2023 was a real pinnacle in terms of my keynote speaker life (so far) 😉 Two dozen gigs for organisations that care about the things I care about – social mobility, women in business, resilience – and the real icing on the cake: hosting the UK Social Mobility Awards!
Throughout this time, a lot of people who want to take up keynote speaking asked me what advice I would give. So this is the first in a series of posts designed to share my thoughts and insights from creating my own speaking career. Rather than follow a set course, I thought I’d pick out the moments that have been the most striking – and that you might find most interesting.
#1: Respect the crew
So you want to go on a big stage? In front of a 20 metre screen full of flashing logos and not a pixel out of place? With lighting that makes you look like you’ve got razor-sharp cheekbones and audio that makes your voice sound to the audience like they’re being serenaded by a lover on a warm summer’s day? Then know this: it has nothing to do with you!
Ok, maybe not quite nothing but you’ve got to be clear on the fact that your looking and sounding good has more to do with other people who are subsisting on instant coffee from a bowl and who have been in that room for at least ten hours before you. People who understand how to run miles of cable, where to connect it and – crucially – what not to unplug. People who can lug a 25kg camera around on their shoulders and fix a mic without breaking a sweat. People who KNOW THINGS.
Watch and learn baby
Being a curious person I’m always fascinated by people who can do things that I find mind-blowing. Like turning a room from a cavernous hall into a gala ball for 500 people. Or wiring up said 20m screen and making things look brilliant on it. Or singing in harmony.
During the SOMOs I got to use the real-life magic trick that is a glass autocue screen and I got to have a go at typing some of the content in. I suspect that the man in question thought I was slightly off my head but I cannot tell you how delighted I was to sit at his computer and type in a poem I’d written during the break. I told him I was grateful. He told me that I didn’t miss a beat (do I get some form of LinkedIn accreditation for that?).
Seeing the crew stitch and weave the event together to pull it into a tightly delivered evening was a brilliant insight into just how much work goes into a five hour session (not to mention the leviathan efforts of Making the Leap in planning the entire awards programme and judging process that leads up to the big day).
Don’t “show up and throw up”
I don’t mean this in the context of making sure you don’t drink a bottle of wine before the evening begins (although this is always good advice), it’s from the perspective of not just rocking up thirty minutes before you’re due to go on and expecting all to be well. Getting to the venue well ahead of time enables you to:
- Meet the crew and thank your client
- Do a run-through
- Understand the room layout
- Make adjustments such as phonetic spellings for names
- Hear and see magical things (I heard the London Community Gospel Choir rehearsing!)
Be part of something
If what I hear from other events professionals is true, there are plenty of people who relish the opportunity to be a diva and fail to see the value in getting to know the people who set up the stage that they stand on. But take it from me – committing to be part of something will give you a warm glow long after the spotlight has been turned off.
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Looking for your next Keynote Speaker or Awards Host?
With years of experience in delivering motivational talks, stories of resilience and hosting events and awards ceremonies, I bring a refreshing blast of honesty and humour. Check out this quick clip below from the SOMOs:
Want to know more?
Make an enquiry either via the contact form, or drop a line to Harry Gibson at Riva Media: [email protected]
