General Discussion Instructions

You are required to post to this discussion THREE TIMES, on THREE DIFFERENT DAYS. Please refer to the Discussion Grading Rubric for details regarding how your performance will be assessed. NOTE: Please be certain to read the entire discussion assignment since in some cases there is more than one question you need to discuss, respond to, or address. Be sure that you have answered the entire question!

Post 1: Initial Post

This posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph and a maximum of two paragraphs. Word totals for this post should be in the 100–200-word range. Whether you agree or disagree, explain why with supporting evidence and concepts from the readings or a related experience. Include a reference, link, or citation when appropriate.

Preparation

Some motivational speakers are paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to speak to stadium-sized crowds. People buy books, listen to podcasts, and attend seminars—all in the hope of finding the motivation to accomplish their goals or make their dreams come true. Without question, people want to be motivated! However, there is probably a difference between a celebrity speaker stirring up a crowd and someone who can genuinely motivate others to reach their goals. Motivational speaker Tony Robbins recently got into some trouble when sixty people were injured while trying to walk barefoot across a bed of hot coals after attending one of his presentations (http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/24/us/tony-robbins-hot-coal-walkers-burned/). Was that motivation? You decide.

True motivation sets a person on a path that he or she can continue to travel even after the individual who lit the spark is gone. These are the motivating people we want to identify and talk about here.

For the purpose of discussion, choose an individual known for providing motivation to others. This person can be alive or deceased, from business, politics, or society at large. You’ll need to select someone you can research and provide proof of that research to your classmates and instructor.

For Discussion

1. Tell your classmates whom you selected and why.
2. Provide an example (supported by research) of a time when this individual served as a motivator for others.
3. Based on the material you studied in this chapter, the experience of being motivated yourself, and your experience motivating others, what is it about this person that you believe made or makes them a motivator. Do they motivate YOU? Why?

Posts 2 and 3: Respond to Classmates’ Posts

Instructions

After you have created your initial post, look over the discussion posts of your classmates and give at least two thoughtful responses to two different classmates (one per classmate) as outlined in the Discussion Grading Rubric.

A response posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph. Word totals for these posts should be in the 75–100-word range. Whether you agree or disagree, explain why with supporting evidence and concepts from the readings or a related experience. Include a reference, link, or citation when appropriate. The goal of your response posts is to extend discussions already taking place or pose new possibilities or opinions not previously voiced. Your goal should be to motivate the group discussion and present a creative approach to the topic.