Supercompetent Speaking: Keynoting vs. Workshops

By Laura Stack, MBA, CSP

While we all specialize somewhat, I believe a good, experienced speaker should be able handle the full gamut of the profession. At one end of the spectrum, we have the kind of grand, inspirational speeches that motivate a large audience to go out and make a difference or change a behavior. At the other end, we have one-on-one personal coaching that uses questioning to help the learner discover the answers. In between, we have things such as workshops that teach a particular skill, informational presentations, panels, and roundtables.

I think it’s instructive to step back occasionally and take a look at the two extremes of the scale...though really, all forms of professional talks and speeches proceed from the same basic set of assumptions. We’re all trying to sell something to the audience, whether it’s a renewed sense of optimism and purpose, a change in behavior, a new type of business machine, or professional development skills. By and large, then, the differences are those of degree rather than of kind. Keeping this in mind, let’s consider the differences in two popular types of presentations that interact differently with the audience: keynote speeches and workshops.

The Keynote

The term, “keynote,” derives from harmony singing—specifically from the classic barbershop quartet. One of the singers sings a note and the others then join in, building a harmony around it. That certainly describes how a keynote speech can and should work. Typically, a keynote presentation sets the tone for a large event, such as a conference or company-wide meeting. It is usually the opening speech of a convention, though some still use the term to describe a general session presentation anywhere in the meeting. It also may shore up flagging interest somewhere around the middle or tie everything together at the end (sometimes called an “endnote”). The speaker addresses the entire group of meeting attendees in a large venue, sometimes right after a meal.

A good keynote speech:

1. Presents a personal perspective or philosophy.
2. Expands upon, reinforces, and unifies the central theme and key points of the meeting or conference, often by taking advantage of a broad topic of interest.
3. Opens with an attention-grabbing story, fact, or figure that immediately pulls the audience into the narrative.
4. Motivates, inspires, and encourages, often in a humorous way. While the keynote may prove somewhat informational, ultimately you want your listeners to experience a shift in attitude or thinking. The keynote speaker would love his or her message to survive in the hearts of the audience long after the event ends.
5. Must be well structured but flexible, because schedules often run late. You must have your opening and closing down pat, and present the most important material first, in case you need to cut the speech’s length. That way you can “eliminate from the bottom” without damaging your central message.
6. Lasts for 30 to 90 minutes (I prefer 60 to 75 minutes).

The Workshop

A workshop focuses on teaching a relatively small group of people a particular skill or facet of knowledge. The audience is usually around 20 to 40 individuals—far smaller than the typical audience for a keynote speech. The term, “workshop,” is often interchangeable with “seminar,” but workshops typically involve less pure lecturing and more discussion, audience participation, and hands-on exercises. Professional polish remains important, but results matter far more than an entertaining or motivating performance.

A good workshop:

1. Requires you to assume a teaching role, rather than a motivational one. You’re there to pass on customized information via a series of activities you’ve designed to increase the audience’s practical skills, to the point where they feel qualified to apply those skills to their workflow processes or lives.
2. Must not only be relevant to your students’ situation, but also memorable, practical, andworkable.
3. Involves direct personal interaction between you and your audience and between audience members themselves.
4. Taps both your creativity and organizational skills. A workshop has a carefully designed agenda, including a purpose, goals, and benefits statement; group-oriented activities; tracking or recording of individual and group results and/or action items; and constructive feedback.
5. Calls for a smaller meeting space than most keynotes, but one nonetheless large enough to allow the attendees to split up into individual workgroups and breakout sessions.
6. Usually lasts all day (five to eight hours) but can be a half-day session (three hours).

The Bottom Line

When an organization looks for a speaker, it generally has a specific type of event in mind. You may prefer to specialize in one category and topic, so that when an organization thinks of a keynote speaker on performance and execution, your name comes up first (hint, hint). You may love the huge crowds and performance aspects of a keynote. Or perhaps you like the teacher’s role of the workshop leader better, with a more intimate setting and affecting behavior change in people’s lives.

Specialization may get you all the work you need. As the saying goes, a specialist tends to learn more and more about less and less. You may benefit more from generalizing, so you can capably handle the entire speaking continuum from keynote to workshop. Both extremes offer their own challenges—and if you mix it all into your career, it will keep you on your toes. Besides, if you can do it all, your clients won’t have to look for anyone else for their presentations, no matter what they need. They can stay with you exclusively, strengthening that critical relationship that benefits you both in the long run.

Laura Stack has consulted with Fortune 500 corporations for nearly 20 years in the field of personal productivity and is the best-selling author of several books, including “What to Do When There’s Too Much to Do”(Berrett-Koehler, July 2012). She is the president of The Productivity Pro, Inc., and served as the 2011-2012 president of the National Speakers Association (NSA). Stack’s productivity-improvement programs have been used worldwide at companies such as Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Cisco Systems, and Bank of America. She is the creator of The Productivity Pro planner by Day-Timer.For more information, visit www.TheProductivityPro.comor www.NSAspeaker.org.