Discover the essential traits of keynote speakers who captivate audiences, from authenticity to preparation, brand clarity, engagement, and continual growth.

• Authenticity: Great speakers embrace their unique voice and personality. Being genuine, rather than imitating others, connects with audiences on a deeper level.
• Thorough Preparation: Successful speakers do extensive research, including multiple discovery calls with the client, to understand the audience’s needs and tailor their message effectively.
• Strong Personal Brand: Effective speakers know and stay true to their brand. For example, a speaker focused on courage will inspire audiences to face challenges and make bold decisions.
• Interactive Engagement: Engaging the audience through interactive elements and personal anecdotes helps make the experience memorable. This approach invites participation and fosters a relatable atmosphere.
• Continuous Growth: Starting with smaller gigs, honing their message, and iterating based on feedback allows speakers to refine their delivery over time, preparing them for larger stages.

Is it really true?

Checks notes. Confirms. 

Five years ago, I first walked into the Google office in Atlanta to share my story on why companies need to operationalize courage. 

Google liked what I had to say so much that they took me with them to speak to their clients. 

Since then, it has been a whirlwind on the keynote circuit.

I’ve now been able to address the teams that make up the Atlanta Falcons, Deloitte, DC United, Kellogg’s Europe, Kraft Heinz, Logitech, Procter & Gamble, Snapchat and many others. 

From time to time, I’ll get asked the curious question from someone looking to be a keynote speaker what they can do to forge the path I took.

Without further ado, here’s what worked for me. Hopefully, it can work for you:

5 TRAITS OF AN UNFORGETTABLE KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

1. BE YOU. 

To “be you” is to “know you”. For me? I am on record saying I am not a motivational speaker; I am a conversational speaker. Huge difference. You won’t see me getting on stage pretending to be a rabble rouser. I also don’t take many cues from “The Rocking Robbins” (Mel Robbins or Tony Robbins). My style comes from deeply understanding what makes me…ME. It’s cliché, but there’s truth to the Oscar Wilde line, Be Yourself; everyone else is already taken.” So what does it mean to BE YOU? For me, I go back to owning my origin story, living my values (values ARE valuable) and I rarely waiver from my brand — more on that soon enough below. 

2. BE PREPARED. 

I’ve seen many leaders suffer from “Ivory Tower Syndrome” where they get themselves too far away from the work. I take great pride in rolling up my sleeves, hearing what’s not said and doing the detective work that comes with consulting. For 30 years now, I have been fortunate to stay a practitioner. To look under the hood of many verticals under the sun — from CPG to DTC, from hospitality to hospitals — on what life is like for employees in those environments. If you want to land with people, you need to know what it’s like to walk in their shoes. 

Get to know your client and their company, which includes 3 to 5 Discovery calls before ever taking a stage. If you can, make your last Discovery call with the most Senior person on the team. There’s a compounding effect that gives you the intelligence you need to be ready for that last big conversation. This also allows you to graduate your thinking beyond surface level. While this call may be their first interaction point with you, you are like a business mechanic ready to provide an accurate diagnosis back to the person in front of you. 

3. BE YOUR BRAND. 

Yes, being you IS being your brand. That said, when someone hires “Ryan Berman” they are really hiring someone who can help them unlock the many applications that come with courage. For example: Where is courage needed in the business? Is there a courageous conversation that’s needed? Is there a courageous decision we’re afraid to make? Is there a courageous idea that needs to be unlocked? 

Overall, do you need to make courageous change? Not only do I know my brand, I know how elastic my brand is, which allows me to help leaders in a panoply of ways. When your brand is all about courage, you have to keep it real while helping the audience face fear and “brave what’s hard”. 

4. PARTICIPATORY. PERSONAL. PERSPECTIVE. 

So here you are on keynote day. Now, it’s time to be your creative self and make your session interactive. Perhaps you are just one of 8 hours of programming for someone in the audience. Often, the rest of their day has been fully programmed where leaders on their team are just talking at them. 

While this blog post is less about how “offsites are off” (they are), one way to make sure you land with an audience is to get them off their feet, out of their heads and involved. How will you make your session participatory? Courage can often be uncomfortable! So, yes, we are going to move people around and get them to know their fellow coworkers. Making your session participatory is the elixir you should look to install early in any keynote. Then go personal. Remember, we are mirrors. While you might be worried about coming off as “the expert”, remember, you’ve already been vetted to be in the room. How can you go vulnerable, relatable and personal to those in the room? 

Usually, when you do, think through your pacing and spacing. Don’t be afraid to share and hold space for people to truly hear what you said. Finally, drop some perspective on how the audience can move forward. This is what comes with my prep work! Earlier in the year, in Ohio, I challenged a team at Procter & Gamble to see how they were making each other feel superior? If you know P&G, then you know “superior” is their word; granted it’s used more to describe their products, retailers and customers. I turned it on its head to make sure they were taking care of each other — making each in the room felt superior — as well. Make them participate. Go personal. Drop perspective. 

5. START SMALL. DREAM BIG. ITERATE ALWAYS.

 Above I mentioned I had walked into Google 5 years ago. That was far from my first keynote. There’s a reason you don’t take the 400 level class before you’ve powered through the 101’s. My early days had me talking for $500 an hour for an American Marketing Association, the Association of National Advertisers or the American Advertising Federation. I wasn’t losing money but I surely wasn’t charging $50K per keynote. What I was doing was testing material, honing my craft and iterating. 

My main thesis was not changing. 

But I was listening while I was talking. Is my material landing? Am I sensing a visceral reaction? What needs to be tweaked, massaged or changed? In some ways, you are taking on the same process as a Comedian. Chris Rock would never advise jumping on Jimmy Fallon in your first week. At the same time, I was always visualizing and preparing for that bigger room. Was I ready? Would this fly? When Google finally hit my calendar, I was nervous, excited and prepared. The keynote muscles were built up over time and I was ready to make my mark while making this all about them. 

So, that’s my journey – a combination of self-discovery, relentless preparation, and a commitment to making each keynote as memorable as possible.

If there’s one takeaway I’d leave with you, it’s this: becoming an unforgettable speaker isn’t about creating a carbon copy of someone else’s style; it’s about uncovering what makes you unforgettable and bringing it forward. Remember, the path is yours to forge. Start where you are, stay curious, and let your courage lead the way.

Who knows? Maybe in five years, you’ll be sharing your story with Google, too.