They need to be engaging and provide meaningful cutting edge content. A keynote is not the time for filler or generic information. When planning a conference agenda , keep these points in mind for speaker time slots:. It depends on the keynote speaker. Some people are painful to listen to for only five minutes, while others can captivate a crowd for hours on end. Ask the speaker how much time they need or hire motivational speakers who can cater the content to the allotted time slot.
If you are looking for an engaging keynote for a longer time frame you need a speaker who has this level of experience. A keynote speaker is a high impact draw for the audience so the speaker has to be engaging throughout the whole speech.
In larger keynote sessions, audience interaction is also more limited because of the size of the audience. Thus, you need a high impact, engaging presentation that doesn't rely on group activities.
Be wary of a keynote speaker who will fill the extra time with group work because it isn't easily facilitated in a large crowd. Large groups of people may lose interest in the activity and get up and leave. It depends on the topic. Any guest speaker would be hard pressed to deliver "1, Ways to Audit Your Business Unit" in only 15 minutes.
However, a short motivational speech may be just what people need for a quick twenty minute energy booster. In any case, the keynote speaker is responsible for delivering any overt or hidden messages associated with setting the tone. Generally, this means following a script of sorts, but some keynote speakers may take their own approach, especially if their individual goal is to be dynamic and inspiring. However, keynote speakers are also usually chosen because they have a high level of visibility in their chosen industry and a unique level of expertise.
This gives them the authority to give an overview of the industry, positioned as an expert, and, to some degree, approach the keynote with their own flair and personal style. It also means they can generally command a higher fee than standard guest speakers. For the most part, guest and keynote speakers are relatively similar in terms of speaking capability.
That said, between the two groups, there are a few key differences. Many events, for example, hire guest speakers to focus on a specific subtopic of the event in detail. Another reason they may be hired is to break up the more serious segments of a multi-day event or to provide a unique perspective on the overarching theme of the event.
Similarly, the second key difference between guest speakers and keynote speakers is how much of their career depends on professional speaking. For keynote speakers, speaking is usually a full-time career. By contrast, guest speakers generally focus on speaking as a part-time component of their career or are full-time speakers that are still building their speaking businesses.
A full-time speaker, for example, may deliver the keynote for a mid-sized event in their industry but act as a guest speaker for an event with more prestigious industry experts. In the speaking industry, all keynote speakers can be guest speakers, but not all guest speakers can deliver keynotes.
In total, there are many reasons why an event organizer might hire a keynote speaker, most of which depend on the nature of the individual event. From there, planners break these different elements down and match them to specific reasons to hire a keynote speaker. But, the main reason to hire one is still to kick off the event with a bang. At that point, after finding keynote speakers that meet the event criteria, a secondary reason to hire one is to help the audience members connect with the event material.
However, hiring a keynote speaker that relates to the audience elevates these benefits. After all, no one really loves learning about marketing statistics or industry trends.
But, if event planners find someone that makes it interesting from the beginning — and connects with their audience — everything else about the event automatically becomes worth listening to. They simply have to choose a speaker that reinforces the theme s outlined by the keynote speaker and builds on a related topic. This added flexibility allows event planners to choose guest speakers for a wide range of reasons.
For example, at a multi-day event, guest speakers may be hired to share their specific experience related to the total event theme or to emphasize the importance of a new technology or technique. Conversely, at a small corporate event, guest speakers may be hired standalone, to accomplish a single one of these goals as part of a one-day event. In some cases, though, event planners take a completely different approach and hire guest speakers simply to provide a change of pace.
These include:. In these instances, guest speakers may even be celebrities from outside the industry or the scope of the event.
More often than not, however, event planners hire guest speakers to add support for their audience. Sometimes, that support is in conjunction with a keynote speaker, sometimes not. For better or worse, there are many different answers to this question. This may seem obvious and fundamental, but if the event in question is technical, a visionary speaker may lack the necessary chops to connect with attendees at the desired level.
Likewise, if the event is narrowly focused, the level of knowledge takes on far more importance in framing the search. No one wants to sit through a speech from a speaker who lacks basic knowledge of pacing, presentation, and how to engage an audience.
Consequently, event planners almost always want to see the mastery of specific skills. These include timing, a sense of narrative, and the ability to include stories, in addition to the requisite ability to present specific techniques and use data and analysis to support the presentation.
Third, planners look for speakers that are relevant. Is the speaker a match with what their attendees are looking for? Is the presentation likely to stray? Will they need to reel in a prospective speaker, or can he or she stick to a script? All of these answers may affect their decision. Fourth, another aspect event planners consider when hiring keynote or guest speakers is their event budget.
For example, my mother has been a practicing veterinarian and veterinary educator for over 30 years. Yet, if she wanted to launch a speaking career, none of this experience is immediately visible online. To avoid this in your own speaking business — especially if you already have a lot of experience — broaden your collaboration efforts within your niche. Reach out to other industry professionals and ask to contribute to their content.
It can be a guest blog post, an appearance on their podcast, or a video for their social media channels. Finally, the last and most time-consuming step to becoming a keynote speaker is selling. Ultimately, learning how to become a keynote speaker is a long road. Depending on your speaking experience — and your experience in your focus industry ies — you may already be well on your way! Regardless, I hope this guide helps you speed up the process and achieve your goal of becoming a keynote speaker in the near future.
Additionally, for niche-specific speaking guides, see the following resources or shoot us an email at [email protected]. Stay in the flow with the latest operations, sales, and marketing tips, tricks, and news for professional speakers.
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