Most people in need of professional keynote speakers make the same mistakes again and again because they don’t know any better. If you are in charge of hiring professional keynote speakers for special events or meetings, you should know about common mistakes and how to avoid them so that your events are spectacular, and everyone involved is pleased.
Scheduling
Most people schedule their professional keynote speakers to talk during a meal or right afterwards, and this is a large mistake. People at these events want to have a set amount of time to eat and talk with other guests at the table. Forcing them to be quiet while eating so they can hear a keynote speaker doesn’t do them or the speaker justice. The same is true of having speakers talk right after a meal. People wish to get up and move around a little after eating or use the restroom and may miss something important.
Demanding Slides
Most companies worry about what the speakers will talk about and may demand to see their slides or have a copy of their speech. However, the most professional keynote speakers will not even have everything finalized until they arrive and will continuously be changing things to make it sound better and run smoothly. If you demand to see their finished product before they are ready, they may get upset and refuse to be your speaker or may give you something that will be changed, causing more problems.
Demanding Modifications
The keynote speaker likely has his or her own brand and set way about them and forcing them to change their ways will end in disaster. While you are paying for them to speak, you are paying for the uniqueness they bring to the event and requiring them to make changes to their brand could make them quit the event altogether.
Not Requesting Video Clips
It is great that you have faith in the keynote speaker, but it is still important to request video clips of a professional so you can see how they act and speak. Another reason to have a video clip of them talking about their speech is that you can use those clips as promotion externally or internally. You can place a clip on your website to tell everyone what’s going on or send it out with a memo about the upcoming event or conference.
