NA 2 - File 1A - What motivates us

Dear students & readers of this blog,

We have finally started our book, and we are talking about MOTIVATION. But what exactly is that?

According to the Business Dictionary online, motivation is:

"Internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested in and committed to a job, role, or subject, and to exert persistent effort in attaining a goal

Motivation results from the interactions among conscious and unconscious factors such as the (1) intensity of desire or need, (2) incentive or reward value of the goal, and (3) expectations of the individual and of his or her significant others." (www.businessdictionary.com)


But what motivates people anyway? Yesterday in class we talked about the different types of motivation:

• Intrinsic: motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure.


• Extrinsic: motivation that comes from outside an individual. The motivating factors are external, or outside, rewards such as money or grades. These rewards provide satisfaction and pleasure that the task itself may not provide.


• Integrative: When students want to learn a language to become part of a speech community (integrate). People who immigrate to new countries are some examples of people who may want to identify with the community around them. An important aspect of this form of language learning is using language for social interaction. This form of motivation is thought to produce success in language learners. This is often compared to instrumental motivation.

Is that the truth, and nothing but the truth, about motivation? Here's a video that can throw some light into the issue:

In the year 2005, Apple & Pixar CEO Steve Jobs delivered a speech at the Commencement ceremony at Stanford University that inspired many. Here it is:

Here you can find some comprehension questions on Steve Job's speech:

1- What is the tone Steve Jobs uses in his speech? What kind of language does he use?

2- What are the three stories that he shares with the graduate students?

3- What important topics does he talk about?

(Thanks very much to Elena Rebollo, colleague of the English Department at the Official Language School of  Plasencia for this activity)

 What it is that motivates you, at work in particular, or in life, in general? Go ahead and tell us. Write a comment!