Keynote Speaker Required?

A great motivational speaker can stand out from the crowd. The audience walks away motivated, entertained, and equipped to move forward. What makes the difference between an ordinary and a great speaker? Many speakers can entertain or motivate. But successful presentations require keynote speakers to address not just one or two, but all three of the key points below.

Stimulate.

Some speakers get their audience physically pumped up. They may have them move around, dance, shout, or participate to keep them mentally alert. They know that long hours sitting make it hard to focus.

But more than that, great speakers can alter an audience’s brain chemistry by stimulating it with new ideas. They help attendees think in different ways. They may create a paradigm shift in perspective. Or the speaker might offer insights and depth of knowledge that give listeners a fuller view and an increased ability to think creatively and effectively.

New growth comes from seeing things in a new light. This begins the creative, productive process to innovation that drives companies to increase output, inspires National Honor Society students to pursue the career of their dreams, and challenges leaders to never cease learning and growing.

Empower.

Often there’s a gap between knowing and doing. Good speakers stimulate, but better speakers empower their audience. They give practical, hands-on strategies. Skilled women leaders may need strategies for breaking through the glass ceiling, for instance. This means the speaker has to intimately know the industry and the problems workers typically face.

Then they can offer specific ideas and methods participants can use to resolve their issues. These are things that can immediately be put to use at work.

The powerful keynote speakers help workers with required functions. They may give ideas for better communication, building confidence as a leader, stronger team-building, or improved traffic flow. Their applicable ideas come from broad study, experience with a range of industries, and best practice methods.

When workers feel empowered they work more energetically and with greater belief in their success. It also leads to greater job satisfaction for employees.

Challenge.

After speakers stimulate and educate, the best speakers challenge employees to put the new information to use. How often do we listen, get excited, and then go back and do business as usual?

That defeats the purpose of the speaker. So the best speakers have the enthusiasm, drive and power to issue strong challenges. These are challenges that resonate with the listener. They make the hearer say, “Yes! I’m going to do that! I will make that change.”

The speaker will have sparked dozens of other ideas in the listener’s minds. Ones that have them scribbling personal notes about the next steps for them to take.

The key to a keynote speaker is to inspire change in the audience. Employees need to leave anxious to get back to work to be able to start putting these new ideas and skills in place.

Your best keynote speakers skillfully blend the required stimulating, empowering and challenging aspects of their talks. The result is a building crescendo. The listeners discover new ideas. They learn skills to help them apply the ideas (check out this example of how I did this for an executive sales team in Colorado). And finally they are driven to achieve and accomplish in new and better ways.

Workers leave more enthusiastic about their job and their prospects. The company feels recharged and on the way to greater productivity. Great keynote speakers are powerful catalysts for your company.

If you’re looking to stimulate, empower and challenge your employees, hire Joel as your next keynote and seminar speaker.