Create a Keynote Speech that Gets You Invited Back

It takes a great deal of credibility and platform building to become a keynote speaker. Once you have been offered a gig- you want to make it easy for them to invite you back. Remember these 5 keys to create a keynote speech that gets you invited back.

Know and Modify for Your Audience

This seems obvious, but knowing your audience isn’t just about what organization they are from. Is your audience made up of employees or business owners? Are they parents, baby boomers, or millennials? What industry are they in and did they pay to be at the event or are they there as a guest? Will there be 100 people in the room or 1,000? The answers to these questions changes how you create a keynote speech to relate to your audience.

Validate the Organization/Event Host

When you are invited as a guest to someone’s home, you go out of your way to show your appreciation. The same is appropriate when you are an invited guest at an event. Are you adding value to the event with your messaging and expertise? Absolutely. However, elevating and showing gratitude to the hosting organization not only strengthens your relationship with the organization, but also gives the audience a sense of validation that they are in the right place. Do this early in your presentation to support a receptive mindset for what you will share during the rest of your keynote speech. Leaving the stage with an inspired audience and happy host organization improves your odds of being invited back.

Relate Your Story to the Audience

Having a great message or usable information to share is not enough. Your audience won’t listen and won’t care if you don’t remember to make it about them when you create a keynote speech. How is what you are sharing going to improve their life, make their job easier or help their business grow? Will it support them in making more money? Whatever the objective of your keynote speech, be sure your audience is crystal clear on how it applies to them.

Create a Keynote Speech that Shows Vulnerability

Business is changing faster than ever before. As we transform ourselves and our businesses, it is necessary to draw others into the process. Being relatable and vulnerable- once seen as a sign of weakness in leaders- is an essential part of the equation. The same is true when you create a keynote speech. As you share your experience, your expertise and your unique journey, people will want to know they can follow a similar path. Because it is difficult for others to see themselves as #1 in their field, an authority or as the greatest version of themselves, it is your job to show them the pathway and then let them know it is attainable. By being vulnerable, your audience will see that if you can do it, so can they.

Incorporate Action Steps

Many people believe that the key to a great keynote speech is inspiration. It is true that people will remember how you made them feel, more than what you said. If feeling great transformed results in people’s businesses and their lives all on its own, this would be enough. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Building clear action steps as you create a keynote speech will ensure that long after the feeling of inspiration is gone, your audience and the hosting organization will have results to show from what you shared. The combination of results and inspiration will get you invited back more often than focusing on just making your audience feel great.

The Take Away

You’ve worked hard to establish yourself as an authority in your field. Your reputation as knowledgeable source of information is not enough to ensure you have plenty of opportunities to share your expertise. It is important to know how to create a keynote speech that gets you invited back. Remember the tips above and more than anything else, be of service to your audience.