-
Step 1
Determine the theme of the college reunion to determine what type of keynote address you'd like delivered. You may want the speaker to talk about reaching the next level in your career, the value of friendships or college nostalgia. Decide if you'd like the speech to be more educational, motivational or purely entertaining.
-
Step 2
Find someone with ties to your college, a member of your graduating class or a local celebrity from the city or state where the campus is located. The audience will feel more of a connection with the speaker if they "know" him and he can genuinely discuss common feelings and experiences.
-
Step 3
Consult a professional service that represents and places motivational speakers. Let the company know the overall message and tone you'd like to deliver and they'll be able to find the person to give the keynote address. You can even browse websites to find a specific celebrity, author or executive that you'd like to hire. (See Resources.)
-
Step 4
Meet with the prospective speaker and provide clear guidelines about the type of speech you want to hear and how long it should be. Give her a brief background of the audience, the college and any specifics you'd like her to address. Discuss how "off-color" her comments and jokes can be if humor is part of her repertoire.
-
Step 5
Discuss the event's budget. Consider adding a clause to the contract that lists how much you'll pay in the event that the speaker needs to revise the speech several times or if you need to let him go completely if you sit in on a rehearsal and don't like what you hear.
