Teenagers need help staying focused and motivated, which is why many schools are enlisting youth speaker assistance. These speakers understand what it takes to get through to a younger audience. Through entertaining lectures and inspirational speeches, these speakers share personal experiences and relay messages to students regarding hot topics in today’s society.
What is a youth speaker?
A youth speaker delivers speeches in front of students with the goal of inspiring and motivating them. He or she has a reputation of being an expert in his or her field, and offers an alternative perspective for students to consider when it comes to hot topics in the community.
Current hot topics include drug abuse, bullying and going to college. Through their own talents and abilities, youth speakers strive to share experiences that will inspire students to be the best they can be.
Motivation speakers for youth also need to entertain and put on a captivating performance. A certain level of entertainment is needed for these speakers to keep the attention of the audience from start to finish.
Some motivational youth speakers are hired to speak as special guests at schools during assemblies, at special events and in front of small clubs or groups. Many of these speakers travel a planned circuit of cities where they have an outlined speaking engagements planned out well in advance.
If the motivational speaker you want is not available to come to your school, it might be possible to still benefit from their expertise. Some of the most popular speakers have books, DVD’s and CD’s available for purchase to share with your students.
Areas of youth motivational speaking
Every motivational speaker has an area of expertise based on their personal experiences and background. Some topics a youth speaker may cover include:
- Personal development: This type of speaker helps students understand the importance of goals and how what they do now could affect their future.
- Bullying: This type of speaker focuses on raising awareness against bullying and offers interactive and educational performances to teach students the issues associated with bullying.
- Community: This type of speaker focuses on sharing the importance of social and community issues. Students are shown the importance of taking action and rallying in their community for a good cause.
Top reasons to use a youth speaker
Kids need guidance today more than ever. While growing up, kids need encouragement to build courage, have strong ethical values and be able to develop critical thinking skills. According to MCP Speakers, here are some reasons why you need to keep your students motivated by using a motivational speaker:
- They can help pinpoint what is holding students back
- Identify challenges students are facing and show them the opportunities that are in the future
- Offer expert advice
- Bring in a speaker when things are tough to help raise student morale
- Students will react better if you have a speaker they can relate to
- Students will see they are not alone when they hear someone else talk about the same problems they are going through
- Brings students together
Christian youth speakers
In addition to the above listed areas of motivational speaking for youth, there is a category of speakers who focus on relaying their motivation through a Christian-based message. A popular Christian youth speaker can help with their success.
Other Christian speakers for youth include:
- Dirk Been, original cast member of CBS’s Survivor
- Erin Bethea, co-star of the movie Fireproof
- John Sundquist, Paralympic racer
- Jonathan Evans, former NFL Fullback
- Kevin Sorbo, outspoken conservative actor
- Melvin Adams, former Harlem Globetrotter
- Nicole Johnson, bestselling author and dramatist
- Robert Amaya, played Javier Martinez in “Courageous”
- Tina Griffin, former Hollywood actress
- T.C. Stallings, star of “War Room”
Why we need to keep our youth motivated
According to Ed Psych Interactive, motivation is a performance of all learned responses that will not occur unless a person is energized. A motivational speaker is sometimes what it takes to energize students into becoming fully motivated.
This motivation is necessary to keep students focused in school, in their extracurricular activities and in their community. Without motivation, schools could face a drop in attendance, overall grades and in some cases an increase in bullying incidents.
How to become a motivational speaker for youth
Those wanting to become motivational speakers need to have a willingness to share their personal stories and a desire to help others through a tough situation. Becoming a motivational speaker can be a rewarding career, but can be very demanding. It is important to be prepared to be on the road and face some kids who do not want to be motivated.
According to YouthMotivationalSpeaker.com, here are some tips to consider when wanting to become a motivational speaker:
- Make sure you are wanting to help young people
- Do not lie or embellish your story
- Determine your preferred audience – elementary, middle or high school
- Develop your own way to speak
- Document every keynote that you want to present to your audiences
Tips for motivating the youth
Motivational speakers for youth know how to get kids motivated and work hard to inspire students to take action. According to Coach Parker, here are some of the top ways to get students motivated:
- Be passionate
- Be knowledgeable
- Have a common interest
- Have fire in your eyes and heart
- Offer peer recognition
- Offer personal acknowledgement
- Have a sense of humor
- Have strong work ethic
If you are looking for a way to get your students motivated or have a need to get their spirits up, look into hiring a motivational youth speaker. These speakers have the experience in working with youth and know how to get different groups and individuals motivated. Your school and your students will both benefit from having the speaker come to your school.