Motivational Speech Fail

Think it’s easy to come up with an inspiring motivational speech that captures an audience’s attention while conveying a message in a unique way? Maybe it’s not…

I came across this video today, of a guy attempting to motivate us to do something we feel is too difficult. He does this by breaking a board over his head. Or at least, that was the plan…

Take a look:

Motivational Speech Board Break Fail – Watch more Funny Videos

Wow. Just…wow…

My favorite part is near the end where he appears to have a fit and ridiculously keeps whacking himself in the head with the board.

The first question you must have, is why on earth would you post this?? He seems a little young, so I supposed he’s never heard of the movie making concept of “Take 2.” Perhaps someone should share this idea with him…

His intention was to inspire us and to teach us that we can do anything if we

1. Believe In Yourself
2. Formulate a Plan of Action
3. Follow Through With It

Um, I didn’t walk away from this believing in those lessons. Here are a few things I did learn from it:

Sometimes It Is External Factors

He makes a big point at the beginning about how if you fail, it’s all your fault, and you shouldn’t blame external factors. Well, sometimes it is the external factors.

His primary issue was that plywood is tough to break, especially when it’s that flexible. If he had a 4-inch thick piece of reinforced oak, I doubt anyone would say, “it’s all your fault, you didn’t believe in yourself, don’t blame external factors.”

The better lesson is that sometimes original plan will fail. Rather than wallowing in shame or self-guilt, reevaluate both your effort and the plan and the external factors, and then decide how to proceed.

Practice and Preparation Matter!

Did anybody else get the sense that this was the first time this guy attempted to break a board over his head? Wouldn’t a dry run have made some sense??

I’ve trained in and taught martial arts for a long time. At tests, we have students break wood. Almost all of them are smart enough to try their break once or twice in the weeks leading up to the test (especially those who have never broken before).

As someone who teaches, speaks on, and has performed improv comedy for 18+ years, people are sometimes surprised to learn that I will practice material and go over my speeches before presenting. “Why not just improvise?” they say. Why? Because I am smart enough to know that a little practice and prep go a long way (for written stuff – my improv is obviously always improvised…)

Persistence Counts

I suppose we have to give the guy some credit…after 2 boards and 742 whacks against his head, he finally broke through. It just goes to show that if you keep at it long enough, even a stupid plan can get you results.

Not sure what this guy’s deal is, but wow, if he’s going for “motivational speaker” he’s got a long way to go – unless he’s a motivational humorist, and he’s doing some kind of meta-humor tinged with irony. In which case he is some kind of Andy Kauffman-esque comic genius. Hmm, I have over 20 years of martial arts experience…maybe I could steal this guys routine and open my speech by failing to break a board with my head ten or twenty times. Hmm…

Here’s your quick Motivational Smart Ass takeaway lessons for today:

1. Don’t do stupid things
2. If you do stupid things, don’t record them
3. If you do record them, don’t upload them for the world to see

Now was that so hard…?

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Want help writing your motivational or humorous speech? Then check out Avish’s Virtual Humor Coaching program page now!
 

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By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

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