your audience the importance of confidence and positive thinking. But also remind them that being cocky will get them nowhere. In most cases, an overly confident person ends up humiliated.
#5. Stress and meditation
Stress is linked to negative thoughts. Focusing on these thoughts can lead them away from what is important. These important things vary from person to person, from self-improvement to spending more time with friends and family. Whatever the case, stress and negativity will leave anyone in a slump they cannot get out of.
In comes meditation. Meditation is a practice that can put a person in a peaceful and calm state that can help them view their situation with a clear mind.
There are various ways to meditate. Show your audience a few simple methods they can use daily. They can have a mantra or think only about what gives them peace and happiness—research other ways to cover at least the majority of the audience.
Show them the difference between living with a chaotic mind and a clear one. Give real-life examples of how each kind can impact a person’s life.
#6. Do things now rather than later
When people put things off for later, chances are they forget to do it. Then, they regret not doing it in the end. Instill in your audience the importance of now. It’s better to get things over with rather than prolonging the time you have to think about it then eventually rushing through it or forgetting about it.
There will always be a difference between doing something now versus later. There may also be numerous other possibilities that could happen between now and then. Who knows? Maybe doing that thing that needs to be done immediately could yield something far better than doing it in the future.
Also, tell them that, if they do it now, they will have plenty of time to do more.
#7. Being open-minded
Times are changing. What one thing meant decades ago means something entirely different now. It’s common for boomers and Gen Xers to go against what the current times are embodying. The children they strictly taught could also have the same mindset.
It’s your job as a motivational speaker to turn their minds around. Open them to the possibilities of today. Enlighten them on what they think and say that can hurt the people around them now. Show them that now is the time and place where everyone should get along and support each other.
#8. Respect begets respect
We currently live in a time and place where unity divides. Groups with the same ideals band together to tear down another group with opposing views. Instill in your audience that it does not matter if they think differently. What matters is that they respect each other’s opinions. It’s more important to unite to strengthen rather than destroy.
#9. Goal setting
When someone sets a goal, their complete focus is on achieving that. Tell your audience about the importance of goals. If they set goals, they can plan things accordingly and not live their lives messy, not knowing what to do next.
If they are unsure of what they want, give advice, tips, or even exercises to help them narrow their options. Your speech should guide them to a clearer and healthier path.
#10. Why people are never satisfied
There are pros and cons to never being satisfied. On the one hand, their ambition and drive can lead them to greater things. On the other, they will never enjoy what they have worked so hard for because they’re too busy thinking about the next thing.
While it is good to want more and better, again, show them the importance of now. They will never be happy if they keep thinking about besting their friends or wanting to get the promotion right away. Enjoy the little things you currently have. They might find that what they have is all they need.
#11. Patience
With the development of technology, we live in a fast-paced world. Because of this, people grow impatient, wanting everything immediately. It’s essential to take things slowly. The Proverb “Great things come to those who wait,” holds true because things that are worth it do not come immediately. They are worked for and waited on.
In the end, the fruit will be sweeter because of the things they’ve been through in between.
#12. Admitting mistakes and learning from them
Failures and mistakes are bound to happen to everyone. They happen not to humiliate or embarrass but to learn from.
This topic can be connected to being confident and cocky.
Confident people understand what they missed and are sure they can get back up if they learn from the mistake. Cocky people are too proud to admit their mistake. They overlook their fault and tend to blame everyone but themselves. Because they did not see and learn from their weakness, they get stuck and do not grow.
Show your audience how important it is to move forward by learning from the past. They can learn how to avoid a slip-up and continue growing.
#13. Controlling your tongue
Actions speak louder than words. That doesn’t mean words don’t significantly affect people. Tell your audience that what they say can have a lasting effect on people. It’s not just what they say but how they say it. They should think long and hard about what they will say and how it will affect the people around them.
#14. Treat others the way you want to be treated
This is a relatively simple topic to talk about. Empathy is a principal value to instill in the audience with this topic. You can do exercises that “put them in other people’s shoes.”
When they understand how other people feel when certain things are said or done to them, they will know better what to do and what things to avoid. People can live in peace and harmony when they achieve empathy.
Bottomline
What does this article aim to say? Motivational topics can make your speech even better. Motivational speakers have the power to change the minds of the masses if they know the right things to say. These topics can reach a wider range because of the diversity of themes targeted at the various types of people in the audience.
They can easily give motivation to the audience if they are organized, concise, and captivating. Each topic can have a different tone or activity to keep the audience engaged. The variety of topics can also ensure the speaker is relatable on more than one note. Being able to connect to people on a personal level will give you their full attention.
Other than being captivating and relatable, being organized will also keep the audience listening. Talking about something important but babbling chaotically will confuse people and turn their attention elsewhere.
We hope this content can help many speakers out there bring motivation to their listeners. Let this be a guide to help you know what to talk about and how to reach people. We also hope diversity will help you and not be a struggle for you.