
What is live? What is recorded and broadcast? What is on-demand?. What else is going on (e.g., fireside chats, VIP interviews, training, workshops, demos, product launches, small group breakouts, live Q&A sessions, virtual networking, peer discussions, vendor meetups). What happens before and after your keynote speech?. How does your keynote speech fit in with the overall program now?. Speakers sometimes drop out, and timing and formats often change. Here is what you need to consider as you adapt your keynote speech for a virtual event.Ĭarefully review the new schedule for the virtual event since it may not look the same as what was planned for the in-person event. They will see you and hear you alone, in their offices or at home, instead of being shoulder-to-shoulder in community with their colleagues.Īs a keynote speaker, that means you’ll have to do moreof some things and lessof others. Moving from an in-person keynote speech to a virtual keynote speech means rethinking whatyou were going to say and howyou were going to say it because people in a virtual world will experience your keynote differently. Activities in a virtual event may take place in real time (synchronously), on demand (asynchronously), or some combination of the two.” “Virtual events feature multiple sessions (not just a single Webinar or Webcast) and may include keynote presentations, training and education workshops, discussion areas, social networking opportunities, exhibit areas for vendors, and various other features.
It may take place on a standalone basis or in conjunction with a place-based conference (i.e., a “hybrid” event). “A virtual event is a Web-based event that replicates many aspects of a traditional place-based conference, membership meeting, or trade show.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS DEFINITION PROFESSIONAL
I like this definition of a virtual event from Leading Learning, which provides resources for lifelong learning, continuing education and professional development: So keynotes at a virtual event are just as important as keynotes at an in-person event (and perhaps even more so.) After all, people expect to hear one or more keynotes as part of an in-person event, and they expect the same from a virtual event. You probably have plenty of time to pivot and adapt since your event has likely been postponed for at least a couple more months.Īs many events transition from in-person to virtual, keynote presentations remain important as calling cards that motivate people to register for the overall event.Chances are good that you can leverage much of what you or your speechwriter has already prepared.A keynote speech designed for an in-person event is not too difficult to adapt for a virtual event.A closing keynote speech sends people forward, often with a new set of marching orders. A closing keynote speech tends to be even more inspirational (with a healthy dose of hope and optimism) because it is the last experience the audience has and remembers as part of the event.An opening keynote speech pumps people up and gets them in the right frame of mind for what’s coming next. An opening keynote speech, either for an entire event or a dedicated educational track, sets the tone and often drives home a unifying theme.The job of a keynote is different: to engage, entertain, reveal, unite, inspire, motivate and compel a change of thinking or behavior. Let’s first be clear about what we mean by a keynote speech.Ī keynote speech, by definition, is not the same as an educational webinar.
Record your keynote speech ahead of time so it can be broadcast during the virtual event on the designated day and time. Deliver your keynote speech live from a remote location, perhaps in a studio or from your home on the day of the event. What does that mean for you and your keynote speech? The fate of your keynote speech has been up in the air for weeks, and today you finally got the word: That association meeting or annual conference you were eagerly anticipating will now be a virtual event because the coronavirus remains a threat.