Want to Motivate Your Audience? Pick a Power Word

The words that we attach to our experience become our experience…Simply by changing your habitual vocabulary—the words you consistently use to describe the emotions of your life—you can instantly change how you think, feel and how you live.” -Tony Robbins

If you take the time to browse through the TED home page, you’ll find presentations organized under tags like “technology” and “business.” And one of the most popular tags? “Inspirational.” People love to feel motivated to tackle the challenges they face in daily life, whether it’s coming to work early on a Monday or learning how to eat better for their own health. Inspirational speakers, like Tony Robbins in the quote above, are paid to come and ignite something bright within their audience. They want people to leave with a sense that they can change for the better, and can steer their own life into a new direction.

No matter what the message is, inspirational speeches share a vocabulary that moves their audience. This vocabulary is made of phrases and specific words that spark a reaction inside listeners. If you watch a sample of three to five different speeches under “inspirational,” these words are bound to appear.

If you want to capture that motivating experience within your own speech, use these “power words,” as inspired by this article, with a few additions of our own.

Want to Motivate Your Audience? Pick a Power Word

Action Words

Action words are verbs that give your audience a directive in order to achieve their dreams. Here are a few example of power verbs that can inspire:

Create

Discover

Change

Conquer

Vision Words

Vision words paint a picture of a future that is within reach. They use positivity mixed with action to help the audience feel encouraged that the future is bright and achievable. Here are a few examples of the vision words we mean:

Imagine

Bold

Spirit

Dream

Encouraging Words

Great coaches know how to motivate their team before a big game. They use words of encouragement to lift spirits and motivate players. You can accomplish the same effect in your presentation by including a few key motivators like the following:

Can

Will

Must

Possible

Make conscious decisions when you choose words to emphasize. Write down three or four of these power words, and then take special care to repeat them throughout your talk. You can even write them on the back of your hand for extra motivation and memory. Repetition is a good thing; it gives your audience a chance to let the concept sink deeper into their memory.

Here’s an example of a few power words in action: “You can conquer. You can change. You can create possibility.” Say those words out loud. Feels good, doesn’t it? A power word is meant to hit you in gut. A power word boldly says the things you are afraid to say, and the things that you don’t have enough confidence to say to yourself in the mirror. If you want to incite change with your message, consciously choose the vocabulary that is proven to have an effect on listeners.

Want some tips on how to further refine your message and become a more powerful speaker? Check out these related articles:

How To Deliver A Presentation Millennials Will Love

Embracing Your Voice: Delivery Inspiration From Freddie Mercury

The Shocking Secret To Awesome Presentations

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