Inspirational speakers don’t just give speeches. The best keynote speakers create experiences that spark movements.
Inspiration is great, but it’s shallow and short-lived if it doesn’t come with practical ways for people to apply their new momentum for real change.
- Inspiration should lead to action.
- Action should lead to change.
- Change should be measurable.
With that in mind, here are three descriptions and three corresponding questions to ask when you’re seeking an inspirational speaker for an employee experience conference or other employee engagement strategy.
The Best Keynote Speakers Respond to their Audience
People enter keynote experiences with a variety of feelings along the employee engagement continuum: energized by their current opportunities, satisfied with the status quo, frustrated by entrenched limitations, or discouraged by outdated standards holding them back.
You want them to leave with momentum to free themselves from what’s holding them back, and to activate their full capacity toward the future.
- Question for your keynote speaker:
How do you assess the variety of feelings in the audience in the moment? And how do you navigate the moment, sensing and responding in a way that brings the audience along with you?
It’s one thing to know how to deliver a speech you’ve given several times. It’s another skill entirely to be able to be aware of the mood in the room and respond in an authentic way and not get derailed. That level of vulnerability is powerful.
The Best Keynote Speakers Customize the Experience
Inspirational speakers should be able to customize keynotes in a few ways. They should spend time with you before you commit, to help craft a keynote experience to meet your goals.
- Question for your keynote speaker:
What tools do you have for assessing audience skills, behaviors or perspectives before and after the experience?
For example, at GLLG we often have audience members take one or more of GLLG’s proprietary assessment tools. Then we tailor the keynote experience based on that analysis—turning theory into real-world application. We also customize for particular industries, specializing in healthcare, education, consumer packaged goods, retail, industry associations and more.
Beyond the keynote experience, this level of robust personalized data and people analytics gives leaders useful insight that helps them create a more effective employee engagement strategy going forward.
The Best Keynote Speakers Share Themselves Authentically
Sharing of ourselves is one of the best strategies to empower people. You might want to know beforehand what types of personal experiences a speaker will be able to draw from. This also helps you know what level of vulnerability in leadership will be on display during the keynote.
- Question for your keynote speaker:
What personal experiences have informed your approach to empowering people? What personal or professional stories do you plan to share?
This will help you know if the speaker has experience that includes multiple perspectives. For example, an insider perspective to understand the realities of corporate environments, coupled with the clear-eyed perspective of someone invited in from the outside. Or you might learn that the speaker will be sharing a mixture of personal examples that include both success and failure.
This gives you context to know more about the individual and more about the experience he or she will create for your employees.
Conclusion
An inspirational keynote speaker has the unique ability to motivate and energize people. Whether speaking to a large conference hall filled with enthusiastic professionals or offering one-on-one coaching sessions, a talented speaker is able to inspire his or her audience by empowering them with new insights and tools for success.
By conveying powerful messages that resonate with people's core values and desires, a good speaker ignites a sense of passion within each individual listener. In this way, an inspiring keynote speaker can have an incredible impact on the lives of others, empowering people to reach their full potential both professionally and personally.
If you are looking for an inspirational speaker who creates truly transformative experiences, learn more about our customized keynotes with organizational culture assessment tools and Download the GLLG Speaking Package.
