Month: February 2017

The Importance of a Keynote Speaker at a Corporate Event

Event and meeting planners are faced with numerous difficult decisions but the choice to book a keynote speaker is not be one of them. Keynote speakers are an event staple.

Whether it’s a celebrity speaker or a popular business speaker, a good keynote speaker will provide relevant content that engages and educates audience members and provides them with an experience unique to your function. Here’s why you should consider one for your next event:

Increased event hype and registration numbers

Good keynote speakers, especially popular public figures, can bring their own audience to an event. And it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that higher registration numbers mean higher revenue.

Increased event credibility and recognition

Picking a keynote speaker with relevant expertise can make your event seem more important and more worthwhile for guests to attend. Make your event the one to attend this year by booking a great storyteller who can provide insightful information attendees won’t find elsewhere.

Increased attendee engagement

Good keynote speakers with a strong message can captivate an audience, no matter how large. Make sure the content is useful and interesting to guests by asking potential keynote speakers the right questions ahead of the event to determine if they will be a good fit for your demographic.

Although they can be pricey, a keynote speaker can provide a great return on investment, and they will make your event unique and memorable for all in attendance.

 

What IS a Keynote Speaker?

Most people have heard the phrase keynote speaker but few people could tell you what or who a keynote speaker actually is. What’s more, even the language and specifics of the speaking industry  can be mysterious and confusing to people outside of the business.

Below is a crash course on who keynotes speakers are, and what it is they actually do.

  1. What is a “keynote speaker”?

The keynote speaker sets the tone, or “key” for the event.  The term is now used much more broadly to include closing keynote speakers and all kind so of speakers in between.

2. Who are keynote speakers, and how do they fit into the context of an event?

Generally, keynote speakers are thought-leaders for the particular event. They may speak on larger topics such as customer service, the customer experience, and company culture. At an event, they might for example speak at a retail banking industry summit, where they would give the keynote speech on the importance of customer service, the customer experience, or company culture to retail banking. Then a the more specialized industry speaker or company insider would contribute their expertise, say on the current regulatory climate in retail banking, either on the same stage or in breakout sessions later that the day. 

3. How much does it cost to book a keynote speaker?

This is such a popular question, and a hard one to answer.  Celebrities or other high profile people can make up to $250,000 a speech. The rest fall in between anywhere from $250,000 to $5,000. In addition, travel and hotel fees will usually be tacked on to the speaker’s fee, and that amount will fluctuate depending on the location they are traveling to and from. Some keynote speakers may also charge less if they are speaking to a non-profit organization or if there is another compelling reason for them to discount their fees.

4. How long is a keynote speech?

Generally about an hour, including Q&A, but the trend is toward shorter keynotes about 40 minutes in length, or even shorter 15-20 minutes for TED style talks.

5. What makes a keynote speaker good or bad?

According to communications expert Nick Morgan,  a good keynote speaker “tells the audience something it doesn’t know or hasn’t thought about in precisely that way.  And a really good keynote speaker “changes the world by changing the audience in front of him or her.” The three most common issues that can trip a speaker up:  They “try to dump too much information on the audience, they focus too narrowly on an area of specialty, or they fail to get a discussion going amongst the participants.”

 

How to Become a Keynote Speaker

There are two types of keynote speakers in the speaking industry: the celebrities, like Olympic athletes or famous politicians, movie stars, CEO’s, etc., who immediately come into the business commanding top dollar because of their name recognition; and then there the rest of us–regular people who have build their clientele over years while learning how to market themselves and provide good content.

Establishing yourself as a keynote speaker begins with establish yourself as a thought leader and then promoting yourself to potential clientele. Here are a few ways to do that:

Create lots of content

This is a part of positioning yourself as a thought leader. Write articles on topics that relate to your brand and especially to your keynotes presentations. This will establish you as an expert and a trusted voice on the subject that you speak on. It can also help you reach a larger audience of prospective clientele. Creating content can also include book and/or article publications, these are great ways of establishing yourself as an expert keynote speaker.

Leverage social media

Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are a must for any keynote speaker to make themselves visible to potential clients. Other social media platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, or Snapchat may be utilized if they seem relevant to your personal brand and message. You can also promote your content through social media  and attract followers organically as well as through paid online marketing.

Have a video

Keep at least one full length video of one your keynote presentations on hand, along with several 10 min or less clips. Every client who is booking a keynote speaker will want to see a video clip of their speaking. Once you have a few different videos, create a promo video or a speaker reel to put on your website and in your email signature.

Get testimonials

This may seem like the chicken or the egg scenario, but in order to get future keynote bookings you must have testimonials. In business today, reviews are a keynote speakers bread and butter. If you’ve formed an especially good relationship with a customer who enjoyed your talk, request his or her participation as a referral for future gigs. Better yet, ask for introductions to any other organizations that might need a speaker.

Create a website

This should be obvious, but as a keynote speaker you should have a website promoting your speaking abilities. The site should include: a headshot, a bio, titles and summaries of your keynotes, testimonials, video footage, social links, a contact form and instructions for booking. Once you start getting some gigs on the calendar, you can also include your speaking schedule for the next few months so people can see you’re in demand.

Another good idea is to obtain representation through a speakers bureau to handle the logistics of your keynote talks. Depending on the individual agency, it will handle your marketing, travel, and contracts in exchange for a flat fee per gig or a percentage of your speaker fee.

Good luck future keynote speaker!

Top Female Keynote Speakers

Some of the most powerful figures in business today are women who are filling positions of influence in boardrooms, hospitals, athletic competitions, and even Capitol Hill. The top female keynote speakers listed below are among those women; they have helped blaze trails for innumerable women (and men!). These famous female business leaders, finance consultants, Olympians, fighter pilots, and race car drivers are all keynote speakers, and they all have a story to share that will inform and inspire.

  • Barbara Corcoran is a business and entrepreneurial speaker. Her story is a classic rags-to-riches tale in which she took a one thousand dollar loan and turned it into a five-billion-dollar real estate business. Now an investor on the hit ABC show Shark Tank, Barbara makes people’s business dreams come to life by using her expertise in the field of sales to guide aspiring entrepreneurs.
  • Shannon Miller is a teamwork and leadership speaker, as well as a motivational speaker. She happens to be the most decorated American gymnast in history and is the only female athlete inducted into the U.S. Olympics Hall of Fame – twice! Her tally of five medals at the 1992 Olympics was the most won by a U.S. athlete. At the 1996 Games, she led the “Magnificent Seven” to the U.S. Women’s first ever Team Gold and captured Gold on the Balance Beam for the first time for any American gymnast. As an Olympian, wife, mother and cancer survivor, Shannon is dedicated to helping women make their health a priority.
  • Carley Lohrenz is a leadership speaker. As the first female F-14 Tomcat Fighter Pilot in the U.S. Navy, having flown missions worldwide as a combat-mission-ready United States Navy pilot, Lohrenz is used to working in fast moving, dynamic environments, where inconsistent execution can generate catastrophic results. Carey is a powerhouse in the field of delivering engaging Leadership, High Performing Organizations and Diversity Training that directly impacts a company’s ROI and bottom line. Her experience in the all-male environment of fighter aviation and her ability to pass on the Lessons Learned in her career allow her to deliver insight and guidance from a credible platform on Women’s Leadership Issues.
  • Suze Orman has been called “a force in the world of personal finance” and a “one-woman financial advice powerhouse” by USA Today. Suze Orman the top finance speaker and motivational speaker. She is a two-time Emmy Award-winning television host, New York Times mega bestselling author, magazine and online columnist, writer/producer, and one of the top motivational speakers in the world. Suze Orman grew up on the Southside of Chicago, earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at the University of Illinois and at the age of 30 was still a waitress making $400 a month. Today, Suze Orman is undeniably America’s most recognized expert on personal finance. BusinessWeek Magazine recognized Suze Orman as “The top female motivational speaker in the U.S” in 2007.
  • Leilani Münter a leadership and motivational speaker. As a biology graduate, race car driver and environmental activist she is also an environmental speaker and philanthropist speaker. Discovery’s Planet Green named her the #1 eco athlete in the world, ELLE Magazine awarded her their Genius Award, and Sports Illustrated named her one of the top ten female race car drivers in the world. Since 2007, Leilani has been adopting an acre of rainforest for every race she runs. She uses her race car to spread environmental awareness among 75 million race fans in the US. Leilani sits on the board of the Oceanic Preservation Society and the advisory board of The Solutions Project. She is featured in the 2015 documentary “Racing Extinction.” Leilani is vegan, her personal car is an electric Tesla Model S which she charges with solar power. Leilani’s motto is: never underestimate a vegan hippie chick with a race car.