In today’s whirlwind of relentless work demands and an always-on business culture, finding the time and space to entertain new ideas can feel like an insurmountable challenge.
Team members are inundated with tasks, responsibilities, and requests. Leaders know there’s value in bringing people together and educating them – that’s why they plan learning and development events and bring in keynote speakers.
Keynote presentations are effective because they:
- Create a foundation for progress. As a leader, you bring in a keynote speaker when you know there’s something your team needs. Maybe it’s conflict resolution. Maybe it’s the ability to give candid feedback to team members. Maybe it’s a better way to manage your energy and the performance of your team. Whatever it is, you are giving your people a place to start from and an initial set of tools to work with and begin implementing new ideas.
- Encourage alignment. Leaders bring in keynote speakers because they want to get their teams on the same page. You want to give them a consistent set of ideas to work from, a shared vocabulary and way to think about their workplace challenges and opportunities.
- Inspire change. Imagine you’ve just had a keynote presentation at your office. The team is buzzing because of the interactive lesson on wellbeing and productivity. People have acquired new ways of thinking around a concept, and they’re excited to discuss it and increase their understanding. This is where creativity and strategic advancement can thrive. This is an offshoot of the idea of continuity creating innovation; the continuity here is created by everyone working from the same set of ideas and moving forward together.
How To Keep It Going
One problem frequently occurs with keynotes, and you probably already know what it is. Your team members love the presentation. They see where it has value for them and how it could improve their communication and leadership.
But then they get too busy. They try implementing the new tactics they’ve learned, but work is busy and life is hectic. Very quickly, their good intentions can fall by the wayside UNLESS something happens to prevent it.
To really cement the ideas shared by a keynote presenter, you need to reiterate them over the course of weeks and months. You keep bringing them to the forefront for two reasons:
- To reinforce the concepts. It takes multiple repetitions for an adult learner to grasp a new concept, and even more to put that concept successfully into execution. Hosting follow up sessions after a keynote can drive ideas home and
- To foster discussion. People need to know HOW to translate concepts they hear in the initial keynote session into real-life action. Follow-up discussions can give a resource for asking specific questions and incorporating the lessons learned into the ways they lead and work.
- To keep the excitement going. You want your people to keep that “can do” feeling and the confidence they gained from that initial keynote presentation. To do that, you have to keep it on their minds and give them additional chances to succeed at implementing it into their daily methods of communication. That could mean an ongoing support program or it could mean individual or group coaching for your team members. Extending the impact of the session means a greater chance that people will hold tight to the information they gained and put it to work in their daily leadership.
When you supplement a keynote presentation with ongoing education and reinforcement, you can increase the possibility that your information will be absorbed, processed, then used in your workplace. This requires a commitment to providing ongoing training, facilitating leadership discussions, and offering coaching sessions to support your people – and it’s worth it to ensure the lessons learned continue.
Our team often follows a cadence that includes a keynote for a large group within the organization, or a subset of leaders within the organization, followed by small group coaching and a consistent ongoing supply of educational materials (emails, assessments and other content designed to supplement and support the keynote topic). These materials provide reminders to team members of the topics covered and also often provide practical guidance on how to incorporate the keynote lessons into daily routines and interactions.
The keynote presentation serves as the starting point, the catalyst. The real work continues after the session, as you and the other leaders within your organization work to ensure the keynote inspires meaningful change.
It’s worth it. By supplementing a keynote presentation with ongoing education and support, organizations can cultivate a culture where keynotes are not just one-time events but serve as the beginning of a journey toward lasting transformation.
