Creating and maintaining motivation can prove very tricky. What are the most successful ways to inspire motivation in others?

If the remit of your speech is to generate sustained motivation for a group, here are three things you can do:

1. Pre-speaking
   In your preparation, the material you choose should focus on facts and stories that enhance sustained motivation in life and at work. I have personally worked with scientists in the fields of sports and management for over 20 years. I have summarized their insights on sustained motivation in one short phrase. I call this the “3 C’s of motivation: Choice, Community and Competence”.
   Decades of research show that these elements motivate people longer than special bonuses, vacations or other perks. Talks that focus on enhancing the autonomy and sense of purpose of workers; the boosting of a community spirit and the possibility of continuously honing one’s skills should have lasting and positive effects on motivation.
2. While speaking
   As a public speaker your own approach to your job will also affect how your audience absorbs your message. Public speaking is a highly reflexive discipline. Your presence works like a mirror. If you smile at your audience, most of them will smile back at you. If you look motivated and energized, most of the audience will respond in kind. The effect of a genuinely “motivated talk” can last beyond a specific event and motivate people in their everyday lives.
3. Post-speaking
   If your audience liked your ideas and stories, you can perhaps advise management on specific ways and means to sustain motivation. You can assist leaders to devise incentive schemes to motivate workers well beyond any meeting or seminar.

What do you believe are the most important qualities required to be a successful moderator at a business event?

Much like any public speaking, to be an effective moderator you need to deep dive into understanding the context of the event you are hosting. The first set of questions are these three Why? questions: 1. Why are people coming to this event? 2. Why does this community/company exist? 3. Why am I moderating this event? The clearer the answers to these questions are, the stronger the foundation for your moderation of the event will be.

The main difference between keynote speaking and moderation is that the focus of your attention is mostly on others. In addition to understanding the profile of your audience, you need to develop working knowledge of the content and personality of every speaker coming on stage.

Based on this information, you need to draft a preliminary script to support your performance. The biggest challenge and responsibility for a moderator is to create a unique and holistic experience for the audience. The goal is to educate, entertain and even surprise your audience throughout the event. Setting and keeping the appropriate tone for the event is the result of good preparation as well as the ability to take unscripted risks and improvise. This is usually when the event gets particularly interesting.

Every event should be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for your audience. Hiring the right moderator is your best insurance policy to avoid the risk of disappointing the audience and the organizers who have painstakingly attracted quality people to the event.

You are accomplished in many areas, not least as being an entrepreneur. What led you to being an entrepreneur and how do you become a successful one?

Curiosity and a sense of adventure have driven me throughout my career. I have taken every position and every startup as an exciting learning project. Though it may sound a cliché, the entrepreneurial journey is the reward. The entrepreneur’s journey holds a special charge of insights and satisfaction. It is often the hardest times that produce the best growth opportunities.
I discuss what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur in one of my books The Finnish Miracle. It includes a series of stories of successful (and unsuccessful) entrepreneurs and leaders from a fascinating Nordic country.
The emergence of an agrarian state into a world-class society and economy, the rise and fall of Nokia and the education of the happiest people in the world are some of the transformational stories of this book. I present a model for success based on these stories called the Possibility Model©. I use this framework to motivate and coach leaders and entrepreneurs to develop sustainable success in their ventures. It includes an overview of what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur such as openness, a healthy approach to risk taking, innovation, grit and most importantly, the continuous quest for the holy grail of entrepreneurial success – Positive Uniqueness.

In what ways do you believe that public speaking can be used as a tool to become an effective leader?

A business leader who struggles with public speaking is like a car with three wheels. It might get you to your destination but the risk of something going wrong is high.

The President of one of the largest banks in the Nordics recently surprised me when he said that the greatest challenge in his leadership was “Communication, communication and communication.” It seems that the importance of effective communication in leadership has come of age in many parts of the business world. Many now recognise that brilliant leadership requires brilliant communication.

Public speaking is a critical part of a leader’s communication toolbox. By understanding the framework and technical requirements of solid public speaking, a leader can significantly improve corporate performance. I explore this topic in my upcoming book “Speak or Die – How to Speak with Impact in the Information Age”. The leaders who have attended my Rheto-rich© workshops have praised it for its holistic approach to increase public speaking effectiveness.