Article: Keynote & Training:
Before you start, it's time for a reality check
Published by Professional Speaker Magazine, April 1993 issue
By Vickie Sullivan
Its a trainer's dream: a 45-minute presentation for the same fee as a full day. The applause, the standing ovation, the referrals. Sounds easy too: You already have the program and promotional materials, including audio and video. Training directors give you rave reviews on your platform skills. just announce to the world you do keynotes and wait for the phone to ring.
If you have spent years building a successful training career and now want to expand into keynote, luncheon and after-dinner speaking, it's time for a reality check. It’s possible, but not as easy as you think. From my perspective of promoting speakers, they are two different worlds.
The key to successful keynoting is the emotional experience, not the information. It’s passion, not program; power, not procedure; impact, not building skills. And that emphasis will shape everything a trainer must do to make the successful transition.
Let's start with the program itself. Although the recession has turned the market toward more content-driven programs, meeting planners still expect a riveting performance. The keynote speaker must still touch the audience's heart and do it quickly.
"You only have about two minutes to grab the audience, and that's it," says John Compere, psychologist and professional speaker in Scottsdale, Arizona. "The training environment gives a longer time to build rapport and to focus on building skills."
Using humor and stories works in both settings, but may involve somewhat completely different timing. Trainers moving into keynote addresses must expect to change some aspects of their style. Some may need to take acting classes, as well as getting help in using humor. A demo that is captivating to a training director may not be captivating to a meeting planner who’s been exposed to NSA’s master keynoters.
A trainer's content and information also may not be easily transferable. The keynote plants seed thoughts and creates the environment for their future growth. Creating that environment within a short time requires a different ratio of stories and hard information.
"The best thing that has helped me make the transition is making the training session more like a keynote," says Larry Johnson, also of Scottsdale. "I forced myself to develop more motivational vignettes to take with me."
Because time is so short, the message must be limited to a few points. Stories and examples must be powerful with fewer words. Trainers with hours of material must learn to express those thoughts in minutes -- no small feat.
This emphasis on performance requires changes in the marketing approach. What sells a training director will not sell for the keynote slot. The decision is subjective, with the deciding factor being the live preview, audio or videotape. More emphasis is placed on how the audience will feel after the presentation.
"I don't want a speaker that will tell my members how to get rich tomorrow," explains Linda Hallman at American College of Health Care Administrators in Alexandria, Va. "I want the speaker that will help them feel good about their jobs and our industry."
A trainer needs to switch emphasis from modalities and objectives to messages and theatrics. In promotional material and on the phone, trainers usually address these questions: What are the objectives? What skills need to be taught? In contrast, keynoters ask: What perspectives will the audience have to cope better with the many changes in their industry? Will the audience have better tools to cope with adversity? Will there be a change in attitude?
Therefore, trainers need to be prepared to rewrite promotional copy completely gearing more to the message and philosophy and less to the skills that will be built. Toss the two page outlines. Likewise, the training references. In this competitive market, neither will be much help.
One of the worst mistakes a trainer can make is to send out a training demo in a bid for the keynote slot. The meeting planner will assume that your timing and use of humor would be the same in a keynote situation as on tape. Once that impression is made, you're disqualified.
I made this mistake with meeting planner Denny Moore with Chevron, San Ramon, Calif., who was kind enough to set me straight. A trainer himself, Denny knows that he "can't do keynotes." A training video does not convince him that the presenter can, even with keynote references.
"The classroom trainers have props and collaborators. It's totally different with a person that has to grab the reins for an hour or two in front of 800 people," Moore says. "You're asking the keynoters to be the resource, to maintain the attention and energy of the group without any help from them."
That's what a demo video and audio must show. For trainers, that means a different video with revamped material showing a style different than the one you've taken years to develop. All for one presentation per client, not for a client wanting 30 repeat presentations.
This reality check is not meant to discourage anyone, to claim that the transition can never be made. Many NSA members have done it. However, trainers must know what they are getting into and challenge their reasons for going in this direction. Do you really have a message you are so passionate about that your enthusiasm will be irresistible? Ask someone who is willing to be truly objective with you about your message and style.
Nina Harris, CSP, Phoenix, notes: "If you're being true to yourself, you'll find more ways to do what you do naturally. I get best results when I do wha's real for me."
Since 1987, Vickie K. Sullivan, President of Sullivan Speaker Services, has generated millions of dollars in speaking fees, book advances and ancilliary income for her clients. Sign up for her free market intelligence at http://www.SullivanSpeaker.com
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