What are the Options & Extras I should consider when booking a Keynote Speech?

When I attend an event to give a Keynote Speech I want to be as involved as possible, to engage with as many people as possible, to listen to challenges and offer new insights. Because I put a lot of work into aligning myself with the organisation, their vision & strategy, I want to be as engaged as possible.

The goal of this article is to provide you with a set of options and extras that you can consider when booking a Keynote Speaker so you gain as much as possible from their involvement.

Before you book a Keynote Speaker discuss the following set of options and extras with them to see how well they respond, their willingness to add value, and their experience. Experienced Speakers will always be willing to go the extra mile and add more value.

Before the event:

Ask the Speaker how they would make your event better.

Experienced Speakers have spoken at 100’s, if not 1000’s, of events. They, therefore, have seen most everything that can go right or wrong. Make sure you tap into this experience by extending the Briefing Conversation to include their feedback and ideas on your event, the program, the venue, the topics, etc.

Ask the Speaker what content they can share before the event.

Preparing the audience’s expectations before an event can help greatly in the success of the event. Ask the Speaker what content they can share with the audience before the event to help get them in the right mindset. This can be in the form of a quote, articles, videos, or Social Media posts.

During the event:

Ask the Speaker if they agree to be filmed.

Capture the Keynote Speech both as video and audio. Agree with the Speaker that you wish to share this internally and/or externally.

Ask the Speaker if they agree to be interviewed.

Take the opportunity to interview the Speaker during the event, before or after their Speech to capture a more intimate conversation, expand on the material. This can be done on camera and/or on stage.

Ask the Speaker for a focused workshop.

Experienced Speakers will always be willing to go into more depth on their content and the best way of doing this is a more focused workshop. This can be for a specific department or around a specific issue or challenge.

Ask the Speaker to moderate part of the event.

Experienced Speakers understand how to ‘hold the stage’, this means they also have the ability to moderate part of the event. This can be done after their Speech and it offers another opportunity for the Speaker to add additional insights.

Ask the Speaker to interview someone on stage.

Similar to moderating part of the event, you can also ask the Speaker to interview someone else on stage. If your program has room for this, you can plan the Keynote Speaker to come back later in the program and interview, for example, someone from the Leadership team. The goal here is to have a conversation, not to put anyone the spot.

Ask the Speaker to have extra conversations.

One of the easiest things to arrange that can have great impact is to get the Speaker to have conversations people before or after their Speech. These can be one-on-one conversations with senior staff, for example, or in groups with specific teams. These conversations are more focused than a casual meet and greet.

Ask the Speaker to talk to external media.

If the Speaker is giving a Keynote at your organisation it means they are aligned to your organisation, what you stand for, and the vision you are implementing. This creates a great opportunity to have an external voice talk positively about your organisation to external media.

After the event:

Ask the Speaker for a Summary Document.

A Summary Document is a document that takes the essence of the Keynote Speech and presents it in a way that is designed to be read. This is not the same as sharing their ‘slides’; slides are not designed to be read afterwards, instead, these need to be translated into a Summary Document.

Ask the Speaker for a Reflection Conversation.

After the event arranges a reflective conversation with the Speaker to discuss with them what they thought worked, what could be done better, what they learned from the event, and their advice moving forward.

Ask the Speaker for an Interview one month & three months later

Arrange with the Speaker to be interviewed one month and three months after the event, via Skype, to recap on their key points, to share with them what has happened since the event, and for them to offer new insights. It is a great way to stay connected and this could also take the form of a webinar where the Speaker recaps and expands on the topic.

Remember Experienced Speakers will put a lot of work into aligning themselves to your organisation, your vision & strategy, so make sure you consider these options and extras to give them enough opportunities to share their insights and help make the most of your event.

For more insights on how to get a speaker and their speech aligned with your Vision & Strategy download The Keynote Speaker RISK SET Report below.