Nicole Raudabaugh (pictured), customer success manager at Meetings & Incentives Worldwide, says that a successful keynote speaker can inspire, teach and entertain all at once. Courtesy Photo

Today’s corporate meeting and events industry has grown exponentially, offering conferences, meetings, expos and events covering a wealth of topics. As such, potential attendees are expecting memorable and engaging experiences from which to choose. One key area that can capture attendees’ attention is having a meaningful, energizing keynote speaker who will make lasting impressions that resonate with attendees long after an event has concluded.

Nicole Raudabaugh, CMP, meeting planner and customer success manager at Meetings & Incentives Worldwide, points out that since recorded history, including a keynote speaker at a meeting or event has been proven to be a successful addition to any group gathering.

“A good keynote speaker can inspire, teach, and entertain all at once. Think about your favorite high school teacher,” Raudabaugh says. “Why did you like to be in their class? Likely, it was because they kept you engaged through interesting stories or new ways of looking at things. The same applies to a keynote speaker. You remember the ones that spoke a truth that resonated with you.”

Additionally, speakers who are well known and come with recognizable names or titles can bring legitimacy and recognition to an event. “A promise of an address from someone like that may encourage new attendees to sign up for your event or bring an inherent excitement for attendees who are already required to be there,” Raudabaugh says.

Heather Herrig, CMP, president & chief event strategist at Every Last Detail Events, says featuring engaging keynote speakers is always a wonderful way to bring other voices, perspectives and stories to your audience that help them connect in new and different ways to your central message and theme.

“We all want our participants to leave our meetings and events with certain feelings, motivations and ideas — an effective keynote can be the perfect complement to your content strategy, helping you achieve your overall goals,” Herrig says.

Successful keynote sessions depend on the ability of the speaker to engage and connect with the audience, says Lenny Talarico, CEO at Lenny Talarico Events. Booking a speaker who can create a sense of excitement and energy can help elevate the event and leave a lasting impression on attendees. “A keynote speaker can often move an audience by sharing their unique personal story, or by drawing upon their extensive knowledge and expertise to impart new insights and perspectives,” Talarico says. “By selecting a speaker who strikes the right tone and resonates with attendees, you can ensure your keynote session is a memorable and impactful experience.”

The Right Choice

There are several key characteristics to look for when identifying an engaging, memorable and impactful keynote speaker. First, Herrig says it is critical that the presenter’s topic align with the meeting or event’s core narrative, so the stories or messages they are sharing will resonate.

“A celebrity may seem like a flashy way to attract attendees, but if they don’t connect with the event as a whole, they won’t be as impactful. Beyond that, you want to look for a presenter with energy, charisma and an authentic desire to make a connection with your audience. If they’re engaged, your attendees will be, too,” says Herrig, whose favorite keynotes have been those who make the attendees look at something in a completely new way.

“As gifted storytellers, these presenters connected and inspired, and accordingly sparked something special in our attendees that encouraged them to act or think differently well past our event,” Herrig says. “Their energy radiated from the stage, and their love for what they were sharing was contagious.”

An engaging, memorable and impactful keynote speaker should be charismatic yet authentic. Through their storytelling ability, Talarico says they should be able to demonstrate expertise in their field or on a specific subject matter, bringing interactivity and relevance to the session.

“Speakers who are effective at incorporating authentic storytelling into their keynotes succeed in delivering sessions which leave a lasting impression on attendees,” Talarico says.

Herrig also has an example of a very poorly received keynote. “We had hired a celebrity, but it had been many years since he was in the spotlight. The name was provided to us by our meeting hosts, so we booked him. Unfortunately, the keynote did not go over well at all,” Herrig says. “He was almost unrecognizable from his days in the spotlight, and many in the audience did not know who he was. Further, there was no connection between his message or story and our conference. Definitely a shame. It’s important to consider the presenters, too, and making sure that the engagements are a valuable use of their time, so they do not feel let down by the experience.”

Strategies To Take

When it comes to finding keynote speakers, looking for a name vs. looking for content alignment is, Herrig believes, a big miss. The message has to connect with the event goals, theme and audience. In addition, you must take the time to consider how to make the most of this individual’s gifts, experiences and stories to align with what your audience wants to hear, and share that with the presenter.

“Give them every opportunity to make the most impact,” Herrig says. “Schedule a planning call to discuss and collaborate with them, and share all you can about your event and attendees.”

Talarico says the biggest mistake planners make as it relates to finding “rousing” keynote speakers is in not being open minded to those outside of a specific industry.

“Accountants, lawyers and other professionals certainly have a need for ‘industry-specific training sessions; however, when looking to discuss topics like ‘change management, employee motivation or Diversity & Inclusion,’ finding someone who has an interesting story or experience to share away from a particular discipline can lead to more successful outcomes,” Talarico says.

Event planners, and subsequently the hired keynote speakers, also have to compete with other elements at play in meetings and events. Remember that people’s attention spans are virtually gone, so without having an engaging speaker, you are going to lose your audience.

If you are using a speaker bureau, they should be asking you several questions to make sure the keynote they are proposing is a good fit overall — not only for your audience, but for your overall theme of the conference or meeting. If they are just pushing their latest and greatest, they are thinking of themselves and not of you and your needs as a planner, as well as what will work best for your attendees.

Of course, budget is also a factor. As Raudabaugh explains, the more recognizable the person, often the higher their speaking fee can be. That said, it is important to note that you don’t need a former president or industry titan to have a memorable keynote.

“Focusing on your goals and objectives of the event and ensuring your keynote’s messages align and enhance those efforts are key,” Raudabaugh says. “A keynote who is willing to customize their presentation or further emphasize certain portions of it to help you meet your goals will be a natural tie-in to your event and make it feel like a cohesive effort to the attendees.”

Raudabaugh has had the good fortune to see a number of excellent keynotes in her meeting planning career. The ones that she’s found to be the most interesting were: a person whom you know to be famous, but during their keynote, they reveal a lot more about themselves as a person and the struggles and successes they had to get where they are today in their career; and a person who you’ve never heard of before but whose personal story had unique twists and turns mixed in with the everyday mantra of one foot in front of the other.

“Each of these speaker types helps remind me of our shared humanity and how we are often stronger than we think when faced with obstacles,” Raudabaugh says.

Alternatively, she’s seen a few keynotes where they dive deep into technical, political or financial details, and her interest starts to wane.

“However, that is a purely personal opinion because I also remember a person sitting two seats away from me talking about how interesting and thought-provoking the presentation on microeconomics was,” Raudabaugh says. “Maybe I was the minority in the audience, or maybe there was a judgement error on the part of the event planning committee for picking a topic that wasn’t universal enough to the audience.”

Be sure to watch video clips of the speaker you are selecting and ask for references from organizations they’ve recently worked with. Also, Raudabaugh recommends making sure you understand what their full rider requirements are from travel and lodging accommodations to ground transportation and green room requirements.

“Ask your speaker, as part of the upfront agreement, if they’d be willing to provide pre-event marketing materials and teaser videos to help encourage excitement about their time with your audience,” Raudabaugh says.

Aligning the keynote speaker’s messaging toward the objective of the event is key. DepositPhotos.com

The Hybrid Experience

As some meetings are hybrid in format, considerations need to be made in terms of how that specific keynote will impact virtual attendees’ experience.

Herrig suggests confirming the presenter has delivered a message virtually in the past, or be prepared with the production team to coach them if needed. They should strive to connect with both the in-person audience and the virtual one, and the meeting planner must consider ways to engage both groups.

“Is there a Q&A, for example? Then, you will want to make sure you are bringing in questions from inside the room and virtually, and have the presenter address those questions in a personal way regardless of where they originated from,” Herrig says.

Without a doubt, the hybrid format of meetings and events has had an impact on speaker sessions. Talarico points out that it’s very difficult to deliver compelling focused content live over the internet when you have limited control over the attendee’s setting.

“In a live setting, you control the room, the stage, the lighting, the sound, the video, etc. While phones may ring occasionally, you don’t have kids needing to be fed, or an Amazon delivery person at the door, and it’s unlikely the dog ever barks,” Talarico says. “Determine in advance what that looks like, or the best way to deliver the content for those unable to attend in person. Perhaps it’s live or perhaps it’s recorded and available on-demand to allow the remote attendee to access it at a time most convenient and focused for them.”

Also, if you think there is a chance your event might turn from fully in-person to hybrid during the planning cycle, Raudabaugh says that would be a good thing to share with potential keynote speakers at the start of your partnership to ensure they are comfortable with that.

Additionally, be sure to think about how to engage the virtual audience of a hybrid event with the keynote speaker.

As Raudabaugh explains, you don’t want the person watching the live event remotely to feel as though they are missing out or simply watching something on TV that isn’t created specifically for them.

Ideas of how to do this include having the speaker talk directly to the virtual audience during their presentation, or posing questions to engage them and reading the responses live onstage.

“You can also consider hosting a breakout session for just the virtual audience to have one-to-one time with the keynote,” Raudabaugh says. “There are many creative ways to ensure your keynote resonates with all your attendees, be they virtual or in-person, but implementing them may take a little bit more work and forethought, so be sure to get started early.”

An Evolving Role

Keynote speakers provide valuable insights, practical advice and fresh perspectives that can help attendees stay on top of industry trends and succeed in their careers. As Talarico explains, meetings and incentive events are often geared toward creating a sense of community and shared purpose among attendees.

“A powerful keynote speaker can help foster a positive and collaborative environment,” Talarico says. “Speakers will continue to evolve as our industry and the world does to meet changing audience needs. Customization, virtual presentations, diversity and inclusion, well-being and technology are becoming increasingly important. Speakers who adapt to these trends will be able to engage and inspire attendees in impactful ways.”

As keynote speakers continue to become more technologically savvy, Raudabaugh anticipates that presentations may include more of a multimedia experience to allow attendees who learn in different styles to be as engaged as possible. Additionally, speakers may need to evolve into offering standard pre- and post-event messaging, and work to help stretch and strengthen the desired content takeaways.

“Science continues to show that learners need to hear a new topic over and over again to absorb it and this multiple touchpoint method helps that,” Raudabaugh says. “We live in an environment where attendees are used to seeing information come at them in shorter bursts of information with brain breaks in between. Perhaps, the traditional keynote of 60 or 90 minutes will start to fade in favor of shorter immersions by the speaker through the lifecycle of the event. I haven’t seen this too often yet, but it’s something for both planners and speakers to think about.” C&IT