Questions conference organisers should ask before booking a keynote speaker
Choosing a keynote speaker isn’t simply a matter of finding someone with an impressive biography, an entertaining showreel or a large social-media following.
The best keynote speakers contribute to the success of the whole conference — not just the 30, 45 or 60 minutes when they are on stage.
I’ve spoken at conferences and events around the world, and I’ve also worked closely with conference organisers, other speakers, interpreters, media teams and audiences. Over the years I’ve learned that some of the things organisers value most aren’t always obvious when they first start looking for a speaker.
So here are some questions worth asking when choosing a keynote speaker for your conference.
First: what do you want your keynote speaker to achieve?
Before deciding who should deliver the keynote, be clear about what you want the keynote to achieve.
Do you want to inspire the audience? Challenge conventional thinking? Introduce new ideas? Provide practical business techniques? Set the scene for the rest of the conference? Bring an international perspective? Stimulate debate? Motivate people to take action?
Perhaps you want several of these things.
Also think about how the keynote fits into the wider event. An opening keynote may need to establish themes and generate energy. A closing keynote might need to draw together ideas from the conference and send delegates away with clear messages and actions.
Being clear about the purpose makes it much easier to choose the right person.
Then you can start asking the following questions.
1. Does the speaker have genuine expertise relevant to your audience?
A great stage presence isn’t a substitute for expertise.
Look beyond the speaker’s promotional material and ask whether they have substantial knowledge and practical experience relevant to your conference, its purpose and its audience.
Depending on your event, evidence might include professional experience, qualifications, publications, books, international work, client projects or recognised expertise in the subject.
The best speaker isn’t necessarily the most famous person you can afford. It’s the person who can bring your particular audience valuable ideas, insights and perspectives.
2. Will the speaker take time to understand your conference?
A good keynote begins long before the speaker walks onto the stage.
Will the speaker ask about your conference objectives, audience, theme, other speakers and desired outcomes? Will they understand why you are organising the event and what you want delegates to take away from it? Will they accept your guidance about the speech’s content? Will the content of their speech complement the other speakers’ presentations?
A keynote should be an integrated part of the conference, not a performance temporarily inserted into it.
3. Will the speaker create or adapt their keynote specifically for your event?
Ask prospective speakers how much they will tailor their presentation to your specific needs.
Some speakers essentially deliver the same keynote wherever they go. That may work perfectly well in some circumstances, but often the best presentation is one designed around the particular audience, context and objectives of the event.
Be wary of the speaker who arrives with their standard one-hour slide deck for a 30-minute speaking slot and then either rushes through it or overruns.
The best speakers know what they need to say — and what they need to leave out.
4. Will the speaker respect the exact time allocated?
Conference schedules are interconnected. A keynote speaker who overruns by 15 minutes can disrupt everything that follows.
Professional speakers should be able to deliver an effective presentation within the agreed time, whether the slot is 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes.
That requires preparation and rehearsal rather than simply talking until the slides run out.
Ask your speaker whether their presentation will be rehearsed to fit your precise schedule.
And agree exactly how much of the allocated time is available for the keynote itself, particularly if you also want audience questions or a moderated discussion afterwards.
5. Will the speaker answer questions from the audience?
Decide whether you want the keynote to be a presentation only, or whether you would like the speaker to answer questions from the audience immediately afterwards.
If you want interaction, check that the speaker is comfortable with an unscripted Q&A session. This can add considerable value, allowing delegates to explore particular ideas, challenge the speaker or relate the keynote to their own circumstances.
It is also important to agree how the available time will be divided. If the speaker has a 45-minute slot, does that mean a 45-minute keynote followed by additional time for questions — or perhaps a 30-minute keynote followed by 15 minutes of Q&A?
Make this clear in advance. A professional speaker can then design and rehearse the keynote to fit the actual presentation time rather than discovering on the day that the final 15 minutes have been allocated to questions.
Think also about how questions will be managed. Will delegates ask directly from the audience, use roving microphones, submit questions electronically, or will a moderator conduct a conversation with the speaker?
The format should fit the audience and the objectives of the event.
6. Will the speaker attend other parts of the conference?
Ask whether the speaker is willing to attend more than their own session.
A speaker who arrives shortly before their keynote and leaves immediately afterwards misses much of the context of the event.
By attending earlier sessions, a speaker can understand the tone of the conference, hear the contributions of other speakers and sometimes connect their own presentation intelligently with ideas already discussed.
And by staying afterwards, they can continue conversations with delegates and contribute to the wider event. Including the conversations at the bar in the evening!
A keynote speaker can be much more valuable than their keynote.
7. Will the speaker make themselves available to delegates?
Some of the most useful moments at a conference happen outside the formal programme.
Will your keynote speaker stay around afterwards to answer questions, join conversations, meet delegates, attend networking sessions, and sign books?
For an entrepreneur, student or emerging professional, a ten-minute conversation with an experienced international speaker can sometimes be as valuable as the keynote itself.
Consider the speaker’s contribution to the whole conference experience, not simply their stage performance.
8. Will the speaker help with media, publicity and communications?
A keynote speaker can also contribute to the wider visibility and impact of your event.
Ask whether they are willing to participate in media interviews, podcasts, video clips or other promotional activity.
Ideally, establish their availability not only on the day of the keynote but perhaps the day before and afterwards, particularly for an international conference attracting press and broadcast interest.
You might also discuss whether they can contribute before the event through an interview, article, video or social-media activity.
A cooperative speaker can become part of your communications strategy rather than simply another item on the programme.
9. Can the speaker communicate effectively with an international audience?
Speaking English fluently isn’t necessarily the same as communicating clearly with people whose first language isn’t English.
For an international conference, consider whether the speaker has experience communicating with culturally and linguistically diverse audiences.
Effective international speakers tend to speak clearly, avoid unnecessarily complicated language and be conscious of expressions, idioms, humour and cultural references that may not travel well.
This doesn’t mean making the presentation simplistic. It means making sophisticated ideas accessible.
A strong regional accent isn’t automatically a problem either. The important question is whether the speaker can make themselves readily understandable to the particular audience.
10. Does the speaker know how to work with simultaneous interpreters?
Speaking through simultaneous interpretation requires some additional awareness.
An experienced speaker will help interpreters prepare by providing relevant information beforehand and alerting them to specialist terminology, jargon, unusual names, acronyms or concepts that might catch the interpreters off-guard, or otherwise cause difficulties.
During the presentation, the speaker also needs to remember that somebody is translating their words in real time.
Clear sentences, sensible pacing and avoiding unnecessary linguistic gymnastics can make an enormous difference.
Good interpreters are highly skilled professionals. Good international speakers help them do their job well.
11. Does the speaker understand different cultural and business contexts?
International experience should mean more than having accumulated air miles.
A business example that makes perfect sense in Britain or the United States may be irrelevant in another economy. Humour that works brilliantly in one country may fall completely flat — or worse — somewhere else.
Look for speakers who are curious about the place they’re visiting and willing to understand its economic, cultural and professional context rather than assuming that their own country’s experience is universal.
The best international speakers bring ideas from elsewhere without assuming they can simply be transplanted from one country to another.
12. Is the speaker flexible when things change?
Conferences are complicated. Things go wrong.
Flights are delayed. Speakers cancel. Sessions overrun. Rooms change. Technology misbehaves. The programme that looked perfect three months earlier sometimes needs to be rearranged on the day.
Ask yourself whether the speaker you’re hiring is likely to help solve those problems — or become another problem.
The best speakers understand the pressures conference organisers face and respond to reasonable last-minute changes professionally, cooperatively and without unnecessary fuss.
13. Is the speaker easy to work with?
This might sound less important than what happens on stage. Experienced conference organisers often know otherwise.
Does the speaker reply to messages promptly? Supply biographies, photographs and technical information when requested? Meet deadlines? Communicate travel arrangements? Arrive when agreed? Work constructively with the AV team, moderators and other speakers?
Professionalism offstage matters.
A brilliant 45-minute keynote doesn’t compensate for weeks of unnecessary difficulty for the people organising the event.
14. Can the speaker work constructively with other contributors?
A conference isn’t a collection of completely independent performances.
Your keynote speaker may also be invited to participate in panels, Q&A sessions, workshops, round-table discussions or conversations with other speakers.
Look for someone who can listen as well as talk.
A good conference speaker can build on other people’s ideas, disagree constructively, make connections between different contributions and help create a coherent event rather than competing for attention.
15. Is there credible evidence that the speaker can deliver?
Testimonials are useful, but look beyond anonymous praise.
Can you watch videos of the person actually speaking? Are testimonials attributed to identifiable conference organisers and clients? Have they spoken at comparable events? Have organisations invited them back?
Look for evidence relevant to what you need.
Someone may be an outstanding motivational speaker but completely wrong for a specialist creative industries conference. Another speaker might have extraordinary academic credentials but struggle to engage a non-academic audience.
Expertise, relevance and communication ability need to come together.
16. What will delegates take away from the keynote?
Finally, return to the question you asked at the beginning:
What do we want to be different because this person spoke at our conference?
Perhaps you want delegates to be inspired. Perhaps you want them to understand something differently, acquire practical tools, question assumptions, generate new ideas or take particular actions afterwards.
Applause is gratifying. A standing ovation is even better.
But the real measure of a keynote is the contribution it makes to the objectives of the conference and the value it creates for the people in the room.
Choosing the right speaker is about fit
There is no single “best keynote speaker”.
The right choice depends on your audience, objectives, subject, location, culture, budget and the kind of conference you want to create.
A celebrity may be exactly right for one event. An academic, entrepreneur, economist, technologist, artist or specialist practitioner may be much better for another.
And sometimes I won’t be the right speaker either.
When might David Parrish be the right keynote speaker?
I am likely to be a particularly good fit when a conference involves creative industries, creative entrepreneurship, the creative economy, business strategy, marketing, international business, the digital economy, business creativity, the Orange Economy, the development of creative enterprises, startups, or a TEDx event.
I work particularly well with audiences that include creative entrepreneurs and businesses, creative industries support agencies, creative hubs, businesss incubators, policymakers, government agencies, universities, economic-development organisations and others involved in developing the creative economy.
I’ve worked professionally in more than 60 countries and have extensive experience of international and culturally diverse audiences, including working through simultaneous interpreters.
For each conference, I work with the organisers to understand the purpose of the event and its audience, then tailor my contribution accordingly.
I am comfortable incorporating audience questions and discussion into my sessions when appropriate, and I will design the presentation around the time actually available for the keynote.
Whenever practical, I’m also happy to participate more widely in the conference — attending other sessions, talking with delegates, participating in panels and discussions, and making myself available for media interviews and other activities.
Conference organisers can also arrange for copies of my books to be provided to delegates as part of their conference materials, giving participants something practical to take away and helping the ideas from the keynote live on after the event.
My objective isn’t simply to give an informative, inspiring and entertaining speech.
It’s to help make your conference a total success.
Find out more about David Parrish as a keynote speaker
Watch videos of David Parrish speaking at conferences
Read what conference organisers and clients say
More information about David’s books and other publications
Contact David Parrish to discuss your conference
“It was a pleasure to invite David to give the keynote speech at the Third International Creative Industries Conference in Novi Sad, Serbia. His speech about ‘Creative Business in the Digital Economy’ was enlightening. It was ideal for our audience that included startups, government officials, investors and agencies from Serbia and other countries. David’s speech was also broadcast on TV to reach an even wider audience. We were delighted with the positive impact that David made on the creative industries here in Serbia.”
Tatjana Kalezic. Creative Industries Cluster of Vojvodina KVIK. Serbia
https://www.kvik.rs/
“David Parrish is a very inspirational speaker. The way he illustrates his points is excellent. He makes you laugh and instantly you start to think about your own ideas and projects.”
– Eli Folkestadaas. British-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce. Oslo, Norway
“David was our international speaker at Toolbox Naranja and brought his extensive international experience to the event. As an expert in creative entrepreneurship, and with knowledge of creative districts around the world, we regard David as a partner in our ambitious initiatives in the Orange Economy in Colombia. Moreover it’s easy to work with David because he is a professional; not only as an excellent speaker but also because he co-operates fully with our deadlines, requests for information and videos, and local media interviews.”
– Laura Franco. Toolkit Naranja. Coolture Investments, Colombia
www.wearecoolture.com
“David has been a pleasure to work with since day one when we have approached him. His name was specifically chosen based on his expertise and background as a creative keynote speaker. We are especially appreciating the attention to details given by David and flexibility to fit the conference theme promoting the creative economy in Saudi. Audiences from different backgrounds were highly influenced by the content presented by David throughout his two sessions “Creative Economy Worldwide” and “Combining Business With Creativity”. Local speakers and guests have approached David in different ways and he was pleasantly attending all requesting. ACE Events as an organizer had a very smooth experience with David until the last day, which we are highly thankful for and this is definitely a presence that we look forward to have in more events to come in future.”
– Mais El-Ras. Ejadah Saudi Arabia Creative Economy Conference and Exhibition. Saudi Arabia.