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Ten Tips for Giving a Great Keynote
Guidelines for how to communicate with power and wisdom
Actors want to direct. Directors want to produce. And consultants want to be keynote speakers. And why not? The pay is good. It doesn’t take much time. And it’s a lot less heavy lifting than most consulting gigs.
Easier said that done, however. Delivering a kick ass keynote is not as easy as it looks. If you want to get into the game, begin by reviewing the following guidelines to see if you have what it takes.
1. Be in tune with your purpose
If you’re going to hold an audience’s attention for more than 10 minutes, you’ve got to begin by holding firm to your purpose… your calling… what gets you out of bed in the morning. If it’s missing, all you could ever hope to deliver is a speech — which is NOT what people want to hear.
If your purpose is clear, you’re home free and won’t need a single note card. Mark Twain said it best: “If you speak the truth, you don’t need to remember a thing.”
