Using a motivational speaker is more and more commonplace, particularly in business settings. Increasingly, though, schools are more interested in enlisting the help of a motivational speaker. This is because educators and youth workers are increasingly recognising that young people are the perfect people to benefit from the advice and input of such a speaker.

Young people in schools and youth groups face many problems including disaffection, violence and gang culture, drugs and unemployment. Obviously, a motivational speaker cannot eliminate these problems but can certainly make a difference to how young people perceive the problems and themselves. Instilling positivity and self esteem in the young people helps to improve self worth, which in turn allows youngsters to rise to challenges and overcome barriers. Educators often cite that one of the most important messages a motivational speaker instils in a young audience is that they themselves are responsible for their own destiny and their future and that apathy is not an option.

It takes an especially gifted motivational speaker to communicate with young people. Getting a message across to an often unsympathetic audience is never easy and building a rapport with a young audience is more important than anything else.

Often educators and youth leaders prefer to choose a motivational speaker who is young, believing that this will help the audience to relate to the speaker. This is often helpful but is not as important as manner and ability to empathise with the audience. Targeting young people requires a tailored approach to a presentation which may be interactive to maintain interest.