A keynote speech is usually 45 to 55 minutes, and includes slides or photographs. Any speaker worth his or her large check should have customized the speech for your group and practiced it several times to make sure everything flows smoothly and works correctly.
As a professional motivational business speaker, I spend hours researching the company, association or group I will be presenting to, often “interviewing” principles within the group to really get an insider’s view of the product, successes and challenges. I then weave my stories (involving some of the world’s greatest rock stars) into their stories and show your audience how to use these rock star principles to succeed. Yes, sometimes it takes hard work to figure out how your challenges equate to those of Ozzy Osbourne, but I’m good and I will find a way.
The day of the big event arrives. I have arrived early, sound checked, made sure all my photographs are ready and in the correct order, and spent an hour reading over notes about your company so that everything is fresh in my mind. You have flown me here, fed me, hoteled me, transported me and put me in your program. I have sent and printed out for you my short introduction. I am ready to rock!
Then it starts.
Meeting planner: “Do you have everything you need and you’ve checked your slides?”
Speaker: “Yes, your A/V guy is great (always a little strange, but great) and everything is ready to go.”
Meeting planner: “That’s great. We have just a few announcements at the beginning from (insert event chairperson here), then our (insert really important executive here) will say a few words and then will introduce you. That will be 10 minutes and you’ll have 55 minutes to speak.”
Speaker: “Yes. Let’s rock this place!”
Thirty-five minutes later, while the (insert event chairperson here) has thanked everyone who stuffed an envelope and is now introducing the (insert really important executive here):
Meeting planner (now a little panicked): “Can you cut about 20 minutes from your speech?”
Speaker: “Yes. Everything will be fine.”
Meeting planner (starting to sweat now): “Thank you so much. I have to keep this on schedule.”
Fourteen minutes later as the (insert really important executive here) is wrapping up his or her speech and starting to read the long bio from my website instead of the short one I provided:
Meeting planner (teeth grinding, now in full panic mode): “I can’t believe this is happening. Can you do your speech in 15 minutes?”
Speaker: “Yes. It will still be informative and entertaining.”
And, it is. Although I do wonder if some people wish the images were a little less like an MTV fast-cut video and think I am related to the fast-talking FedEx guy.
Meeting planner (still pale): “That was great, thank you so much for being able to change things up at the last minute. Can I buy you a glass of wine?”
Speaker: “Yes.”
Lesson learned? Remind your event chair and really important executive that they have paid a lot of money to have a speaker at the event and that speaker still gets paid every penny whether he or she speaks for 55 minutes or 55 seconds. Event chairs and really important executives do like to get their money’s worth.
Dayna Steele
Dayna Steele is an entrepreneur, author, speaker and former rock radio personality. She can tell you everything you need to know in 55 minutes or 55 seconds. Your choice.
