A recent news article pointed to schools in one region of America where a motivational speaker has been drafted in to help tackle bullying.
Bullying is obviously a serious problem which affects schools the world over and campaigners believe that more should be done to protect children and teenagers from the damage it can cause.
However since the dawn of the internet, cyber bullyinghas become an increasing problem, particularly because the internet offers the bullies a bigger forum for bullying which is outside of the jurisdiction of the school.
So what can a motivational speakerdo? And should we be employing them in British schools with a bullyingproblem? The speaker is generally drafted in to speak on the topic of school unity in order to create a sense of solidarity amongst pupils or students.
In tackling bullying though, the speaker might choose to talk about bullying itself and the importance of kindness and respect.
Young people and teenagers when confronted by adults about such topics as respect are often inclined to become quite defensive, particularly if they perceive the adult's tone to be accusatory.
A good motivational speaker will be trained in public speaking and so will be able to adopt the right tone of voice.
The motivational speaker will be well versed in putting a positive spin on things, so is very likely to be able to instill in young people the positives of kindness and respect, such as making more friends and earning respect for oneself.
It might be an unconventional idea, but perhaps a motivational speaker could be just what we need to take the first steps towards tackling bullying.