People are often motivated by powerful speeches delivered by strong leaders. This is one of the most important aspects of events that gear towards personal development in any way. Having a keynote speaker who can move the audience is necessary for providing people with value.
However, all speakers aren't equal and some may not do your event justice. So how do you find the right one for your occasion? Check out these tips on how to hire the perfect keynote speaker for your next event.
Start Within Industry
If you want to give the attendee's information that is most relevant to them then it's best to find a keynote speaker that is already within the industry. It's possible to find someone who excels in business management to give a speech about being successful in real estate. However, it might be harder for people to grasp the information and it wouldn't be as specific.
Consider making sure the advice is tailored to your audience if possible. Start by the overall theme of your event (ex. technology, writing books, etc.) and find people who are already dominating within this specific area.
Look Up Credentials
Many people can talk the talk but you want to make sure they can actually backup what they say about themselves. Before you hire a keynote speaker for your next event, check out their background a bit.
Look for achievements that would qualify them to give a certain level of advice or information. Credentials doesn't always stop at degrees and certifications. You can also check into results that they've gotten in particular areas and experiences they've had that people can learn from.
Make Sure Their Message Aligns
Think about the message that you want to send out to your attendees. Is your event focused around ambitious people who want to be motivated to work harder and smarter? Maybe it's catered to women who want to become spiritually empowered.
Choosing the best keynote speaker for your event means finding someone who shares the same vision and preaches the same messages. If you hire a speaker who doesn't necessary have the same ideals as you, it could be a huge turn-off for you audience because they will feel the misalignment. Do you research to get to the bottom of the speaker's beliefs and values.
Find Specific Personalities
Some events will call for speakers that like to move around the stage and talk with lots of hand gestures. Others will work well with someone who is more serious and stern in their demeanor. This all really comes down to personality.
Determine the type of energy and personality that will motivate your audience the best. If you do have someone in mind that has a slightly different personality than you were looking for, it might work out if you give them a little direction to go in to help influence and engage attendees more.
Know Their Audience
Again, every keynote speaker is not the same. This means that they don't always have the same audience. Some speakers will thrive speaking to working professionals above a certain age and others will have more impact on a group of high school students.
Knowing which audiences the speaker is used to delivering speeches to will be a big help. It will help determine whether or not they may be a good fit for speaking the language of your attendees. This simple means that they use a certain tone and specific words that they know will trigger their ideal listeners.
Check Out Previous Work
The best way to do research on a keynote speaker is to check out some of their previous speaking engagements. You'll get a chance to see how they interact with the audience, the type of speeches they give and whether or not they've had success rates of really impacting the attendees.
When you watch the speaker's past work, be sure to take notes on things you may want them to focus on for your event. You might also want to address certain factors that they should leave out in order to fit the audience the best.
Approach Celebrities/Influencers
Here's one of the more expensive ways of hiring a keynote speaker but it's definitely a proven method for attendee satisfaction. Reaching out to a celebrity that is popular, relevant and overall likable can really do the job of attracting your ideal customers and impressing your guests.
Social media has introduced us to the world of influencers. These are people who have made their way to high level of popularity and impacting others via the internet. Approaching a social media influencer may be the more affordable route to go in this case but you will still get tons of great responses depending on how popular they are.
Stick to the Budget
Although you want the best for your event, it's important that you always keep your budget in mind. Sometimes you may be able to find keynote speakers that are more expensive who will work your event based on the affiliation or for personal reasons, such as college alumni.
Run the numbers on the budget before your search if you know that this is an area that has less money allotted to it. Ask the speakers for pricing structures, as you may be able to still hire them but for less time.
Review Contracts
When you're reaching out during the hiring process of a keynote speaker it's important that you review their contracts beforehand. This will give you (and them) clarity on expectations from both parties.
It will also help things run more smoothly down the line with it comes to issues regarding limitations, exclusivity, fees, etc.
Hire the Right Keynote Speaker for Your Next Event
You want to give your attendees the best value for their money and make sure they leave your event feeling better than when they came in. Finding the right person to be your keynote speaker can be the make or break factor to this.
Follow these tips above to make sure your get the perfect fit for your speaker. If you're looking for more help with planning your event, contact us today!
