This article covers the benefits of engaging motivational speakers to add to the quality of learning programmes and is a barely disguised marketing message for the author’s firm which recruits such people. I chose this article to review because I have always been highly sceptical of the benefits of such speakers and wanted to see how far the author could change my mind.
The answer is that my scepticism was not entirely removed but a number of my concerns were addressed. However, the glaring omission throughout the article is the issue of cost. Names are bandied about, from Steve Redgrave to Denise Lewis, without any mention of the fact that such people do not come cheap, probably out of reach of many who have restricted budgets. Or maybe the investment in such people means that savings have to be made elsewhere. This omission seems particularly strange as, at several points, the author makes the obligatory mention of the need to achieve 'ROI', which is even more difficult when there is likely to be such a major investment.
The article starts by the message that an effective learning experience needs to be 'high-impact, unique and memorable'. It could be argued that there are other factors that make learning effective - for instance interaction and engagement – and it is also possible to be unique and memorable while still being ineffective; most of us have been involved in sessions that we remember only because they failed to meet expectations in a big way. And the problem with famous people is that they so often fail to match the image, particularly when their verbal skills do not equal their other achievements.
It has to be admitted that the author does address this issue to some extent, stressing that it is important to find speakers with the right presentation skills, and the implication is that her company is the one who knows which of the available celebrities can deliver. She avoids other obvious criticisms by stressing that the starting point must be your learning objectives, rather than the speaker's 'standard spiel'. It is also suggested that you can influence such speakers to tailor their material to your company’s needs, which certainly would overcome one of my concerns if it is really deliverable. In practice I am sure celebrities' willingness to adapt varies widely.
My other concern was less easy to resolve. Throughout the article there is the assumption that we all experience a 'wow' factor when meeting or listening to celebrities; indeed there is the feeling that the author is so inclined. I am not sure how far this applies to a group of high achieving and maybe cynical senior managers who may question the relevance of sporting anecdotes to their own environment. It is true that not every motivational speaker is a sports person but this seems to be the vast majority; the author does suggest that successful business people may be a better alternative for some groups but, in this case, managers may well ask why their own top people cannot put over a more relevant message.
Despite all these reservations, the article does have a lot to offer for those who have thought things through and still believe that a celebrity speaker is right for their learning objectives and culture. The suggestion that you must find a speaker who fits the company context and culture may seem obvious good practice but it must be so tempting to avoid this step and go for the biggest name. The author also suggests that you should reject anyone, however famous and charismatic, if they are not interested in tailoring the message. I would also have added that the biggest names are not always the best speakers and that it is important to get a reference from someone who has heard the speaker deliver a similar message.
So I would recommend reading the article if you are already considering the celebrity route but I would also recommend obtaining costs at an early stage. One hears reports of A-Listers asking for more than £10k for an evening session so you have to be sure that this is the best way of spending your L & D budget. But the overall message is – follow the same principles and disciplines as you would for any other learning session and don’t get carried away by the aura of the celebrity.
Read the original article;
http://www.trainingjournal.com/feature/2012-09-01-learning-alongside-the-elite/
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