When you write a keynote address, it's important to read it several times and practice delivering it in the days that lead up to the event. This isn't a process that you should go through alone, though. It's a good idea to share your remarks with a number of individuals who will be able to listen and give you constructive criticism. Trusted family members may be able to help, but don't hesitate to reach out to other individuals who have specific attributes that will be useful. Here are three people who can help you prepare to give a keynote address by listening to your speech.
An English Expert
The last thing that you want to do while you're delivering a keynote address is make an egregious grammar error. While some people in the audience may not catch it, it's almost certain that others will — and this can be an embarrassing moment for you. You want to take the stage with the confidence that your speech is 100 percent correct from a grammatical perspective, so look for an English language expert to practice with. This could be someone you know who is an English high school teacher, a newspaper editor, or a college professor.
A Funny Person
Keynote addresses often use humor as an effective device for catching the audience's attention and helping the speaker to relax. If you've injected some humor into you speech, you'll want to deliver it to someone you know to be funny. This could be a colleague or a family member, but you want to pick someone who has an acute sense of humor. This person can help you by assessing the caliber of the jokes. Is a joke perfect as it is, or could it use a slight tweaking to maximize its impact? This funny person can assist in this manner.
A Person Who Doesn't Understand The Subject Matter
Sometimes, keynote addresses can be technical and highly specific to the type of people who are in the audience. If you're speaking about a niche topic, for example, it's easy to use jargon that you understand and that many audience members will understand. However, there may also be people in attendance at the event who aren't fully versed in this subject matter, which can make your remarks ineffective. Delivering your keynote address to someone who is unfamiliar with the subject matter can cause him or her to ask occasional questions — thus helping you to change sections that are too full of jargon.
For more information, reach out to keynote speaking services in your area.