How to create a killer keynote: Training for women speakers

The mission of KeyNote Women Speakers

KeyNote Women Speakers was created with the aim of bringing more women speakers to stages around the world. They also train the next generation of keynote speakers on their training program.

My involvement in KeyNote Women Speakers

I was one of the trainees in the first cohort of the KeyNote Women Speakers back in 2017. Following my successful audition, when I shared my keynote on emotional wellbeing for relocation: Are you prepared? I was added as a speaker to the KeyNote Women Speakers Directory. I will be speaking on Emotional Equity at KeyNote’s Equity in Action event which was postponed from International Women’s Day in March to this coming October (fingers crossed!). I was also on the judging panel for the 2018 trainee cohort and just delivered my training session on structuring a keynote speech, plus tips for stunning slides, to some of the current trainees last Saturday.

Saturday’s online session: creating a killer keynote

I thoroughly enjoyed facilitating Saturday’s session on Zoom with the current trainees. Our session covered how to effectively structure a short keynote, in addition to what you should include and what you should absolutely avoid when creating PowerPoint slides to accompany your keynote.

Top tips from my session:

  1. Grab your audience’s attention from the very start so they want to listen to what you have to say

  2. Ensure your key message is clear and reinforced throughout your keynote

  3. Use a master PowerPoint slide deck for clean, consistent slides

  4. Use high resolution photos for your images

  5. Less is more when it comes to slide design!

Want to improve your own keynote structure and slides?

Creating a keynote speech with beautiful and impactful slides is no easy task, but structuring your keynote clearly makes a huge positive difference to your audience's level of engagement during your speech. If you’re keen to improve your skills in this area, ask me how I can help!