If you are planning a major event that requires a keynote speaker it is often the most desirable route to hire someone with a good sense of humor. People appreciate being entertained while learning and often retain information more readily when they are laughing. However many people make the mistake of hiring a comedian to be their keynote speaker and end up regretting it. Here are the main differences between humorous keynote speakers and comedians to help you avoid making the same mistake.
Humor
Both humorous keynote speakers and comedians use humor to engage and entertain their audiences. The main difference is how they use humor. A comedian uses humor based on their own views on life. They make observations that they have made about the world and hope that the majority of the audience will share their views. In fact, many cutting edge comedians like the fact that their observations are a little offensive and have a touch of shock value. A keynote speaker uses your general message and applies humor to make that message more interesting and engaging.
Messaging
The humor for a keynote speaker is the secondary part of the message whereas for a comedian it is the only message. If you hire a comedian, their goal will be to entertain with little thought to the event or theme of the day. When you hire a Humorous Keynote Speaker their message is based on the event and what you want them to say to your audience.
Entertainment
The reason many people want to introduce humor during their keynote speaker’s presentation is to help provide an element of entertainment in the hopes people will be more likely to pay attention. However the main purpose of a keynote speech is not to entertain, it is to inform. A comedian’s main purpose is strictly to entertain.
Control
A humorous keynote speaker is able to maintain control over their comments and ensure they are audience and topic appropriate. This is very important in the business world where so many different cultures and personalities converge. A comedian is used to performing for an audience who has paid for a ticket for their particular sense of humor and therefore are not concerned about what they have to say to “consenting adults”.
As you can see you are taking a risk when hiring a comedian to present your keynote speech. Professional humorous keynote speakers will inject appropriate humor into your message for much more effective results.
