Time to Review, Rewrite and Reboot Your Keynote

I love this time of year! Sure, It’s the holiday season but in addition to all the festivities I have a keynote reboot ritual. It's my dedicated time to spice up my presentations, ensuring they're not just current but captivating. It's time to look over my current presentations to edit out and update.

This tradition started 11 years ago after my first keynote at the Texas Hotel and Lodging Association's Short Course. My style and content resonated well, and I've been a regular speaker there ever since. As the years pass, the audience continually renews itself, bringing in fresh faces, often younger than the last.

Now, the Short Course in early January isn't just another event; it's a milestone that motivates me to stay on top of my game, ensuring my content is not only fresh and relevant but also engaging and interactive. So, January is not just the time to lose 10 pounds, it

also marks the beginning of a new year of work; it's a season of renewal and reflection. For professional speakers, this is the ideal time to revisit your 2023 presentations and evaluate their relevance in 2024.

The world is changing so rapidly, and so should your material. This article explores various ways to refresh your presentations, ensuring they remain impactful and resonate with your audience- Cause it’s 2024!

1.   The Audition:  Pruning and Evaluating Your Current Material

Eric Chester, Hall of Fame Speaker, once told me to think of your keynote as a hit play, and each year your content, stories, and such, in addition to your new ideas, must audition to make it back in the presentation. 

Before adding new content, it's crucial to assess what you already have. Review your 2023 presentations with a critical eye. Ask yourself: Does this information still hold value? Is it relevant to my audience in 2024? If not, it's time to let it go. Think of Eric’s analogy, as an audition process where only the best and most relevant material makes the cut.

2. The Trend is Your Friend: Drawing Inspiration from Current Trends

Staying on top of current trends is key. Here are some ways to find inspiration:

• Movies and Documentaries: Films often reflect societal trends, concerns, and interests. Watching movies with an observant eye, can provide insight into popular culture, younger audiences, new ideas, and perspectives. Here are a few suggestions:

·       Silver Lining Playbook: Movie theme mental health

·       Perks of Being a Wallflower: Movie Life of Gen Z

·       Her: Movie- AI before it was popular and virtual relationships

·       Eighth Grade: Movie - Power of digital tech on kids

·       1619 Project: Documentary -History and slavery

·       Emergency NYC: Documentary- Health care

·       Challenger the Final Flight- Documentary humanity

• Comedians and Satire: One of the ways that I grow my humor muscle is by watching comedians, such as Ellen, Chris Rock, Tig Notaro and right now it’s Nate Bargatze! I have been following Nate for about a year now and seeing him on SNL a few weeks back sparked my interest. Nate is a masterclass in humor and storytelling.Comedians have a knack for presenting everyday observations in. When you watch a comic observe their timing, use of the pause, their facial expression, audience interaction, as well as their ability to tell a great story.

Studying their work can inspire fresh angles in your presentations

• News and Publications: What are you watching, listening to, reading to get your current content. Since I am mostly a business speaker , focusing on workplace trends, I like to tune in every morning to CNBC’s Squawk Box. To quote CNBC ““Squawk Box” is the ultimate “pre-market” morning news and talk program, where the biggest names in business and politics tell their most important stories.In addition, regularly reading reputable news sources and industry publications can help you stay updated on current events and emerging trends.

3. Collaborating and Sharing

Join a speakers' group or form a mastermind, or maybe have a virtual group or buddy, where you can share and workshop new content. A few years back 5 of us from Houston’s NSA chapter formed a story-humor group.  We met the first Saturday afternoon of every month at a cozy spot here in town. It was a place to share new material, have a beer, laugh, and punch up our material. Some of my best material came from those remarkable Saturdays.

Peer feedback from valued collogues is invaluable. Your colleagues can offer constructive criticism and suggest improvements, helping you refine your material.

4. Embracing Technology: Know the powers and value of AI

The speed in which technology is changing is mind-blowing.  Many of us see and hear about the remarkable, amazing things AI does for others, but are not ready to take the steps to use it in our business. AI can be an asset for professional speakers in enhancing their content and presentations in several ways:

·       Content Research and Development: AI, such as chatGpt 4, can quickly assist in researching topics, providing relevant statistics, recent studies, and insights that the speaker can incorporate into their content. It can also suggest different perspectives or angles on a topic, ensuring that the content is comprehensive and engaging.

·       Speech Writing Assistance: AI’s chatGPT, can help in drafting speeches, suggesting improvements in language, tone, and structure. They can also offer synonyms, or phrases that make the speech more impactful and memorable.

 ·       Visualization and Slide Design: AI such as Canva AI, Dall--E 3  or Midjourney, can suggest or even create engaging visuals, infographics, and slide designs that complement the speaker's content, making the presentation more visually appealing.

·       Practice and Delivery: AI tools such as Yoodli, can analyze speech delivery, offering feedback on aspects like pace, intonation, and clarity. Some advanced tools can even simulate audience reactions, helping speakers fine-tune their delivery for maximum engagement.

Learning how to use technology can be a little scary and frustrating. Remember the iPhone came into popularity around 2013. That was just 10 years ago- we figured it out…and now we can’t live without it!

5.  Personal Development: Beyond Speaking: Be Observant of Others and Life

Consider personal development activities like meditation, outdoor walks, vacations, parties, your family, and friends, or engaging in a new adventure. These experiences can provide new insights and stories if you open your eyes to what’s around you. Simple experiences made into stories can enrich your presentations, making them more relatable and engaging.

January is your opportunity to set the tone for the year ahead. By critically assessing your existing material, seeking inspiration from various sources, continuously learning, and embracing collaboration and technology, you can ensure that your presentations in 2024 are not only relevant but also more impactful than ever. Remember, the best speakers are those who evolve with their audience, constantly striving to improve and adapt their content to the changing world one story at a time!