How can you create relatable and memorable characters in your motivational speech?

1 Choose your main character

Your main character is the hero of your story, the one who faces a challenge, overcomes an obstacle, or achieves a goal. Your main character should be someone who represents your audience, or someone who your audience can aspire to be. You can use yourself as the main character, or someone else who has a relevant and compelling story. The key is to make your main character relatable, by showing their flaws, struggles, motivations, and values. This will help your audience empathize with them and see themselves in their situation.

2 Give your character a voice

Your character needs to have a distinct and authentic voice that reflects their personality, background, and emotions. You can use dialogue, narration, or quotes to convey your character's voice and make them more alive and realistic. You can also use humor, metaphors, anecdotes, or slang to add flavor and interest to your character's voice. The goal is to make your character sound like a real person, not a cardboard cutout or a cliché.

3 Show your character's transformation

Your character's transformation is the core of your story, the part where they change, grow, or learn something as a result of their journey. Your character's transformation should be clear, meaningful, and relevant to your message and your audience. You can show your character's transformation by using contrast, before and after scenarios, or milestones and achievements. You can also use emotions, actions, or words to demonstrate how your character has changed or improved.

4 Support your character with secondary characters

Your secondary characters are the ones who help, hinder, or influence your main character along the way. They can be friends, family, mentors, enemies, or strangers. Your secondary characters should serve a purpose in your story, by providing support, conflict, guidance, or insight to your main character. They should also have some personality and depth, but not overshadow or distract from your main character. You can use secondary characters to add drama, humor, tension, or perspective to your story.

5 Use sensory details and vivid descriptions

Your character's story should not be a dry summary of facts and events, but a vivid and immersive experience for your audience. You can use sensory details and vivid descriptions to make your character's story more engaging and memorable. You can use the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) to create a vivid picture of your character's setting, situation, and feelings. You can also use specific and concrete details to make your character's story more credible and relatable.

6 Align your character with your message and audience

Your character's story should not be an isolated or random episode, but a coherent and relevant part of your motivational speech. You should align your character's story with your main message and your audience's needs and interests. You should use your character's story to illustrate, support, or reinforce your main point, or to provide an example, a lesson, or a call to action. You should also use your character's story to connect with your audience, by addressing their pain points, challenges, goals, or values.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?