Wealthy Speaker University
Jane Atkinson is the founder of Wealthy Speaker University. For over 20 years Jane has been helping speakers launch their professional speaking careers. I first learned about her 5 years ago when I read the book The Wealthy Speaker.A quote from her book that still inspires me is, "What is something you can say to your audience that they will remember in 10 years?"
Best Practices to Deliver an Epic Keynote
As a subscriber to Jane's e-mail list, I receive a variety of tips and suggestions to be a better speaker. While her website is geared toward professional speakers, much of her content can be applied to more mundane speeches such as business presentations and talking to others.One interesting video posted on her YouTube channel is the one below, Best Practices to Deliver an Epic Keynote, featuring an interview with Lou Heckler. Lou has been a professional speaker for many years. Additionally, he also coaches other speakers.
Summary of Video
General tips- Consider a three-point talk focused on three steps to problem solving, three examples of something, or some other cluster of three. Note: Three items is very effective for storytelling.
- Hit the ground running. Avoid long introductions or thanking the audience, etc.
- The topic should fit the allotted time.
- Remember that a keynote is a performance, not just delivering paragraphs of text.
- View a keynote as a shortcut for the audience to learn something. You are imparting lessons from your accumulated wisdom.
- Authenticity is important; experiences that are uniquely yours have the most impact because they are original and can be shared with more emotional depth.
- Stories and illustrations that you share must be memorable and repeatable. Attendees should be able to talk to their colleagues the next day about your keynote.
Three main points
- Have a fantastic opening. Get the audience's attention immediately. This includes providing an essence of the topic so that attendees can get an idea of what you're talking about.
- Be different from others. Why are people listening to you?
- Be provocative. Present ideas to stimulate thinking in your audience. Let them formulate their own conclusions and path forward based on what you share.
