How to Choose a Keynote Speaker
The role of a keynote speaker goes beyond just conveying the goal of the meeting to the audience. It falls on the keynote speaker to first draw the attention of the audience, and have them focus on the matter at hand to achieve the goal of the meeting. The right keynote speaker conveys compelling information and insights in a professional, entertaining and inspiring manner. A lot of effort should go into selecting a keynote speaker, for the right speaker can drench you in applause, while the wrong one can damage your reputation as well as embarrass you.
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Instructions
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Understand the objectives of your program. Is the program you are organizing an annual meeting, training program or an awards function? What is the end result you are looking to achieve? The answers should help you understand your program objectives. While deciding on the objectives could be a management function, you should be able to express the intangible objective in concrete terms in order to communicate it to your keynote speaker.
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Know your audience needs. What content does the audience want? For example, if your program is on building career skills for advancement, surveying audience requirements can give you insights into the type of skills audiences are looking to learn. Sales people may be interested in advanced selling skills; managers may seek team-building skills. It is also important to analyze what type of speech the audience would find most interesting.
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Identify the type of keynote speaker that fits your needs. Select a humorist if you want to mix your message with entertainment. A motivational speaker delivers your message by weaving it around inspiring stories, often taken from his own life experiences. If you want to draw people to your program, a celebrity speaker may be best. For a purely technical subject, industry-specific speakers are often best.
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Approach different resources for a keynote speaker. Ask for recommendations from peers and colleagues. Check The National Speakers Association's online directory of speakers. Contact a speaker's bureau. The job of these bureaus is to find a speaker that fits your needs. There are also bureaus that specialize in a specific set of speakers (celebrity speakers or motivational speakers, for example. You can search for speaker bureaus in your local phone directory or on the web. Start with The International Association of Speakers Bureaus (IASB) website.
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Interview speaker candidates. Ask about their experience and if they have any audio and video presentations of their work, preferably in front a live audience. The National Speakers Association awards the Certified Speaking Professional designation to speakers with records of speaking experience and client satisfaction. A CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame award by NSA for speaking excellence and professionalism is another qualification you can seek in candidates. Ask the speakers if you could attend any of their scheduled speeches to see their live performance.
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Get an outline for your program. This helps you understand how well the candidates have understood your program objectives, and how customized the material is to meet your specific program goals. An outline also gives you an idea of what the speaker is going to cover in his speech.
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Observe your first impressions of the candidate. Communicating with the candidate should give you an idea if you feel comfortable working with the person. Your association with the speaker should give way to a long-term partnership. If you don't see this happening, or experience any negative feeling regarding the speaker, drop the candidate.
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