Written by: Vickie Sullivan | June 14, 2022
How to Become a Keynote Speaker
It’s possible to go from being a training speaker to giving keynote addresses. But it takes strategy and preparation. Not everyone is ready for the main stage.
You may get a ton of great feedback from workshop participants, but the content and audience are different for keynote addresses. The big difference: broadening the content past the business, as MilkBar CEO Christina Tosi demonstrates in her TEDWomen talk. Instead of pitching her bakery or focusing on how they innovate with new recipes, Tosi took a wide-angle lens on the why: magic. Not only was this keynote aspirational, but it also applied to her business. (And a lot of folks wanted those cookies she handed out after her presentation!)
Event organizers expect very different things from their keynote speakers. They want the relevance of someone known in their industry, but they don’t want the tactics-driven presentation like you see in breakout sessions. Keynote speakers provide practical learning and are also aspirational.
Listen: How to Compete with CEO Speakers
A common mistake thought leaders and experts make: They think they can adapt their workshops by simply adding more stories. That won’t cut it for a keynote segment. The flood of CEOs in this speaking space changes the game. Be prepared to overhaul your content accordingly.
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