As a keynote speaker, I realized recently that the language and specifics of our industry can be mysterious and confusing to people outside the speaking business. You'll see what I mean from this recent conversation with my airplane seatmate:
Seatmate: "Why are you flying to City X tonight?"
Micah: “I'm giving a keynote speech there on customer service.”
Seatmate: “What does that mean?”
Micah: “Uh, what does ‘Customer Service’ mean?”
Seatmate: “No—got that one. But what is the actual definition of keynote speaker--I never heard that term until then-Senator Obama gave his speech at the Democratic convention back in the day, but now everybody says it all the time."
I answered this question as best I can, and a few followup questions he had about fees and formats and venues. Here's a summary, uninterrupted by the flight attendant's attentive attentions.
1. Definition of "keynote speaker":
The definition of "keynote speaker," and where the term originates, are as follows. The keynote speaker should "set the key" for an event. (The analogy is to an oboe providing the note to which the rest of the orchestra tunes.) However, like so many other words, the term is now stretched to include "closing keynote speakers" and the like as well. Communications expert Dr. Nick Morgan says that it was first used in the 'keynote speaker' sense in the US in 1905.
Live Content: Micah Solomon Speaks on Customer Service, Company Culture, and Innovation
Live Video–Micah Solomon Speaks on Customer Service2. Who do keynote speakers tend to be, and how do they fit into the context of an even?
Keynote speakers are the more general, thought-leader speakers at a particular event. For example, I speak about customer service, the customer experience, and company culture, not about, say, regulatory issues in retail banking. Yet (to continue the example) I might be the keynote speaker at a retail banking industry summit, where I would give the keynote speech about the importance of customer service, the customer experience, or company culture to retail banking. After I get offstage, the more highly technical or "insider" speakers (industry experts, on, say, the regulatory climate in retail banking) would contribute their expertise, either on the same stage or at breakout sessions later in the day.
3. How to become a keynote speaker:
If you want to become a keynote speaker, according to Dr. Nick Morgan, whose advice matches up well to my own experience,
You need to get good at three things. First, you need to develop a great speech. So find opportunities to speak, even if they’re free at first. Toastmasters is a great place to begin to develop your speaking chops. Second, you need a book – so get writing! The book establishes your expertise, which is why it still is important. And third, you need a ‘community’ – an online fan base, content home, thought leadership destination, branding materials, social media presence, and so on."
4. Keynote speaker fees:
This is such a popular question, and a hard one to answer. People (if their last name is "Clinton") can make up to $250,000 a speech. Author Malcolm Gladwell is reputed to make up to $80,000. The rest of us, of course, make less. The most detailed example I can offer is my own fee schedule: I ask $15,000 plus travel for most situations, within the U.S. (I will, however, charge less if you're not for profit or a very small group or have another compelling reason to ask for a discount.) I do speak all over the world as well; my fees for keynote speeches abroad depend a lot on the situation.
And, yes, some speakers end up speaking for free. Which, in my professional opinion, is a great way to set yourself up for a "career" of continuing to speak for free, the classic "dying of exposure."
5. How long is a keynote speech:
About an hour, including Q&A. The trend is toward shorter keynotes, but this is about right.
6. What makes a good, and a bad, keynote speaker?
A good keynote speaker, to quote communications expert Nick Morgan, "tells the audience something it doesn't know or hasn't thought about in precisely that way. A good keynote speaker changes the world by changing the audience in front of him or her." The three most common issues that can trip a speaker up: They "try to dump too much information on the audience, they focus too narrowly on an area of specialty, or they fail to get a discussion going amongst the participants."
Micah Solomon is a keynote speaker, customer service consultant, customer experience speaker and bestselling business author, most recently of High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service
