What Fortune 500 Event Organizers REALLY Want From Keynote Speakers

Four Things Every Speaker Needs to Know About High Caliber Event Organizer

Often, you can learn incredible things… if you just ask.

That’s what happened to me a few weeks ago…

I was on a client theme call with the event organizer Drewdini found for me, when she said something profound.

She explained that within a few minutes of seeing my speech, she knew I met all her criteria for a great keynote speaker for an event with Fortune 500 executives.

"Oh yeah?? What are those criteria, if you don’t mind my asking?"

Her reply?

"Well, I’m always looking for someone who’s engaging, has strong content, shows masterful delivery, and has a compelling stage presence."

Hmm… that’s great.??

But I became keenly aware that her definition of those words might differ from mine.

?? What does “engaging” mean… really? And what does it mean to truly have “strong content?” Does “masterful delivery” just mean you don’t make mistakes? And how do you actually rank whether or not someone is “compelling” on stage?        

We all have ideas about what these words mean. But if your definition of a word doesn’t match your event organizer’s, then chances are slim you’ll gain their interest.

So, today, we'll look at the four things every speaker needs to win high-caliber, Fortune 500 level gigs.?

And guess what? I did some research to back it up!?

Let’s dig in…

Four Seriously Overused Terms

Our first overused term is engagement.? I don’t think we really understand what this word truly means.? A lot of us think it means “interactive.”? Like, there needs to be a lot of interactivity, raising hands, audience activities, humor, and flashy slides.

Does it just mean the audience is awake and off their phones?? Or, does it mean they need to be sitting forward in their seats and taking notes so fast that smoke is rising from their pens?

Then, there’s content.? A lot of people think this means “data overload.” You need to bombard your audience with generic topics that have a ton of actionable takeaways.

Your content-filled speech has slides that audience members whip out their phones to snap pictures of, and you give them a list of “23 Things They Can Do on Monday to Transform Their Lives.”

(I’m tired just thinking about it.)

For delivery, we think of this as meaning perfection rather than connection.? You need to have perfect delivery free from awkward pauses, jumbled sentences, or rocky transitions.

We think smooth delivery means the speech is flawless.??

Smooth like butta.

And finally, presence.? We think that a compelling stage presence is achieved when someone is larger than life.??

Their eyeballs are glued to the presenter with a sort of rabid need to know what they’ll say next.

Each one of these terms has been seriously overused over the years.? As a result, the words tend to mean different things to the event organizer and the audience than they might mean to you, the speaker.

So, what do these terms REALLY mean???

Here goes…

How to Actually Be Engaging

First, organizers prioritize a speaker who creates an emotional and intellectual connection with their audience. The 2024 Speaking Industry Benchmark Report found that 66.76% of organizers rate engagement as a top priority.

Now, if you imagine engagement to mean lots of interactivity, high-tech gadgets, flashy slides, hand raising, etc – then I think you’re missing out.

Instead, engagement is really what we get from the Surprise and Delight speaker.? You need to have moments in your speech that captivate and connect with your audience.

?? Your message needs to provide a transformational experience – one that has them transfixed and engaged with the presentation itself.        

That’s how I define engagement.

The True Power of Content

Next, organizers want problem-first content that addresses an audience's challenge. That's all they want. It’s more than just choosing a topic and bombarding your audience with data and takeaways.

For instance, the same Benchmark Report found that Leadership and Motivation (40.29%) is the number one speaking topic that event organizers are prioritizing this year.? It’s followed by DEI (37.65%) and AI (36.18%).

A lot of speakers say they speak on one of these three topics, but that’s just too broad.? You can’t just be a “leadership speaker”, a “DEI speaker”, or an “AI speaker.”

???? Instead, you need to focus on solving specific issues that audience members would face within that realm of content.        

So, content has nothing to do with the actionable takeaways and data.? Instead, it has to do with the clearly defined problem your speech solves.

Achieve Masterful Delivery

Delivery can really be misinterpreted to mean “perfect delivery” – no mistakes, smooth flow throughout, charisma on stage – you get the idea.

But really, someone with great delivery is polished enough and authentic so that they can build trust and a genuine connection with their audience.

In a 2020 Speaking Trends: The Top 9 Ways Meeting Planners Find Speakers report, they found that 78% of planners rely on live viewings or referrals in order to gauge delivery.? This means they need to actually see and experience what you’re like on stage.

??? For me, that means rehearsal, repetition, and refinement – three ingredients that will result in natural mastery of your delivery.        

Compelling Stage Presence

This last one comes down to a commanding and authentic presence that reassures the organizer and inspires the audience.?

So again, if you go back to the 2020 Speaking Trends report, 78% of organizers want to see the speaker themselves (or hear from someone who has) to actually decide if the speaker has what it takes to captivate their audience.

Stage presence isn’t really something you can put your finger on.

It’s what creates that emotional buy-in from your audience – an essential trait for referability.?

Want Some Actionable Takeaways?

Okay, it’s time to think about what’s really at stake here.

?? If you’re going to earn audience trust, you have to solve clear problems, provide strong delivery, and trigger real engagement.        

Your organizers need to see that you can create an emotional and intellectual connection with their audience.? They want to see that you’re keeping the audience transfixed by your performance along the way.

When you create this type of memorable talk, it will result in better ratings and repeat attendance—in other words, new leads, more consistent referrals, and increased gigs!

So, my question to you is this…

?? Do you truly embody these four traits my event organizer outlined - engagement, strong content, masterful delivery, and a compelling stage presence?        

Or, are you just going through the motions on the surface level of what those words mean?

Are you focusing on solving real problems?? Are you connecting emotionally?? Are you delivering that transformational experience???

Or, are you just using the buzzwords, hoping it’s enough, and waiting for the high-caliber gigs that never seem to come?

If you’re a Premium Member, check out the second part of this article, and we’ll look at the next steps for each of these four terms.

Part two of this article covers:

• How to build deeper emotional engagement with your audience members,
• What it means to truly avoid the commodity interaction trap,
• How you can go deeper with your content to boost the perception of your speech in organizers’ eyes – and give a better speech!
• What to swap for your “actionable takeaways” while providing much higher value (that sticks,)
• And some ideas for how to level up your delivery and stage performance without losing your authenticity.

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Remember, the advice that got you here won’t get you there. It’s time for a massive move.

It’s time for a Monumental Shift.??

Thanks for reading!

Andrew