What is a Keynote Speaker?

Quite literally speaking, a keynote speaker is responsible for setting the ambience, or ‘key note’ for an event, seminar, convention or meeting.

Ultimately, the keynote speaker works to drive the audience’s perception of a topic of discussion and provoke new thoughts that leave the listener inspired.

An ideal keynote speaker manages to guide the audience on a journey that is both intellectually and emotionally stimulating, where the listener is compelled to unearth new ways of thinking about an issue, idea, or concept.

A good keynote speaker is defined by their ability to adequately set the tone for an event with an impactful, insightful, stimulating, and thought provoking keynote speech.

When speaking at events, a suitable keynote speaker has the potential to motivate, educate and entertain employees and attendees via developing a strong connection with the audience, sometimes by reflecting on their personal experiences and enforcing the listener to shift their idea of an existing concept in a new way. Being ‘entertained’ by a keynote speaker is often defined by their ability to properly connect and resonate with their audience and maintain interest with aspects such as humour, spontaneity, and storytelling.

An ideal keynote speaker should adopt a number of discussion points for a variety of different occasions, events, or settings, depending on what is most suitable or relevant to the expected audience. This also impacts tone - which is essential for ensuring all audience members collectively resonate with the speaker! This runs on tempo, delivery, language and energy.

A good keynote speaker can also be dependent on their engagement and involvement with the audience, contributing value to the event and the audience. This is often achieved by incorporating question and answer sessions at the end, writing a guest blog post that can be published on the event’s website, or promoting the event on their social media platforms to draw excitement and increase attendee numbers. This can act as a display of the speaker’s level of enthusiasm and involvement with the event, demonstrating their devotion to what they do as well as consideration for the audience’s reception of the presentation overall.

The best keynote speakers also manage to personalise each presentation, making the organisers and listeners feel as though they’re receiving more of a premium service that is tailored specifically to their business or event. By personalising the presentation, the audience can feel more understood by the speaker, and as though the experience has been customised to their requirements, rather than receiving the same presentation that has been offered to every other client, lacking any sense of spontaneity or relevancy.

Though there are a number of factors that make an excellent keynote speaker, there are of course a list of reasons that can potentially make for a poor experience.

An effective presenter works to make a positive first impression; seemingly approachable, friendly and inviting. With an ineffective or substandard first impression by lack of eye contact, mumbling, or being overall uninviting, this creates a weak start, which resonates throughout the remainder of the presentation.

Being overly reliant on PowerPoint or reading from notes also suggests a lack of preparation and rehearsal from the speaker and diminishes engagement between the speaker and their audience. Being conscious that the listener can also read what’s on screen should entice the presenter to further discuss additional key points that drive a clear message.

Without showing much interest in the audience by not incorporating question and answer sessions at the end or dismissing audience input indicates a lack of engagement and enthusiasm from the speaker and fails to put a focus on the audience. This leaves the listeners feeling uninspired and potentially deprived of what could have been a more valuable experience.

The right speaker should be one that is suitable for the company, business, or occasion. The speaker should be able to elevate the energy in the room and manage to maintain this consistently throughout their delivery. This is crucial for the business and organisers to ensure listeners have a worthwhile, rewarding and effective experience that offers them an outlook or insight they can carry with them well after the presentation. Additionally, keynote speakers can be costly, depending on access and reputability of the speaker, hence why it's crucial for organisers to book the right speaker for their event.

There are a number of steps or approaches to finding a suitable keynote speaker and creating a purposeful experience for attendees!

First and foremost, as a business, company or event organiser, you should have a concrete understanding of the speaker’s purpose and what you may be hoping they will or can communicate throughout the presentation. By knowing this, it’s much easier to land a speaker whose skills or passions match that of the organisation. Guest speakers tend to have their own presentation or delivery style, presentation personality, schedule, expectations and fees, and background in the industry, meaning that just because they’re good at what they do, doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be the right fit for your event!

Once this criteria has been set, it should become much easier to start listing some potential candidates.

Reflecting on personal experiences is often a great way to start and can even signify the speaker’s competence of leaving a memorable impression on their audience!

Word of mouth and referrals can also be a great way to finding a suitable speaker. Reaching out to colleagues and personal contacts may guide you in finding the right presenter, however be wary when asking others for recommendations that they’re aware of the type of presenter you’re looking for.

Research! If there have been events or presentations in the past that seem similar to yours, there may be a potential opportunity to come across a guest speaker that fits the event you’re planning. Also locating any material online, such as reviews, YouTube videos, TED talks or blog posts that bespeak to the presenter’s style, reception or background in keynote presentations can be an advantage in gaining an immediate understanding of their suitability.

Organisers and businesses can also reach out to speakers bureaus to search for potential keynote speakers. Communicating with the agency and outlining your expectations is crucial to ensure the agency can shortlist or identify the right presenter for the event. Alternatively, speaking to the presenter directly via phone, email, Zoom, or face-to-face may also be a way of more accurately gauging an understanding of the keynote speaker’s style and experience in presenting and what their area of expertise may be, as well as their schedule and availability.

Pickstar is an online marketplace that has an incredible range of keynote speakers for any event.

There are just as many factors that can make for a poor keynote presenter as there are for a good one! If presented effectively, a keynote speaker can leave businesses feeling as though they’ve inspired listeners and better uplifted the company or organisation. However, a key takeaway is that in order to get the most out of the occasion, the speaker needs to be the right fit. With regular communication, the audience is sure to receive an unforgettable experience that leaves a profound and long-term impact on listeners and the organisation as a whole.

Explore all of Pickstar's Keynote Speakers