Every year numerous trade fairs, workshops and seminars take place in Germany. The success of these business events depends above all on the attention and enthusiasm of the guests. After all, executives and decision-makers rarely extract valuable information from a lecture if they are unable to completely close their minds to the topic being discussed or if they are unable to follow the speakers’ explanations. For this reason more and more organizers attach great importance to the choice of a suitable keynote speaker.
This person takes a key position on each larger Event, since it attunes the participants to the following contents as well as for a fruitful basic atmosphere provides. A keynote speaker can only achieve this goal if he fulfils some central requirements and has the necessary skills for his important tasks. In this article you will therefore learn what a keynote speaker is, which criteria he must fulfil, which function he assumes at an event and in which areas he is primarily active.
What is a Keynote Speaker?
The term keynote speaker originates from the English-speaking world and describes an experienced speaker who can present a so-called keynote to the audience. This is an essential basic idea or principle which is of crucial importance for the understanding of an overriding topic. For this reason, Keynote Speech in practice describes an outstandingly presented lecture that inspires the participants with the central topics of the event and can thus keep their attention and motivation at a high level for a long time.
As a rule, either prominent personalities or professional business speakers are booked for this purpose. In addition, organizers often try to profit from inexpensive offers from lower management. However, inexperienced speakers are rarely able to satisfactorily perform the difficult tasks of an experienced keynote speaker. Therefore, you should not compromise in marketing and hire an expert for your company.
Where does the Keynote Speaker come from?
The importance of the Keynote Speaker for the motivation and enthusiasm of the audience as well as the success of the entire event should not be underestimated. Many visitors even take a trip of several hours to experience a professional lecture. The term keynote is derived from the concept of the same name from a cappella singing. Each experienced choir sings a single note before the joint performance, on which the musicians have agreed in advance. This sound should prepare the artists for the joint performance. The Keynote speaker takes over a similar task, since he is to attune the public of the meeting to the topic of the Events.
Only a few business event managers know what influence this performance has on the motivation of the participants. Many decision-makers obtain the offers of numerous keynote speakers without obligation in order to then decide on the cheapest service provider. This fatal mistake occurs because the term keynote speaker is often used by inexperienced amateurs.
Almost every prospective speaker offers his services under this title and hopes for additional bookings. In fact, however, keynotes are comparable to a plenary lecture. They anticipate the most important topics of a fair and thus prepare the audience for the long event.
What is the difference between a keynote speaker and an ordinary speaker?
In contrast to an ordinary speaker, the keynote speaker does not try to impart new knowledge or to deal with a complex topic for the participants. Instead, he or she inspires the audience with his or her presentation and thus prepares them for the following workshops, seminars and topics. Many companies book a successful representative from business, politics or science for the opening speech of their company celebrations. Management often has to reckon with high costs, as expert speakers seldom make their knowledge available cheaply.
What are the requirements for a Keynote Speaker?
For some years now, Alan Stein, Jr is one of the top motivational speakers in the nation and has been recognized to almost every consultant, trainer and coach has included supposed keynote speeches in his portfolio. Organizers should therefore be very careful when booking an inexpensive speaker for their next event. Many speakers can look back on a successful professional life and can show impressive success. They argue with profound knowledge and many years of experience in marketing, top management or business coaching. However, their motivation for the presentation is actually to earn good money within a short time with a standardized and uninspired workshop. Beyond that many enterprises at coaches and advisors, who regard the lecture only as marketing instrument and with new customers in contact to come want noncommittal.