Booking the wrong keynote speaker is expensive, and not only in the fee. A forgettable talk quietly drains the energy from an event you spent months planning. Knowing how to choose a keynote speaker who actually moves your audience is one of the highest-leverage decisions an organizer makes. After speaking at events across all fifty states and three countries, here is what I would look for if I were the one doing the hiring.
How to choose a keynote speaker, eight things to look for
1. Look for a message, not just a resume
Awards and titles tell you someone is accomplished. They do not tell you your audience will remember a single word. Ask a speaker what the one idea is that people carry out of the room. If they can answer it in a sentence, they know what they are doing.
2. Watch them on video first
Never book a speaker you have not seen speak. Ask for a clip of them on a real stage in front of a real audience, not a polished promo reel. Watch the energy, the timing, and most of all how the room responds.
3. Make sure they will tailor the talk
A great keynote speaker learns your audience before they arrive: your industry, your challenges, the words your people actually use. A canned speech delivered identically to every crowd is easy to spot and easy to forget.
4. Prioritize connection over polish
Slick is not the same as memorable. The speakers audiences quote for years are the ones who made them feel something and gave them permission to think differently, not the ones with the flashiest slides.
5. Notice how easy they are to work with
How responsive a speaker is before your event usually predicts how smooth the day itself will be. The best talk in the world is not worth a stressful, hard-to-reach process leading up to it.
6. Ask what your audience does on Monday
The best keynotes do not end when the applause does. Look for a speaker who leaves your people with a tool or a next step they can act on when they are back at their desks, not just a good feeling that fades by lunch.
7. Beware the speaker who makes it about themselves
There is a difference between a speaker who uses their own story to serve your audience and one who uses your audience to tell their story. The best keynotes point outward. The speaker’s experience is there to unlock something in the room, not to build a monument to the speaker. When you interview a candidate, notice how often they say “you” and “your people” versus “I” and “me.” That ratio tells you a great deal about the talk you will actually get on the day.
8. Match the speaker to the moment, not just the topic
A morning opener and a post-lunch closer are different jobs, and a celebration is a different room than a team in the middle of hard change. Before you book, get clear on what you need your audience to feel and do by the time the speaker sits down, then hire for that. A speaker who asks about the mood of the room, the timing of their slot, and what happens right before and after them is already tailoring the experience to your event, not just showing up to deliver a talk.
The right keynote speaker does not simply fill a slot on your agenda. They set the tone for everything that follows and give your audience a shared language they carry back to their work. If you are planning an event and want a talk your people will still be quoting months later, I would love to hear about it.
Leila Kubesch is a keynote speaker, speaking coach, and author. Her keynote, The Art of the Ask, shows leaders and teams how to make the ask with confidence. To bring Leila to your event, write to Leila@LeilaKubesch.com.
