Developing your message
Chawn Bracey
Speaking Business Boomer! Helping experts with brand building, promotional videos, licensing, and audience engagement.
Your keynote topic may be the most important thing when it comes to having a successful career as a professional speaker. The sooner you master your speech the better off you will be.
Not only will it help your career it will help your audience to get the maximum amount of value from listening to your speech. Think of your keynotes as opportunities to change the trajectory of a listeners life or career.
“You have what it takes but its going to take everything you got.” Here are some of the major keys when it comes to developing your message…
Use Stories
This may be weird but we are more likely to remember and be impacted by stories rather than great motivational quotes. Stories create what I call theatre of the mind.
Good stories paint a picture in the mind of the listener and allows for them to actually feel like they were there with you in that moment. They are also the fastest way for an audience to connect with you and let there guard down a little bit.
Once someone feels like they know you they will be more inclined to engage with you and your keynote if and when the opportunity presents itself. Many speakers use stories to open up their keynote as a form of an attention grabber. It does not as much matter how or when you use them, but be sure to use them!
Practice makes perfect!
This may seem like a no brainer, but I promise you not every speaker practices. After delivering a few keynotes some speakers get content and feel like they are a master at what they do. False! The best of the best always find ways to get a little bit better every time.
Practice with your spouse, practice in the mirror, practice with pets, etc. You should practice your body language, your delivery, your closing, etc. You may find that you want to say a word or phrase a little different than the last time.
In doing so your keynote will be a little bit better, and being a little bit better is never a bad thing. LeBron James may not be a professional speaker but I would bet money that he is somewhere practicing his craft as you read this.
Research
Your audience should feel like they just took an accelerated 40 minute masters program on your speaking topic after hearing you speech. If not than you have to look at it like you didn’t do your job.
You can judge the job you did by the quality of questions that you hear in the Q&A session or on the way to your car. You have no excuse not to know everything possible about your topic. We are living at a time where we have access to any piece of information with a google search.
Imagine an audience member knowing more about your topic than you. That would be a very bad look and you will probably never be booked again by that particular venue1
Thanks for reading this article and hopefully it gave you something that you can take away from it and apply it to your speaking career. Lastly, if you are looking for ways to update your marketing material… Im your guy!
Chawn Bracey – Multimedia Producer – [email protected]