Best one I ever heard was during a bone chilling blizzard:
“It’s too cold to sleep under bridges, so; we’d better get to work.”
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We can’t work in this rain, let’s go fishing.
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Make your point in (90) Ninety Seconds, or less.
The so called “elevator speech” because that might be your only contact opportunity to make your point, or miss it.
The “Executive Brief.”
Decision makers don’t have time to spare on “click bait.”
There is a book titled: “Write to the Point.”
Every thing else is just window dressing, or stuffing.
Cut the unnecessary.
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Having flashbacks to so much trauma during 25yrs in corporate America. So many buzzwords, catch phrases, “elevator pitches”… endless PowerPoint presentations… so much of which ultimately had little to no impact on anything at the end of the day. 
I’m sure there are short, motivational speeches of consequence. I can’t think of any from my personal experiences. If there were, it’s been drowned out by the BS passed off as such.
Things I’ve uttered to motivate were simply acknowledgements when someone went the extra mile or accomplished something difficult, especially when it was to the benefit of the entire team/dept/company rather than just their specific area of responsibilities. When you respond with gratitude for those efforts (especially if you can pair it with a bonus), people get motivated to do more of the same. But you’d better know what you’re talking about. If you elevate mediocrity and reward it as if it’s significant, the whole team knows it’s BS and is demotivated. The same if you elevate the most vocal member of the team who did little while ignoring the one or more who actually made things happen. But if you get it right, it’s very motivational.
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“ That is just about the dumbest idea I’ve heard so far. Who else has anything better?”
Me…
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“Get your ass in gear” has worked wonders for me.
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“This is a dumb place for them to find your body” — Unknown
Heard during a hypothermia induced NDE, somehow woke me up from passed out in a snowbank and gave me the strength to keep walking the next few miles to proper shelter.
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There is an online military community news outlet titled Task&Purpose.com
It features news articles and analysis of military issues.
Its name reminds me of the focus of a lot of military training, and academies.
Back to basics is a reoccurring theme.
If you have a purpose to accomplish anything task it, and preform those tasks with purpose.
Persist until you prevail.
Stay focused, and undistracted to that end.
The biggest problem with all the focus on DEI regardless of content is the enormous amount of time, man-hours, devoted in every organization, private sector, government, civilian and military, etc.
That lost productivity to being subjected to brainwashing time wasted that could have found solutions to much more serious problems like a cure for cancer.
Or, improving our military’s lethality.
Or, conquering whatever you are passionate about personally, what’s your cause?
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I think “love, love hate, hate” sums it up very nicely.
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“If I have to do your job I don’t need you.”
One of my previous bosses a loooooooong time ago. Learned I have to be REALLY GOOD at my job AND my bosses job too if I want to move up in the food chain.
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Short Motivational speech…Hmmmmmm? 
Heard HERE!
"B.I.B! " 
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That is how we promote in the military, you do your job well enough to the point that you set your sights on the next rung start learning it and doing it, once proficient at get promoted to it, and repeat that, so on…
Also, once you climb a rung on that career ladder you become a trainer for your replacement to succeed you on your next move up. So, while you are doing your job at any level you are helping those at the level you were at to make their next move up, while at the same time looking at your own next move up. And, not be distracted from any aspect of that process that does not support that or bring value to that. That is how our military leadership is wired. To support the success of the greater service, military, country to succeed, not just yourself. Always, looking to self and organizational improvement to excellence.
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“Treat others in the same way you would want to be treated“
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Philip II of Macedon once asked Sparta whether he should come as friend or foe. No reply was forthcoming.
Losing patience, Philip sent the Spartans another message:
“If I invade Laconia, I shall turn you out.”
The Spartans replied:
“If.”
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Best motivational speeches I have ever had said to me.
- Thank you. (That’s it. That’s all that has to be said.)
- My dad to me as a little boy when I was afraid to take out the trash: “you better be more afraid of what’s inside the house then what’s out there in the dark.” Yep. He walks with a cane and I’m still a little bit afraid of him and I think that’s sort of ok.
- Probably said by my mom to me when I was a little boy: “stop your crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.” Ok. Ok. I’ll admit. She said that to me last week.
- Honestly, one of the most motivational things said in a working context was by an illiterate, elderly, close to physically disabled man who used to clean our buildings. He said, you are so busy, but anytime I come in here and sit down to take a break you stop what you’re doing and listen and talk to me. Man. I’ll never forget that. People matter. To do lists matter. But not as much as people.
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My corporate “cube farm” advise from a co-worker: “If you can’t dazzle 'em with data, then just baffle 'em with bullshit.”
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I’m motivated.
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My company hired some dumbass over educated chick with zero real world experience to “teach” us how to manage our teams. She was asking questions to each member of the “class” to get to know us better. I was by far the most “senior” person in the room.
She asked me how I motivated the members of my team?
I answered her, “They get to keep their jobs and they get paid a pile of money to do it.”
She then asked how do I help them get better.
I answered “I only accept self-starters, proactive, stars in my team, armed with a stellar set of skills. They take care of their own development.”
She then asked me how MY boss motivated me. I said my boss and I agree on the goals of my team once a year and from then on I spoke to him 15 minutes a week and told HIM what was going on and how we are ahead of schedule on meeting our goals. I don’t need HIM to motivate or direct me. That’s MY job.
The real world is a tough place that doesn’t coddle the folks in constant need of outside motivation and acceptance.
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Before the injury that disabled me, I was a Regional VP at a Fortune 500 Company (Retail)That was one of the things that got me promoted. It was the sheer number of Store Managers, Market Managers, Regional Managers Ihad hired. I had my replacement trained and ready to move up every time a position opened. The CEO said that was one of the reasons I was promoted so fast. I took failing stores, markets and regions, fixed them and had my replacement ready to go.
Roughly half the multi unit managers in the Southeast Region came from my region and had been trained by me. That was one of the most important lessons the man, who mentored me in that industry, taught me “a rising tide floats all boats”.
That you couldn’t rise without people above reaching down for you and the people in the hierarchy below you lifting you up.
That and to “Don’t dress for the position you have, dress for the position you wanted” I miss that guy… He passed a few years ago.
As far as motivational speeches? Military Acronyms worked pretty well for me. Here are some of my favorites.
A) KISS Keep II Simple, Stupid.
B) PPPPPP Proper Planning PreventsPiss Poor Performance
Also a few pithy sayings such as
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Do Not Meddle In The Affairs Of Dragons. For You Are Crunchy And Taste Good With Ketchup.
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There is no problem so serious that it can not be solved by a sustained artillery barrage.
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