How To Choose a Keynote Speaker

I believe there is a vast difference between good keynote speakers and great keynote speakers.

Good Keynote Speakers

Good keynote speakers—keynote or otherwise—are thoughtful and passionate. There are many of them.

Great Keynote Speakers

Great keynote speakers are thoughtful, passionate and innovative. They help you see paths you didn’t know were there. And, they leave your head spinning wanting more.

So, what makes a good keynote speaker?

I recently shared the digital stage with Clemson University football coach Dabo Sweeney, Tony Robbins, and other great motivators/innovators at Jon Gordon’s Power of Positive Summit. All of Jon’s keynote speakers were able to crystallize their messages into simple actions the audience could, 1) understand, and 2) start that very day.

Bingo! Learn more about booking great speakers here.

Event Planner’s Guide to Booking a Keynote Speaker

We speak to many event planners, office managers, executive assistants on elements they should consider when figuring out how to choose a keynote speaker.

This article was written to give you tips to make your decision process to hire a keynote speaker easier.

Here’s what we’re going to cover:

1. What is Definition of a Keynote Speaker?
2. What Makes a Good Keynote Speaker?
3. How Do I Hire a Keynote Speaker: 10 Critical Tips?
4. Five Characteristics to Consider When You Hire a Keynote Speaker.
5. Six Most Common Mistakes When You Hire a Keynote Speaker.
6. What Does a Keynote Speaker Cost?
7. Finding a Keynote Speaker for a Corporate event
8. Finding a Keynote Speaker on Performance
9. Finding a Keynote Speaker on Sales
10. Five Most Important Questions in a Proposal to Hire a Top Keynote Speaker

Let’s dive in!

Take a couple minutes and read the next section.

It’s a great story, but more importantly, it is a dramatic example of what a top keynote speaker should bring to YOUR stage.

What Makes a Good Keynote Speaker?

Let’s look back to what we now know as one of the greatest keynote speeches.

The Civil War was raging with no end in sight. On this day was the dedication ceremony for the battlefield cemetery at Gettysburg.

On hand as keynote speaker was Edward Everett. His love for Greece history was a theme he would weave throughout the speech, drawing comparisons of how the ancient Greeks fought for their own independence and honored their fallen.

It was a good story that lasted more than two hours.

“Four Score and Seven Years Ago…”

Next up was Abraham Lincoln, who was fighting for his political life at the time.

Most historians agree that Lincoln was invited to speak only out of courtesy because he was president.

For about two minutes, Lincoln spoke arguably the most famous words in U.S. history. His words—which he wrote—veered from the specifics of war, urging Americans to rise above civil conflict and focus on the ideals of the founding fathers. He left the stage dejected, thinking he had delivered a terrible speech.

The speech was 272 words (by most accounts).

Everett’s first sentence was 52 words.

And, so the Gettysburg Address was born, a great lesson for any aspiring keynote speaker.

Gettysburg Crowd Wanted Inspiration, Not Education

So, what happened to turn that day upside down for the two speakers and their audience?

1. Lincoln told the crowd—thirsty for inspiration and hope—what time it was.
2. Everett told them how to build the watch.

The greatness of Lincoln’s words was not lost on Everett: “I should be glad, if I could flatter myself, that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours, as you did in two minutes.”

This article will help you hire your “Lincoln” for your next keynote address, and wow your audience.

Let’s get started!

What is Definition of a Keynote Speaker?

How do you define a keynote speaker?

Your keynote speaker needs to have the proven track record to set the tone for your event.

Your speaker’s goal is to bring an event’s theme to a crescendo, and then provide insight, inspiration and innovation for the audience to walk away to start driving results and impacting change immediately!

In short: so goes the keynote speech, so goes the event.

Three Questions to Determine What Makes a Good Keynote Speaker.

While evaluating the perfect keynote speaker is a multi-faceted decision, I think the core decision can be made by your answers to the following questions:

1. Does the keynote speaker have the background and/or experience my audience will embrace?

• Do/did they work in your industry (or did they work in an industry that the experience is transferable to yours)?
• Did they invent/create something unique?
• Are they well known?

2. Can the keynote speaker connect with my audience (e.g. style, values, etc.)?

• Is their story compelling?
• Does their style fit (or, if you’re feeling adventuresome, does it not fit)?
• Do you like them?
• Will your audience like them?

3. Do they have a point of view that could knock your event theme out of the park?

• Can they drive home your theme through their message?
• Do they believe in what you’re trying to do?
• Are they passionate about their beliefs?

If your answer to all of these is “yes”, you’re 80% of the way toward a good decision.

What Makes a Good Keynote Speaker?

Everyone has a list of what makes a good keynote speaker. Me included (we’ll get to that a little later).

If you’ve searched this topic on the internet you see a lot of the same advice: Find a motivated person with experience in your field. And, don’t forget they need to be entertaining, passionate and friendly.

However, before you can properly evaluate a speaker’s capabilities, the foundation for a what makes a good top keynote speaker starts with understanding the significant life experience(s) that got them started. Rather than ask them about their passion, let them describe it to you.

Find out what is truly under their hood.

Every Corporate Keynote Speaker has “The Moment” that Stoked Their Personal Fire.

For me, the significant life experience came at a young age, watching my mother bravely fight a terminal disease. Even when she was at home in her last days under 24-hour care, she found the energy most evenings to join the family for dinner. And, no matter how she felt, she would pepper my brother and I with questions about our day.

It was always about us; never about her.

One of my long-time clients and now good friend and colleague, NFL hall of famer Aeneas Williams, summed it up: “Your mother passed on her strength for you and your brother to carry on the story of her legacy.”

This was the fire that stoked me to leave a highly-successful career in insurance to start a business focused on motivating and inspiring people to do more than they think they can.

I was among the top 2% performing financial advisors in the world and I was making the decision to leave it all behind to grow my speaking and coaching business.

Continue reading 10 Critical Tips for Hiring a Keynote Speaker