If you’re looking for a speaker to help your company improve teamwork, productivity and morale, then you will probably be looking for a motivational speaker. If you want somebody to speak at your event, or fundraising dinner, then a public speaker will probably be more appropriate. How would you differentiate between the two types of speaker?

A motivational speaker will become interested in your business, find out more about what you do, and how you operate. This will allow them to create the right sort of presentation that is designed to be unique to you. There is unlikely to be a "one size fits all" presentation, as all companies are different.

The motivational speaker will find out in advance what you need to achieve from the session, and incorporate this into the session. You might want to increase productivity, increase morale, or improve communication within the organisation.

A motivational speaker will have the skills and experience to help you achieve these aims. Drawing on experience and skills, the speaker will perhaps use analogies and situations outside the workplace, to get the message across.

A good motivational speaker will follow up after the event to see how you’ve progressed. This will allow them to see how processes, procedures and perhaps even working practices have changed for the better. If things haven’t changed, they can offer ideas and advice on how you can achieve your aims.

A motivational speaker will not necessarily a household name. They will however, be a leader in their field, or have the experience of being in similar circumstances or recognising scenarios, and will know how to improve the current situation.

A motivational speaker will inspire and motivate staff to improve morale and productivity. This can be by making staff feel more valued, helping to change processes or procedures, improving communication, making better use of staff’s existing skillsets and more.

A public speaker is likely to be a celebrity or well known person. They could for example, be an expert in their field, or a TV or radio personality. They may have a "rags to riches" type of story, rather than one of turning round ailing companies or increasing turnover.

A public speaker will probably talk about their experiences and how they were affected by them, and how their experiences have changed them, rather than relating them to a business environment.

A public speaker is likely to give the same speech to every audience, as it is not tailored for a particular company or industry sector.

Public speakers are ideal for functions such as fundraising dinners, and are a great way to encourage people to attend an event. Just imagine a world-famous celebrity turning up and speaking at your event!

Whilst the public speaker may be funny, entertaining and forthright, there tale is probably not one that will be relevant in the workplace. There is not likely to be much that you could take, that would make you more productive, or improve morale.