Why Professional Keynote Speakers must be Professional Storytellers.

Before you hire a Keynote Speaker for your next corporate event, make sure your decision criteria includes that they are Storytellers. Because no matter what topic they are going to talk about, they must understand the importance of using stories during their Speech. Indeed, in order for them to be able to call themselves a ‘Professional’ Keynote Speaker, they must be Professional Storytellers. Because Stories engage the emotions that will drive people to action.

The purpose of this article is highlight the importance of Storytelling during a Keynote Speech and therefore how you can use it as part of your decision criteria the next time you are hiring a Professional Keynote Speaker for your corporate event.

Professional Keynote Speakers are Action Orientated.

The ultimate goal of every Speech is for people to take action. This is why I regularly say, “A great Speech does not end in words, it ends in actions”.

So a Professional Keynote Speaker is always pragmatic. Whatever they speak about must be able to be applied within your organisation. A Speech must always be hands-on. This is what I call engaging the Hand, meaning that it is Action oriented.

However, beyond being practical the Speech must be inspirational. Because it is only when people are inspired that they will take lasting action.

A great Speech does not end in words, it ends with people taking lasting action.

So great Speeches do not end in words, they end in people taking practical and sustained action. The ultimate message of a Speech is an internal voice that says to each participant: “You must take action!” See our article: The ABC of the Best Keynote Speech.

Professional Keynote Speakers create Emotions.

So we can now ask, How does a Professional Keynote Speaker inspire people to action? The answer is by creating emotion through Storytelling.

While there are a number of aspects that inspire people to action, the most powerful one is by creating the right set of emotions. Because when people are emotionally engaged they are driven to action. Emotion equals motion.

Professional Keynote Speakers are Professional Storytellers because they understand how to use stories to engage the right set of emotions that will drive people to action.

People are inspired to action through a Story that emotionally engages them.

For more insights on the type of qualities that Professional Keynote Speakers have that enables them to emotionally engage people see our list: 7 Qualities of Professional Keynote Speakers.

Professional Keynote Speakers never create Fear.

However, make sure that the Speaker does not work with fear as a ‘motivational’ tactic. Fear can be useful for short-term awareness. It can be used to highlight the importance, or indeed the danger, of a situation. However, it cannot be the emotion that is translated into activity and it certainly cannot be the emotion that is sustained in a organisational culture.

A Professional Keynote Speaker understands the difference between a superficial shock & sustained support.

Instead, book a Professional Keynote Speaker who will work with long-term emotions that sustain activity and creates a strong organisational culture. See our article: Never Hire a Keynote Speaker who Motivates by Fear.

All Storytellers are Speakers but not all Speakers are Storytellers.

A key success factor for your corporate event is that your people take action. So with this in mind make sure you hire a Professional Keynote Speaker who is a Professional Storyteller. Because stories create emotion and emotion leads to motion. In other words, with the right set of emotions people are driven to take action.

Once you have made a shortlist of Professional Keynote Speakers based on their Storytelling ability, you can refine your decision further with four simple questions, see our article: Four questions to ask a Keynote Speaker before your book them.

To learn more about how Paul Hughes’ Keynote Speeches can help your organisational grow Request a Quote now.