Why would someone ever need to speak to inspire? What is inspiring speech? The following blog is a summary of Chapter 5 of the book by Aletta Rochat, called “Speak, Connect and Succeed”
Most of us, sometime or another will end up in a leadership role, whether you are a father or project leader or just a contributor to a team, I often find that people is not very motivated to take action or buy into an idea unless they are motivated by something. This is where inspiration comes in.
To inspire, your presentation will have to be emotive. Your speaking needs to bring some form of emotion to surface. You often need to speak about hopes, dreams, and aspirations, things your audience care about. Inspirational speaking validates effort and recognizes struggles. To speak inspirationally sometimes mean that you not only honour someone’s contribution, but you also validate their worth. You express belief and passion when you speak. You’re speaking to potential, possibility and hope. You’re speaking about overcoming fear and obstacles and possibilities. Inspirational speaking often includes humor and personal stories to make it more entertaining and easier to relate to.
Speaking to inspire means that you can put things into perspective. You can make the most mundane tasks seem like the most important task for that person. How many mundane task fill out or days, we have those opportunities to inspire people to keep going. If you can connect with and inspire your team you can get buy in for almost anything. When someone does something that has a higher purpose, something that is meaningful to him and the team everyone will be motivated and inspired to deliver.
The author use an example of one of her leaders addressing an issue with the staff, i.e. late coming of the staff. She points out how that meeting opportunity could have been used to inspire the team, but was used to reprimand and made team members feeling irritated rather than inspired.
All of us sometimes doubt ourselves, and when we are validated by someone it inspires us. We need to think of inspirational speaking like a habit, do it regularly similar to watering a flower. People often need to be validated and inspired to be their best. As the author states “Personal words of encouragement and validation is far more prized than trophies, certificates and titles”
The author states that one aspect of speaking to inspire involves adding your personal story, tell them how their words or actions have impacted you. You are also a huge asset to any team of you can inspire and validate others. The author shares a story about a Leadership workshop that she facilitated in Zimbabwe, where team members were later asked to validate each other and how this changed the energy in the room by people pouring out in appreciation and left them feeling humbled and grateful. Validation is a powerful leadership tool, it helps build team spirit. If your team is not inspired look for opportunities to validate them.
To conclude, if no one on your team speaks to inspire you’re probably not getting much done and your team might not be fulfilling their true potential. Inspiration speaking involves emotion, hope, a vision, dreams, aspirations, honors contribution and worth, believes, passion, overcoming fear, obstacles and possibilities, it often includes humour and personal stories to make it more entertaining and easier to relate to. Inspiration does not only demands emotion, but thrives on emotion. The author states that inspirational speaking has a place in every conversation you have, every message you send, every post you post on social media. It is not confined to platform speaking.