What is a keynote speaker? & find the best speaker for your event!

The role of a keynote speaker is literally to set the “key note” for the conference or event. They are responsible for the establishing the basic tone and tenor of the gathering that resonates through the event. The role of other speakers is to add overtones and themes that are complementary to those of the keynote, together making the content and messages of the conference a harmonious whole.

Read on to learn the different keynote roles, how to find the best keynote speaker for your event, and how to make sure your choice for keynote speaker is the perfect match.

Different keynote roles
How to find the best keynote speaker for your event
Making the keynote a perfect match

Different keynote roles

A multi-day conference will usually have keynote speakers on each day, which encourages attendees to get to the event on time. In this case the keynote speaker is responsible not just for fitting with the overall theme of the conference, but also the topic and ideas that will be covered on that day.

Setting a positive but relevant tone

A keynote speaker is not necessarily a ‘motivational’ or ‘inspirational’ speaker. Motivational speakers often tell engaging stories of overcoming adversity, which if done well can get a strong audience response, but they don’t usually set a specific tone or theme for the event. Keynotes should almost always be inspiring and give audiences a sense of possibility, however they should also be grounded in the specific context of the event and its participants.

The role for closing keynotes

The role of a closing keynote speaker is often to make sure people stay to the end rather than leave early, so the speaker and their topic must be compelling to the audience. They are also responsible for setting a “key note” for the event, in the same way as the opening keynote speaker, however as a closing keynote speaker they need to set the tone for how people remember the event and how they take the messages back to their everyday lives. As such the messages of the closing keynote speaker need to be inspiring and optimistic. A highly positive view of the future of the industry or community represented at the conference is often an excellent way to close the event.

Attracting and engaging audiences

Another critical role for any keynote speaker is to attract attendees and make people feel they cannot miss the event: they should be a strong drawcard.

Reputation and relevance

Sometimes the name value of the keynote speaker is sufficient, though in that case their fees are usually commensurately high, and they may simply give a canned speech. In other cases the value and relevance of the topic addressed by the keynote speaker, supported by their credibility, makes people compelled to attend.

Social media engagement and promotion

Event organizers will prefer keynote speakers who are active and visible on social media channels, as they can not only help promote the event beforehand, but also increase audience engagement during the event through their social media activity. Usually social media activity is not specifically included in a keynote speaker’s fee, however good keynote speakers will be willing to engage in some social media activity within their standard fee, as well as record short videos to help promote the event. Our keynote speaker influence rankings page helps to identify those keynote speakers whose web and social media activity has the most impact.

How to find the best keynote speaker for your event

Given the importance of finding the best possible keynote speaker for your event it is certainly worth investing time and effort into the search.

Search

Be specific when you search, using your industry name or event theme and possibly the event location in addition to “keynote speaker” or similar phrases. If it is a virtual event perhaps include the word “virtual” as not all speakers are promoting themselves as competent at virtual speaking. However be aware that just because someone ranks high in a search engine doesn’t necessarily mean they are a great speaker; this should just be a way of identifying possible speakers.

Word of mouth

A good starting point is to ask people whose opinion you respect who they would suggest for a keynote (who they have seen speak) and who they would like to hear from at your event.

Speaking bureau

Good speaking bureau consultants have a broad range of experience with keynote speakers and will take the time to understand your event in order to recommend the best speaker. Some but not all speakers absorb the bureau commission in their fees. If you have an idea of who you are interested in for your event most speakers would prefer to deal directly with you and will offer an efficient, highly professional experience..

Looking deeper

Once you have a number of possible keynote speakers be sure to watch videos to see if their style matches what you are looking for. Try to watch at least parts of complete speeches they have delivered rather than just showreels as this gives you a better feel for what it is like to be in the audience.

Set up calls with candidates

If you have a preferred candidate or a short list of up three speakers, feel free to ask them to set up a brief call so you can both confirm the event, topic, and messaging are going to be a match.

Making the keynote a perfect match

There are a number of important elements to making the keynote speaker you choose an exact fit for your event.

Provide a thorough briefing

As the role of the keynote speaker is to set the tone for the event, they always need to have a thorough briefing on every aspect of the event, including understanding the full context of the conference hosts, the event objectives, any history if it is a regular event, the theme that has been set for the event, audience demographics, the other speakers and topics they are covering, and the specific outcomes the organizer would like from the keynote.

Look for customized speeches

Very occasionally an existing speech by the keynote speaker will be a perfect match for the event, but in almost all cases a good keynote speaker will adapt their content and the delivery to ensure they hit the mark. Since they are usually opening the conference, their performance will likely shape the success of the entire event, so they should design their keynote specifically to achieve that.

Powerful presentations

Attendees will warm up during the course of a conference, but the keynote speaker gets them ‘cold’ and needs to engage them from a standing start, usually first thing in the morning. This requires a compelling presentation style, a light and often humorous tone at times, and most importantly a deep knowledge of the audience.

Showing the audience they are understood

This will be reflected in how the keynote speaker modifies their presentation style, but also demonstrating to the audience that the keynote speaker truly understands them and their issues, and they are not just getting the same canned presentation as every other audience. Where possible find keynote speakers who have a solid understanding of your industry, or are prepared to put in the research to make their keynotes highly relevant.

Making the right choice

The note that the keynote speaker strikes in their opening (or closing) address should resonate not just through the conference, but far beyond. At their best, the keynote speaker can change how people think, and give them inspiration and a sense of possibility that lasts long after the event finishes.

Please also look at our resources on how to choose a keynote speaker and how to work with a keynote speaker.

I wish you all the best for your event and in finding the right keynote speaker!

Thank you!

And, by the by, if you are looking for a future-oriented inspirational keynote speaker, please do look at my keynote speaking topics, virtual keynotes, and keynote speaking videos and feel free to get in touch to discuss whether I might be the right match for your event.  ?