How to Write a Keynote Speech

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A good keynote speech is gripping and inspiring. It sets the tone for the event, program, or conference, and it can really unify the audience. If you’ve been invited to write and give a keynote speech (congrats!), you might not be sure where to start, or maybe you’re looking for tips to elevate your speech to the next level. Either way, we’ve got you covered! This article will walk you through how to craft a memorable keynote speech from start to finish.

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Brainstorming Ideas for the Keynote Speech

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  1. Ask yourself, “Why am I giving this speech?” “What am I trying to say by presenting this speech?” Often, the main purpose of a keynote speech is to reiterate or explore the theme of an event, program, or conference. You may also have knowledge about the theme that you can share in the keynote. [1]
    • If there is a theme of the event, you may use this as your purpose or inspiration for the speech. For example, if the theme of the event is “Social Responsibility,” the purpose of your speech may be to explore your experiences with social responsibility on a professional and personal level.
  2. Ask yourself, “Who am I speaking to?” “Who is my speech meant for?” Think about the age range of the audience as well as their background and level of expertise. Tailor the speech to suit the audience. [2]
    • For example, if your audience is within an age range of 20-30 and are social responsibility advocates, you may make the speech light, engaging, and full of specialized language that you know your audience will understand.
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  3. A good keynote speech will have at least one to two key points, or takeaways, that the audience can engage with. Write down one to three key points that expand on the main purpose of your speech. These could be one to three terms that you are going to discuss in detail, or one to three ideas. [3]
    • For example, if you are writing a speech around the theme of social responsibility, you may focus on three key points: the history of social responsibility, the current state of social responsibility, and where social responsibility is headed next.
  4. To get a better sense of the style, tone, and language of a keynote speech, read good examples online. You can look at a list of the top keynote speeches online or search for keynote speeches presented on popular public speaking sites, like TedTalks.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Crafting the Keynote Speech

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  1. One of the best ways to grab your audience’s attention is to tell a short, engaging story. Pull a story from your own experiences in the field. Look at current events for a story that relates to the purpose of your speech. Try to tell the story in bullet points, highlighting the key moments in a few sentences. [4]
    • For example, if you are writing a keynote speech on diversity in the classroom, you may tell a story about a student of color that you worked with in your classroom as a teacher.
    • You may also look in the news for a story about a student of color who publicly spoke out about difficulties with diversity in the classroom, preferably a news story based in your area or country.
  2. Another option is to start with a fact you find interesting or engaging. Pick a fact that may not be known by a lot of people, or by the majority of your audience. You may use a fact from your own research or look for facts from trusted sources that relate to the purpose of your speech. [5]
    • For example, if the purpose of your speech is to discuss social responsibility in the corporate world, you may open with a fact about how consumers tend to buy more if a brand is socially responsible.
  3. In the beginning of your speech, you should also state the purpose clearly and concisely. You may state the purpose right after your opening story or fact. State the purpose by saying, “I am here today to talk to you about…” or “Today, I am going to be sharing…”. [6]
    • For example, your purpose may appear as, “I am here today to talk to you about social responsibility, the theme of this conference and the theme of much of my professional work.”
  4. Humor can be a great tool in a keynote speech. Being funny can help to engage the audience and make your speech more memorable. Try to adopt a joking, light tone throughout the speech. Have a balance of funny asides and serious moments. [7]
    • For example, you may make a funny aside that is self-deprecating, such as, “I wasn’t always a great teacher. Sometimes, I was known as the fun teacher or the angry teacher. Not always the great one.”
  5. Repetition can be a great way to reinforce your ideas and remind the audience of the key points in your speech. Return to several key terms in your speech so the audience stays engaged. Bring up a point made earlier in the speech so the audience is reminded of the purpose of your speech. [8]
    • For example, you may highlight terms like “unity,” “engagement,” and “social consciousness” in your speech by returning to them at least twice. You may begin the speech by mentioning these terms and then return to them again later in the speech.
  6. Don’t try to put on a professional or formal tone, especially if it makes you feel awkward or uncomfortable. Try to express yourself like you would to a colleague or a friend. Use language that you use everyday and try to infuse the speech with your natural voice. You will come off more convincing and engaging this way. [9]
    • For example, you may use a funny saying that you use with your students in your classroom in the speech. Or you may use less formal words and terms to keep the tone of the speech conversational.
  7. End the speech by compelling the audience to take some kind of action. The action could be to think about an idea they may not have considered before or to engage more with certain members of their community. Wrapping up with a call to action will give the audience a clear takeaway. [10]
    • For example, you may have a call to action that refers to the story or fact you used at the beginning of your speech: “Just like my student who reached out to a peer in need, I ask you all now to be vulnerable, to try to reach out to someone in your community who needs help.”
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Polishing the Keynote Speech

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  1. Once you have a draft of the speech completed, take the time to read the speech aloud to yourself and to others. Listen to how the speech flows. Notice if there are any awkward sentences or sections. Adjust them so the speech sounds natural and polished. [11]
    • When you read the speech aloud, notice if you skip over any words. You may be able to remove any words you skip over for flow.
    • If you read the speech aloud to others, you can ask them for feedback. Ask them if they found any parts of the speech boring or hard to follow. Be open to getting constructive feedback on the speech so it is at its best.
  2. Make sure the spelling, grammar, and punctuation in the speech is correct. Try reading the speech backwards to confirm each word is spelled correctly. Circle all the punctuation and confirm it is correct. [12]
    • Correct punctuation is especially important if you are going to read the speech aloud to an audience, as the punctuation will tell you when to pause or take a breath. Often, a comma means pausing in your speech and a period means taking a short breath.
  3. You should also look over the speech to make sure each section is clear and easy to follow. Often, shorter is better so if there are any wordy or overly long sections, try to make them shorter. Look for any words or terms you do not need. [13]
    • If there is a time constraint for the speech, you should also time yourself reading the speech to confirm it is within the limit.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    How do I make a good keynote presentation?
    Lynn Kirkham
    Public Speaking Coach
    Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others.
    Lynn Kirkham
    Public Speaking Coach
    Expert Answer
    Introduce yourself and start with an essential question or point. Make eye contact with your audience and stand up straight as you speak. Practice your speech ahead of time to ensure that you have a firm grasp on the material. Try to pace yourself as you speak and talk a little louder than you normally do to make sure the audience has enough time to process what you're saying. Realistically, a lot of this just comes down to practice, though. Get plenty of practice ahead of time to ensure that you're comfortable when you give your speech.
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  • Question
    Why is it crucial to revise your speech?
    Lynn Kirkham
    Public Speaking Coach
    Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others.
    Lynn Kirkham
    Public Speaking Coach
    Expert Answer
    You want to make sure your speech is clear and easy to understand. Additionally, it's important to make the speech concise and free of errors. Always revise a speech before you give it.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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  • Question
    How many words should a keynote address about work opportunities be?
    Kirsten Wever
    Community Answer
    That depends on how long you want to speak. 20 minutes is standard. Try reading, out loud, something about 500 words long (a single typed sheet, single spaced, has about 500 words). If it takes you 5 minutes to read this, and you want a 20 minute speech, your word count should be about 2,000.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/brainstorming/
      2. ↑ Lynn Kirkham. Public Speaking Coach. Expert Interview. 20 November 2019.
      3. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mitch-ditkoff/post_3868_b_1868754.html
      4. ↑ https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/10-tips-for-improving-your-public-speaking-skills/
      5. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mitch-ditkoff/post_3868_b_1868754.html
      6. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mitch-ditkoff/post_3868_b_1868754.html
      7. ↑ https://www.toastmasters.org/Magazine/Articles/Six-Rules-of-Humor
      8. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffschmitt/2013/07/16/10-keys-to-writing-a-speech/#25d3cdba4fb7
      9. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffschmitt/2013/07/16/10-keys-to-writing-a-speech/#25d3cdba4fb7
      1. ↑ https://open.lib.umn.edu/publicspeaking/chapter/11-2-steps-of-a-conclusion/
      2. ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-aloud/
      3. ↑ https://www.unr.edu/writing-speaking-center/student-resources/writing-speaking-resources/editing-and-proofreading-techniques
      4. ↑ Lynn Kirkham. Public Speaking Coach. Expert Interview. 20 November 2019.

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      A good keynote speech is inspiring and can set the tone for an entire event. Start your speech with an engaging anecdote to grab your listeners' attention. The story can be from your own experience and should relate to the topic of the event. Then, tell your audience what the purpose of your speech is. You might say something like, “I am here to talk to you today about social responsibility, which is the theme of the conference and the theme of my professional work." Use a little humor and a light-hearted tone to keep the speech engaging and make it more memorable. Make sure to write the speech along the lines of how you normally talk so it sounds natural when read out loud. At the end of your speech, finish with a strong call to action. This part of the speech should compel listeners to do something to help the cause. For example, if you're giving a speech for a humane society, you may encourage listeners to volunteer at their local shelter. To learn how to polish your keynote speech, read more from our Writing co-author!

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