Keynote speaker! What does keynote speech mean? The talk lasts about 20-60 minutes and highlights the theme of the evening or the conference. Keynote speakers open the conference and are the first in line to speak.
A keynote speaker prepares the audience for the upcoming speakers, workshops, and conference outline. This is an important role, as the keynote speaker is expected to motivate, gauge interest, and provoke thought about the topic that the speaker will be discussing.
So, what makes a great keynote speaker?
Throughout my career, I have attended thousands of events and conferences and listened to many speakers on stage. And sometimes, I thought, how on earth can they be on stage if they can’t use their voice, can’t move the audience, read from their paper, and are boring?
Have you been to these types of conferences where you thought the same? I am sure you have.
Being part of Toastmasters, a nonprofit organization that focuses on public speaking worldwide, I train, rehearse, and practice my public speaking skills in different topics and modalities in my club. Why do I do that? To improve, feed forward, rinse, and repeat.
6 Qualities that A Powerful Keynote Speaker Needs to Have
You need to use this muscle and be aware of it. A few components are vital to being an impact keynote speaker, whether online or on stage. Let’s dive into it.
1. Being Authentic and Passionate
The audience will feel that you are at ease on stage, so authenticity while speaking is crucial. You must speak from your heart and transmit that energy. That creates a bond and will resonate with the audience. Passion fuels enthusiasm, motivation, and conviction, which in turn will have an impact. The audience will sense whether you are reciting a rehearsal or genuinely interested.
2. What is your purpose
Why should people listen to you? What is the aim and goal of your keynote speech? Have you ever thought about this? Why should humans pay to come and listen to you? What makes a great keynote speaker is to have a structure in their speech. Start strong and end strong. End with a message the audience can think about, get insights into, or invite to take action. Is your speech about motivating and energizing? Maybe it can also influence or let them have a thought-provoking question.
3. Storytelling
The most powerful way to capture your audience’s attention is through personal stories. Always have a story to tell. In most cases, the best resonance is when you talk about your vulnerability, your emotions, and how you overcame them. People will remember how you let them feel rather than statistics. A story makes your speech stick and move, and you take your listeners on a journey.
The best keynote speakers master the art of crafting a story with vision, characters, and narrative. Whether it is a case study, a personal story, or an anecdote, the speech will become an experience.
4. Delivery and stage presence
Words alone are not sufficient. Your stage presence and how you speak will make a difference. Using your pitch, pace, pause, and vocal variety is key to delivering an impactful keynote speech. Using gestures, moving on stage, staying still, and looking into the audience confidently are key elements. Using the right tone and movement according to the message you want to deliver at that second is mastery. And don’t forget to maintain eye contact. You might say, in front of hundreds of people, how shall I do that? Easy. You gaze around the audience, pick some people in front or middle row, and shift your eyes to engage them.
5. Engage with your audience
A successful keynote speech is not a monologue but a two-way interaction. The best keynote speakers tailor their speeches according to their audience. How do they do that? They prepare by asking the organizers questions on the purpose of the speech, the actual topic, the intent, their pain points, and the key takeaway for the audience. So, homework needs to be done, such as research, requesting meetings, and sometimes interviews, to understand the needs.
Once the speaker understands the audience, they can ask rhetorical questions and use humor, direct addresses, and interactive elements.
6. Be clear and simple
Have a structure in mind: your strong opening, the body of the message, and your punchline, which is the closing. Moreover, avoid using too much jargon or sophisticated vocabulary, as your audience might be diverse. Use short sentences and be clear and simple.
Less is more. The message needs to be understood. Too many unnecessary details are not needed. The power of 3, which is memorable by our brains, is three key takeaways, three lessons, or three hacks.
To improve, I always follow professionals who are experts in public speaking, like John Zimmer: (5) John Zimmer | LinkedIn. As mentioned earlier, Toastmasters is a safe space to practice your speaking skills.
In conclusion
Becoming a great keynote speaker is not about perfection. It is about conveying a message that will have an impact, being yourself, authentic and engaging.
Whether you are a seasoned or emerging keynote speaker, focusing on the above six tips will improve your style, delivery, and content. After all, you are not speaking to yourself. You are on stage to share your insights meaningfully, and being a keynote speaker is an excellent way of achieving this.
In case you have difficulties finding that fire in yourself, as InnKick, we kick you to find your inner self. Sometimes we just need a nudge from outside to start feeling empowered.
I’m happy to help and assist in case you need someone to let you kick start.