The traditional 45-minute keynote format is a time-honored classic that still packs a huge punch. But it is no longer the sole option for event planners and event producers striving for outsized impact and significant ROI on the investment of getting so many people together in one room.
Navigating innovative keynote formats—like those I outline below—is critical to the success of your event, especially once you understand the constraints of the conventional 45-minute keynote. Selecting the appropriate keynote format—and so keynote speaker—establishes the frame through which your event will be seen and hopefully remembered.
9 Limitations of the Classic Keynote Format
The classic keynote’s simplicity, shortness, and formality are well-suited for disseminating high-level insights or thought leadership in a time-bounded and rapid manner. They are easy to book and easy to succeed with.
Yet the impact is limited in return. No matter how good the keynote speaker is, a 45-minute keynote has some constraints within the format:
Tired (And So Can Be Tiresome): Audiences are so used to this format that if the speaker is not exceptional, they can get bored, distracted, and dismissive.
Lack of Interaction: They typically feature a one-way communication that limits audience engagement.
Rigidity in Structure: The format can be too prescriptive, allowing little room for depth of content or deviation into whatever energizes or intrigues people in the room.
Surface-Level Coverage: In the interest of time, complex topics may only be touched upon superficially, which can be very dangerous
Easily Forgotten: Attendees usually receive information passively, which may affect retention, development, and immediate application.
One-Size-Fits-All Approach: Although I customize every keynote, most keynote speakers don't, so content is often uniformly delivered, which may not resonate equally with all segments of an audience.
Low ROI On Costly In-Person Events: Missed opportunities to use leverage the cost of holding an in-person event to create moments of magical cohesion and togetherness (particularly important in internal leadership meetings like top 10/100/200/500 events)
Limited Interactivity & Change: The format is inherently constrained in its ability to change people's habits and behaviors.
Inability To Deliver Ambitious Event Goals: Difficult for the keynote to contribute much to driving change or transformation, as these rely on engagement, participation, action, and practice.
With difficult topics that reach the core of many modern-day business challenges—like those I specialize in, such as digital/business transformation, transformational leadership, breakthrough innovation, AI + leadership (including dangers and ethical innovation)—the shortness and expert-user nature of the format affords the speaker very little time to weave a story that meets the complexity and nuance of the topic; or involve the audience in starting to think about improving or changing their mindsets and behaviors to drive tangible change.
Introducing Two Exciting New Keynote Formats
Keynote speaking formats are being innovated by speakers like me who believe that keynote speaking can unlock transformative impact and deliver more bang for the buck.
This reflects the changing appetites of audiences just as hungry for engagements and interactions that transcend the conventional monologue. It also speaks to the realization by companies and conference organizers that a keynote speech can be pushed to new heights and deliver outsized ROI for the business (both impact and commercial value).
You have the choice to move from information and inspiration (classic keynote) into immersion and reflection (experiential keynote) or individual transformation and collective action (interactive keynote).
Experiential keynotes, when meticulously crafted and performed, can transcend passive listening to deliver a memorable, impactful journey that also allows participants to explore complex topics and provides lots of time, space, and permission to reflect.
Interactive keynotes—when designed and delivered to fit the context of the company or conference—can build momentum and action, help solve the concrete pain points of the audience, and drive collective change.
Where To Start With Keynote Format Choice
Navigating the various keynote formats is critical to the success of your event. Consider the objectives of your event, your audience profile, the context of the organization or network, and the desire for an outsized ROI to determine whether a classic, experiential, or interactive format best aligns with your goals.
Then, book the right kind of speaker, whether transactional or transformative (see my tips on booking a transformational speaker).
A trusted speaker bureau can help, as long as they understand the critical shift that occurs when one moves from a transactional 45-minute keynote to an experiential or interactive format that can be a powerful change intervention (and should be respected as such).
Innovative forms of keynote speaking can resonate well beyond the finite event timespan, embedding enduring wisdom and planting seeds of change that unfold and unfurl in real time as soon as people leave the room. They can elevate and accelerate bold event ambitions.
But you can’t achieve all this outsized ROI if you don’t push the limitations of the conventional mode of keynote delivery and allow for the innovation of new formats that deliver new gains.
Planning & Producing Events With Innovative Keynote Formats
The successful deployment of innovative interactive and experiential keynote performances hinges on respectful and open/authentic relationships between the client, bureau, and speaker, effective collaboration skills where all parties are working for a win-win-win, and a speaker who is not afraid to customize, create, invent, and listen.
The speaker cannot just dust off the same keynote deck they have used a hundred times. They have to tailor and design the experience to fit the context and the purpose.
Context-based customization—with the keynote speaker diving deep into your true needs and the headspace the audience will be in on the day—serves as the conduit to empowerment, momentum, traction, and so action!
A keynote speaker who can go far beyond the classical keynote to leverage participation, facilitation, coaching, and consulting can leave a lasting positive impact on a business challenge or event ambition.
Experiential and interactive keynotes can be surprisingly magical, so deliver outsized returns on your investment. If you want to leverage an event—and the keynote at its heart—to drive fundamental cultural change, unleash momentum and traction, or unlock innovation or business transformation, be prepared to invest in nurturing and harnessing that magic.
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