A keynote speaker with a big name doesn’t always ensure that the keynote presentation will have the big impact you hope for. In this article, we will show you 4 criteria to look for when booking keynote speakers so you do get that big impact!
Here’s the problem you face when you are booking keynote speakers…
Every keynote speaker should leave the audience with an impactful take-away, but often that take-away is non-existent or very weak. As an event organiser you’ll want to make sure the speakers you book leave a positive, lasting impression.
While a famous speaker will help you fill the room because their name is a draw, if they fail to leave the audience with a meaningful experience, your events may not leave people feeling inspired, or motivated. Keep in mind, the audience is investing time, listening. They want that time to be valuable and worthwhile. But how do you measure the take-away experience and the lasting impression?
How to measure the impact of your keynote speaker
There are a number of criteria that will help you measure a speaker, but we believe they can be boiled down to four main headings. We’ve shared them below.
Before booking keynote speakers assess the following criteria:
1. Entertainment
‘Entertainment’, ‘inspiration’ and ‘motivation’ are used so often at the enquiry stage, it’s almost a given. In fact, at Stellar Speakers we believe ALL speakers should be entertaining and provide inspiration and motivation, if they don’t, they are not doing their job! Assuming entertainment, inspiration and motivation are a given, the question then becomes: ‘What else do you/ your audience need to make this a superb event?”
2. Impact
Your event will have a theme and your keynote speaker will add context to that theme. Throughout the keynote address, you will want the speaker to develop a memorable message through their keynote that the audience can then take away. How deep the message goes depends entirely on the type of event you are running.
We suggest every speaker should have a memorable, recognisable message to share. We also suggest that impact goes deeper than a series of stories.
Often celebrity speakers will share their stories, which may tick the entertainment box, especially if they make you laugh, but unless those stories lead the audience to something greater there has been no impact and your event will not be memorable and your audience will go home with nothing of any depth to note.
Today, the world has countless challenges, a keynote that entertains, inspires, motivates, educates and helps people manage work and life more successfully is a keynote with impact.
3. Connection
The world isn’t short of people who want to entertain an audience. It’s also not short of experts who have something to say. That said, the pool of possible speakers shrinks very quickly when you demand a third element from a keynote speaker…
That third element is connection. Connection comes through a combination of two things:
A. Confidence in a relevant subject – Professional speakers know their subject matter. They have lived and breathed their topic. The best ones haven’t just experienced it, they developed a positive obsession with it. They have studied it, research it, tested it, written books on it and unpacked their findings into a framework of keynotes, workshops and in-depth training. This means they can deliver their material in multiple ways, depending on what your audience needs.
B. Stage presence – It’s one thing to have great material, it’s quite another to deliver it in a way that engages the audience. You can read more about a speaker’s stage presence here.
4. A reminder
The event has ended. Everyone has gone home. Some people took notes, some didn’t. Because your keynote speaker was deliberate about embedding a take-away message into the presentation, most people remember the key message. But now what?
A keynote speaker who is serious about leaving a lasting impression always has more to offer than just a keynote. Many have a book, others have a framework of workshops, trainings and even downloadable courses. If you are booking speakers for an organisation, you will want to know what else is available, so you can help drive a theme, value, key message or change deep into your organisation.
When it comes to booking keynote speakers we believe every keynote speaker should be a Stellar Speaker – able to entertain, make an impact, connect and leave behind a reminder. We are a unique speaker agency representing change-making keynote speakers.
We provide expertise to help you manage your budgetary expectations and provide realistic options. We provide a preferred partner’s service base, so that partner clients get everything they need, lowering your risk as a booker of speakers, so you can make your choice about your next speaker with confidence.
For more information about booking a keynote speaker contact us here
