Eastern Kentucky University
What is Motivating About Motivational Speakers?
Institution
Eastern Kentucky University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Richard Osbaldiston
Abstract
There is an entire industry of professional speakers whose sole purpose is to inspire and motivate audiences. Audiences leaving such presentations are aglow with enthusiasm; they often describe the experience as “awesome, inspiring, energizing, revolutionary, and incredible.” What exactly do motivational speakers say that has such powerful effects? This study is a systematic analysis of over 50 motivational programs (DVD’s and CD’s) that concern success in life, be that defined as happiness, self-improvement, fulfillment, or personal development. An abridged transcript was developed for each program, and each transcript was then coded for the major themes or points that the speakers made. Two independent coders evaluated each transcript for the extent to which it used each of 80 themes, and high levels of reliability were obtained (Cronbach’s alpha > .70). The most commonly presented themes were self-efficacy (you can do it if you believe you can), positive perspective (find the good in every situation), and introspection (look inside yourself for the answers to life’s questions). Further, the coders also evaluated the extent to which the 10 leading scientific theories of motivation were used by the speakers. Interestingly, the speakers relied on scientific research very little; Bem’s theory of self-perception and Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy were the two most commonly utilized theories, but they were only used by about half of the speakers.
What is Motivating About Motivational Speakers?
There is an entire industry of professional speakers whose sole purpose is to inspire and motivate audiences. Audiences leaving such presentations are aglow with enthusiasm; they often describe the experience as “awesome, inspiring, energizing, revolutionary, and incredible.” What exactly do motivational speakers say that has such powerful effects? This study is a systematic analysis of over 50 motivational programs (DVD’s and CD’s) that concern success in life, be that defined as happiness, self-improvement, fulfillment, or personal development. An abridged transcript was developed for each program, and each transcript was then coded for the major themes or points that the speakers made. Two independent coders evaluated each transcript for the extent to which it used each of 80 themes, and high levels of reliability were obtained (Cronbach’s alpha > .70). The most commonly presented themes were self-efficacy (you can do it if you believe you can), positive perspective (find the good in every situation), and introspection (look inside yourself for the answers to life’s questions). Further, the coders also evaluated the extent to which the 10 leading scientific theories of motivation were used by the speakers. Interestingly, the speakers relied on scientific research very little; Bem’s theory of self-perception and Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy were the two most commonly utilized theories, but they were only used by about half of the speakers.