What is a keynote speaker?
A keynote speaker has a message and the ability to deliver it practically that they inspire audiences.
They can be used as motivational speakers, keynote speeches & keynote seminars on various topics like business growth, sports or education, etc. However, every keynote speaker must have some essential qualities:
- Clear messaging; what you want people to take away from your speech – Confidence and poise (so important) – A clear structure for how you’re going to communicate those messages. That structure may change depending on the context, of course, but having one helps guide our preparation process, so we know where we need to go next with research/reading/practice, etc. It also makes us feel more confident when speaking because there’s less room for doubt, and we know what we’re trying to say.
- Passionate about your topic – Know how you want people to feel at the end of your keynote speech: inspired, motivated, engaged, etc. If you can do that, then all the technical elements will fall into place much more quickly.
- Practice! There’s no substitute for putting in the hours of rehearsal. It does not need to be complicated, but even if you only do 30 minutes before bed each night, it will make a big difference over time.
What does it take to be a successful keynote speaker? This is the question that many people ask themselves when deciding whether or not to pursue this career. Many factors go into being a compelling keynote speaker, and in this article, we will talk about 3 of them!
The first thing you need to do is make sure you have done your research on your topic. You can’t just speak about anything; if you don’t know what you’re talking about, then nobody else will either.
Next, make sure that your message aligns with who your audience is. If you want to be a keynote speaker for children’s conferences but all of your experience has been at business events – then start speaking at more events like this.
Finally, make sure you are passionate about what you do! If keynote speaking doesn’t light your fire – then it’s not worth pursuing.
A great keynote speaker also has to be super energetic and engaging with the audience at all times. You have to keep people interested in everything you’re saying by telling them stories or sharing experiences.
Keynote speaking is not something that you can just jump into. It takes years of practice and plenty of time to find your audience. You also have to keep people interested at all times – which means always keeping an eye on the clock!