What is the Real Purpose of a Keynote Speech?

What is the Real Purpose of a Keynote Speech for your internal corporate event?

What is the Real Purpose of a Keynote Speech?

Marketing theory works with the concept of ‘Features & Benefits’ to describe a product or service. Features are surface statements that describe specifications, technical details, etc. Benefits are sentimental statements that describe the end result of what the product or service can accomplish for the buyer.

So to understand the real purpose of a Professional Keynote Speech we need to look beyond the features of the speech and understands the benefits of the speech.

The goal of this article is to present the real purpose of hiring a Professional Keynote Speaker for your internal management event. This will help you get buy-in from key stakeholders and understand your real return-on-investment.

 

The Is/Does Model

Features and benefits work on different levels. Features work on a logical level. Benefits work on an emotional level. And to understand this distinction further I often use what I call The Is/Does Model.

The ‘isness’ of something is its features. For example, the isness of a Professional Keynote Speech describes the topic of the speech, its length, its tone, its technical details, etc.

The ‘doesness’ of something is its benefits. So what something does can be considered its purpose. The doesness of a Professional Keynote Speech describes the outcome that it delivers, which can be different for different people.

 

The purpose of a Professional Keynote Speech is different for different people.

 

So let us then consider the purpose of a Professional Keynote Speech on three levels: for your teams, for your CEO / Leadership, and for your organisation.

 

The Purpose for your Teams

A Professional Keynote Speech presents information in an entertaining way. This balance, of entertainment and information, can be called ‘Infotainment’.

Great education is entertainment. And great entertainment is education. (For more on this see our article: Expert View: A Keynote Speech is the Right Balance Between Entertainment & Information).

Therefore, for your teams a Professional Keynote Speech is entertaining & informative. And what this does for your teams is to boost motivation & action.

 

The purpose of a Professional Keynote Speech is to boost the motivation & action of your teams.

 

The Purpose for your CEO & Leadership

A Professional Keynote Speech will always reinforce the key messages, focus areas, and direction-of-travel highlighted by your CEO & Leadership Team.

Indeed, a Professional Keynote Speech not only reinforces their key messages, it also enriches it. In this way, a Keynote Speech, as an outside voice, helps people see what they have always seen, in a new light. (For more on this see our article: The Top 3 Reasons Why CEO’s Love a Great Keynote Speaker.)

Therefore, for your CEO & Leadership Team, a Professional Keynote Speech is a reinforcement of their key messages. And what this does for them is to make them look good.

 

The purpose of a Professional Keynote Speech is to make your CEO & Leadership Team look good.

 

The Purpose for your Business

A Professional Keynote Speech aligns and inspires everyone towards a Vision that is owned, embodied, and shared. This transforms your Vision into a Shared Vision. It achieves this with ‘tailor-made inspiration’; not general inspiration but specific inspiration. (For more on this see our article: Why do I need a Keynote Speech at my corporate event?)

This creates practical possibilities. Everyone is aligned and inspired to take actions towards a common goal (your Shared Vision).

Therefore, for your organisation, a Professional Keynote Speech is alignment and tailor-made inspiration towards a Shared Vision. And what this does for your organisation is growth.

 

The purpose of a Professional Keynote Speech is to grow your organisation.

 

In summary, a Professional Keynote Speech boosts the motivation & action of your teams, makes your CEO & Leadership look good, and ultimately grows your organisation. So consider the real purpose of what a Professional Keynote Speaker will deliver the next time you hire them for your internal management event to maximise your return-on-investment.

If you want a full description of its benefits before you download this Checklist, check out the Guide to finding the right Keynote Speaker for your corporate event page and you will see all the reasons why.

Guide to finding the right Keynote Speaker

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