Author – Barrett Cordero – As seen on Forbes
Ever been to a company keynote and the talk fell flat? Nothing the keynote speaker said was relevant to you, your company, or your industry? I mean, how hard is it to hire an impactful speaker anyway?
Turns out, impactful speakers aren’t hired; they are prepared. For over a decade, I’ve collaborated with companies to prepare keynote speakers to create an impact. Trust me, there’s more to making a lasting impression than paying a thought leader to show up on a certain date.
We tend to think the onus for a great keynote falls entirely on the speaker. However, the host organization also plays a critical role in creating the talk’s success. Just as no speaker can overcome poor sound acoustics to win over an audience, no impact can be made without the company investing time to give the speaker the information they need to succeed.
In my experience as the president of a speakers bureau, here are the three things you need to establish in pre-event calls to ensure your keynote speaker evokes a meaningful and productive response in your audience.
Establish the audience.
A speaker needs to know the audience in order to deliver a great keynote. Is your audience internal or external? Internal events are usually mandatory. Employees are required to attend. Topics tend to touch on how the company runs. So, the speaker needs to know what issues the company has experienced or is experiencing in order to customize their talk.
Bonus tip: A good intro presenter is helpful. They set the stage for why a speaker is there and create positive overtones, teeing up a guest speaker for success.
Make the company objectives clear.
Impactful keynote speakers need to know the client’s objectives. When I help keynote speakers and companies connect, we outline what the company’s objectives are. Usually, there are three main objectives or topics that should be covered in a keynote — a main theme and then two sub-themes to address particular issues.
In addition to objectives, you need to help the keynote speaker understand the specific issues your company is facing internally and in the larger industry. This type of information can sometimes take a few phone calls to transmit. However, the details are essential for making an impact.
Share the event logistics.
A keynote speaker must understand the logistics of your event to succeed. A speaker can’t walk in day one and be expected to wow an audience. The speaker needs to know what time of the day they will speak, who they are speaking with, and the size of the event.
Will they present early in the day when everyone is still waking up, after lunch when everyone has just eaten, or at the end of the day when everyone is tired? When they deliver their message can sometimes be just as important as what they say. Normally, you don’t want to schedule talks at the end of the day when people are tired or before lunch when everyone is hungry.
Are they speaking alone or with other speakers? Will there be other keynote speakers on other topics or someone like the CEO presenting? If the keynote speaker is speaking on the same topics as other speakers, then the talk might not resonate. Or if the CEO and keynote speaker are not aligned in their message, the audience might come away confused. Who should they believe: the CEO or the keynote speaker?
Finally, what is the size and scope of your event? Will the speaker be addressing a boardroom or a ballroom? A small group or a stadium full of screaming people? The impact of the tone, pace, and topic of the talk can all vary depending on the size of the audience. Smaller audiences can handle more detail while larger audiences will want more concise and clear points.
The bottom line is your company keynote will have an impact if you take the time to prepare the speaker for the event. The most memorable events come from companies collaborating with the speaker and speakers bureau to establish the type of audience, company objectives, and event logistics.