Five Questions to Measure the Success of a Professional Keynote Speech at your Corporate Event.

The old saying in business states, ‘we manage what we measure’. So how do you measure the success of a Keynote Speech? Here are five questions you can ask. You can use these questions in two ways: 1) as discussion points with the Keynote Speaker when considering to hire one, and 2) as a framework to review your past or upcoming events.

The goal of this article is to highlight five simple questions you can ask to judge the success of a Keynote Speech at your internal corporate event.

Aspirations & Operations

A successful Professional Keynote Speech inspires people towards inspirations and at the same time offers practical actions in day-to-day operations. See article: The Impact of a Keynote Speech.

So it is important to consider both of these aspects when measuring the success of a Professional Keynote Speech. Therefore the following five questions are structured as follows: The first three questions measure the inspirational quality of the Speech and the last two questions measure the practical quality of the Speech.

1) How engaged was the audience?

This question outlines one of the most important factors in any Speech: How you say something is more important that what you say. Unless a Speech engages the audience, even the best content will fail. A Professional Keynote Speech will engage the audience and keep them engaged throughout the whole presentation. So you can ask: how focused was the audience during the Speech? How many people where ‘actively listening’? See also our article: Use a Keynote Speaker to Enhance the Impact of your Internal Management Event before it even begins.

2) How much were they enjoying the engagement?

A Professional Keynote Speech will make learning an enjoyable experience so whatever is being presented, it will be presented in an entertaining way. Indeed, a Professional Keynote Speaker understands that humour is important in learning. When used correctly, humour in educational settings activates the brain's dopamine reward system. This is important for goal-oriented motivation and long-term memory. Laughter is good for learning. So you can ask: How many people where smiling/laughing? How enjoyable did people say the experience was? See also our article: Why a Professional Keynote Speaker will make you Laugh.

3) What did they learn through their engagement?

A Professional Keynote Speech must be understandable. Whatever is spoken about is presented in a comprehensible way. Great Keynote Speeches are logical, understandable, and memorable. So not only will people understand what is being said and how it can be applied, they will also remember what is being said. A Professional Keynote Speaker will use the science of mnemonics: techniques that help people remember. How easy was it to understand what the Speaker said? Did they make it easy to remember what they said? See also our article: How can you keep the learnings, knowledge, & insights in your organisation after a Keynote Speech?

4) Can they apply the knowledge in your organisation?

A Professional Keynote Speech needs to be practical, engaging, and logical. So, the audience can apply whatever they learn within your organisation. Therefore a Speech needs to be Action oriented, it needs to inspires Belief, & it needs to be crystal Clear. I call this the ABC of Keynote Speeches. So you can ask: Was the Speech Clear and did it inspire Belief so people will now take Action? See also our article: The ABC of the Best Keynote Speech.

5) How does this application benefit your business?

While there can be many benefits from a Keynote Speech for your business, one of the most impactful can be how it aligns and inspires people. This can have a profound influence on your people. And this does not have to be anything more than showing people what they have always seen in a new light. So you can ask: How aligned now are people towards our common vision and direction of travel? How much more effective will your business be now that people are collaborating? See also our article: The Impact of a Keynote Speech.

If we manage what we measure, then let us make sure we are measuring the right thing. For a Professional Keynote Speech it is best to measure both the aspirational and operational aspects of the Speech. So next time you are considering hiring a Professional Keynote Speaker use these five questions as discussion points so you are more informed to make the right decision.

For more insights into how a Professional Keynote Speaker can impact your event download: Risk Report on hiring a Keynote Speaker for your corporate event.