Our conference centre in Milton Keynes has hosted hundreds of keynote speakers over the years, each with their own strengths and ways of approaching the challenge. It’s an honour to be asked to deliver a keynote presentation, but it can be a daunting prospect.
In fact, if you feel a little nervous about the idea, this is a good sign, because it shows that you care how your talk will be received. This awareness of the audience is the first step to producing a keynote speech that is engaging as well as informative. Here are some further tips to help you deliver a memorable presentation that won’t fall flat.
Use the first minute to get the audience onside
While your primary purpose is to inform rather than entertain, it’s still important to connect with your audience right away. This will ensure that you have their attention and they will be ready to know more, and feel well disposed towards you. This will help to put them and you more at ease, so that you relax and your delivery will sound more natural and human.
There’s no need to attempt humour if that’s just not your style, but choose something surprising or powerful, such as an inspiring quote, jaw-dropping statistic, or personal anecdote that is relevant to the subject or the professional field of your audience.
Understand your audience
A basic error that even very skillful performers make is to misunderstand their audience. No matter how carefully researched or well delivered your content, it will fall flat if it is not relevant to the majority of the attendees. Make sure you know about their job roles and responsibilities, and level of seniority and experience of your audience.
Think about how your knowledge can help them with their current challenges, without going over what they are already likely to be familiar with. Remember that it’s your job to go to them, not the other way around.
Keep it concise
Avoid the temptation to pack in a lot of detail to make a single point: structure your talk around three to five key points, and provide links to resources where your audience can find out more information in their own time if they want to. Focus on the key issues, backed up by punchy and uncluttered visual aids.
This will sustain the interest of your audience throughout the talk, and help to maintain the energy in the room.
Make use of interactive tools or just ask questions
Even if it’s a large conference hall, it’s important to engage rather than just lecture at your audience. Include a few questions and ask for raised hands, or make use of interactive tools such as live polls.
Practice sounding natural
Sounding natural in front of an audience doesn’t come naturally to many speakers: they need to work at it. If you tend to get nervous, don’t fight it, but channel the energy by focusing on your breathing and posture.
Remember that the audience wants you to be relaxed and enjoying yourself, and they are not there to judge you personally, but to benefit from your expertise.
