Handling A Motivational Keynote Speaker

By Christine Price


Guests make conferences memorable with their appearance marking the height of any gathering. The motivational keynote speaker will either summarize discussions of the meeting or provide a perspective to guide deliberations. In many cases, success or failure of a conference will be determined by the impact of selected guest. How do you engage your guests to ensure that your event is successful?

Meetings adopt unique themes and organization. Expectations are also determined by the participants and the aim of gathering. These expectations should provide a hint of what is expected from a conference and thus guide you on the guest to engage. Find a person who resonates with the audience and is considered an authority in a particular field. The impact is greater when you choose an achiever.

Guests should merge with participants other than appearing like appendixes. To facilitate this assimilation, brief your speaker adequately before he or she makes a presentation. With such briefing, it is easier for him to prepare relevant content in terms of audience and theme. Crucial motivation briefing involves understanding the situation of your audience. The morale of the audience is easier to lift if the situation is well known.

Most speakers will have attended numerous gatherings and made fabulous speeches elsewhere. They are known for having a unique approach to conferences in terms of content and delivery style. They also have materials like books, videos, pamphlets, etc. While all these exists, there is need to customize the message such that it suits the occasion and audience. Avoid guests who use conferences to drive own agenda and in the process compromise your message.

To motivate people you must engage with them as close as possible. Find a speaker who is ready to come down to this level of engagement. It is through engagement that one identifies the needs of his audience. Organizations and employees are always on a journey. The speech should perfectly suit the situation that participants face in their daily life. Such understanding makes the engagement relevant.

It is wrong to make conferences exclusively about guest speakers. The activities and theme must revolve around participants. As such, insist on the guest spending substantial amount of time with participants. Let the guest listen to concerns and deliberations before and after making the speech. It is from personal stories that his speech will gather the mood and concerns of participants. This calls for a guest who displays genuine interest in the lives of participants.

The fees to be paid to any guest must be agreed upon before hand. Other issues that require attention are revenue generated and the possibility of selling merchandise at the conference. Allowing the speaker to sell merchandise may reduce the fees payable. However, personal merchandise may override materials relevant to your gathering. Polish the details before hand.

Guests have a huge role to play in cementing conference themes and raising the profile of any gathering. The risk of a speaker taking control of proceedings through delivery or merchandise sale should be avoided. It is the organizers who retain ultimate control of the agenda of any conference. Participants must feel as though the conference is purely about addressing their issues.




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