What’s the Actual Mission of a Keynote Speaker?
The mission of keynote speakers, in general, are to bring enthusiasm and excitement to the group. Whether it is a business conference, a client dinner or a sales luncheon. Speakers are the highlight of the day.
What Does a Keynote Speaker Do?
They are trained to stir up the crowd with words of enlightenment. Delivering messages that will lead the way to change and action. Most of the time after a speaker has left the stage the audience feels more ambitious and driven than previously. A few purposes of a keynote speaker are listed below:
- to inspire
- to motivate
- to inform
Who doesn’t want to be inspired about something that they are interested in? Inspiration is a good feeling and of course, an audience is going to want to listen to that individual. Some keynotes speakers are born to inspire while others learn the skill.
A few ways a business keynote speaker may inspire is by telling a personal story. Taking a successful example out of their own lives can move others to take that next step. An emotional, thoughtful and truthful story usually leaves large impressions on people. It’s inspirational to hear how someone else overcame a challenge.
Inspiration is perhaps the most popular way to get someone to change their life or to make an important decision. Depending on what the conference is about, if the audience is inspired it could make the night for the speaker. Making the night could mean a variety of things from gaining memberships, selling more books or buying into a company.
When a keynote speaker uses motivational tools at his/her luncheons or dinners it basically to infuse a bit of drive. For example, a potential client can be motivated by words like ‘there’s no obstacle too big’ or ‘without falling down, you never learn to walk’. These words can be pretty motivating.
Also, letting the audience know that a particular membership or merchandise will soon be running out. Also, that right now these items are discounted. This is not inspiring at all, but it is motivating. An experienced keynote speaker can usually discern what is motivating the audience to make that final leap.
In some cases, a company will send a professional business keynote speaker to promote a service or an annual event. So it will be up to the speaker to wake the audience up, so they can move forward. A lack of motivation and ambition in its customers to make that final step can be devastating to any company. Keynote speakers realize this and in many cases, they will frame their speeches around this fact.
Giving out loads of information to a hungry audience can be tantalizing. An experienced speaker can generally tell when an audience is hanging onto their every word. Relaying information is an excellent way to build a relationship with an audience and also trust.
One of the main missions of a keynote speaker is to inform. The information given could be able to their health, their lifestyles, their professional lives, it could be anything. But because the information is new and something that is generally not heard of, the audience is seating at the edge of their seats.
This anticipation will produce a desire in the audience to return for more. So whenever the speaker is in town the audience will anxiously seek him out, fearing that they may miss something. This is exactly what a good speaker wants. An audience that will look for him/her and enthusiastically show up.
