Tip: How to Inspire

How to inspire others in a downward economy, how help others finding energy and motivation, does anyone have the answers? Do you start by finding your own inner fire? Some practical answers exist, keep reading:
Photo by Ann Gordon Flickr CC

Public Speaking Skills

There are definite skills to be learned, in order to project and inspire. Carmine Gallo lists several on the Bloomberg BusinessWeek blog, my short-list would be:

• Hold out hope - hope is everything, no hope equals depression and absence of action. Action is motivating, just doing things physically makes you feel better. I once served on a Navy Sailing vessel, the way to endure sea-sickness was to polish brass - anything that keeps you doing something is better than waiting for the storm to subside. The hope that the storm will end and keeping occupied is the recipe.


• Use dynamic vocal delivery - If there is genuine emotion behind your words, people are moved. Anyone can recognize sincerity, you hear it when the voice is dynamic, sometimes soft and low then rising forcefully to underline a critical point.

Be nice

Genuine concern is another factor. At Wiki-how you can find the following list of suggestions:

• Be friendly


• Be thoughtful


• Try your best


• Know when to be quiet


• Be someone you'd want to be around

The effect of rapport is strong, a main building block is empathy, both central concepts in coaching. When you are in rapport, you move and breath in unison, just that can be inspiring.

Make it possible to feel good about work

Sylvia Ann Hewlett writes at the Forbes Woman that:

"People want to feel good about their company. They want to feel proud when they tell their friends and family where they work and what they do."

Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives can certainly make you proud, CSR is important for motivation as well as for all the other business reasons.

I find that working for something that is bigger than only one person motivates me. To work for a noble cause, to be on a quest unlocks hidden energy reserves. Then the action generated makes me feel better, soon the positive action gives results and the train is back on its tracks.

Do you agree? Any suggestions?