Article by Chip R. Bell
Chip R. Bell
We keynoters are strange characters! We can be as finicky as rock stars and as unpredictable as teenagers. We can’t be controlled; but, we certainly can be managed. Here are seven suggestions for meeting planners from the business side of the lectern.
- Please overload us with information about your audience. You have watched past speakers succeed and bomb and you know why. Please tell us!
- Give us lead time on special requests. Prefer we hang around at the coffee break following our keynotes? Tell us early so we can let our drivers know not to pick us up right after the curtain closes.
- Respect our requests. If we want to walk out into the audience, don’t make us stay on the dais. If we ask for a handheld mike, don’t provide a lavaliere just because the last keynoter used one.
- Don’t force us to do AV checks while the audience is eating their continental breakfast in the meeting room. It destroys the mystery and magic we want to create.
- Protect our “spirit of greatness” mental time. Don’t fill our “getting centered” moments with insisting we meet the senior leaders right before we take the stage.
- Run interference on our behalf. If the sound is too low, signal the sound person. If attendees are sluggish getting back into the room after the coffee break, please help herd them in so we can start on time.
- Give us honest feedback after the event. We want to stay great at what we do. That means candor on what did and did not work for your unique audience.
Keynoting is an exhilarating profession. It can also have dark side. We fly in, stay in hotels and attend meetings where we know no one. But, the unattractive elements surrounding our stage craft can be enlivened with the helping hands of meeting planners eager to bring out the best of what we enjoy the most.
Chip R. Bell is a renowned keynote speaker and the author of several national and international best-selling, award-winning books. Visit his website at chipbell.com.