What Makes A Great Keynote?
I am doing a keynote speech! It is at the Association Of Survey Computing’s annual conference at the end of September in Bristol.
This is the first time I’ve done a keynote, so I thought I’d ask Twitter people about what they expect from such a thing, as opposed to an ordinary paper. What did people say?
- “Entertainment, but also some nuggets and thought starters”
- “They’ve gotta be from out of town, looking over the fence and more interesting than earnest”
- “Dynamic speaking style, thought leadership, some level of industry ‘fame’”
- “Presentation of media that does not include powerpoint”
- “Something broader but (loosely) relevant, a call to arms. And gifts ;)”
- “The unexpected”
- “Vision: new way of looking at things. Inspiration!”
- “Something big picture, preferably visionary and definitely inspiring. Basically the opposite of parochial and self-aggrandizing”
Blimey - this sounds like a big ask. Though actually my favourite response was this one, from Conquest’s David Penn (himself a very engaging presenter):
- “What I expect is some bloke who has written a book. What I hope for is some bloke who has written a good one.”
So what have I learned here? Well, the keynote speaker seems to have a certain amount of licence: they can break away from the concerns of immediate practicality and look to provoke or inspire. The responses have inspired me to be a bit bolder, tear up bits of my notes to be - hopefully - replaced with wilder speculation, better ideas and more jokes. (I’ve not written it yet, but the title’s been accepted - the suitably portentious “Twilight Of The Respondent”. More on this anon.)
