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Are you hosting a conference and worried your audience may not be as large as hoped? Are you looking for ways to make an annual general meeting unforgettable? Are you about to introduce a new product or business technique to your company? Are you responsible for an upcoming charity event and hoping to encourage attendance to raise more money? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then it might be time to consider an after dinner speaker.

Many event organisers would agree that in any of the situations mentioned above, an after dinner speaker would be their weapon of choice. In cases where an after dinner speaker has a little bit of celebrity, the effect could be even better. And that doesn’t just mean celebrity in the conventional, showbiz sense, but rather any type of renown or respect in a particular field.

In the business world, an after dinner speaker might attend anything from the dinner following an AGM, a training day or a conference. This is an example of when a speaker with renown rather than fame, per se, might come in handy. Certainly, hiring an after dinner speaker with experience and a successful track record in the right field could add authority to new techniques you are trying to introduce.

The after dinner speaker is also a great tool in the world of charity. Depending on the type of charity and the expected audience, using a famous face can be a wonderful boost. Before the event, a celebrity after dinner speaker can raise the profile of the event and the charity itself. More interest means more attendance and more attendance means more donations. Therefore, an after dinner speaker can really make a difference.

Deciding on the type of after dinner speaker to go with is never easy. A showbiz, or television celebrity may be the obvious choice, but ensure that the audience’s age, gender and any common interests are taken into consideration before making any concrete decisions.

An after dinner speaker with plenty of experienced will be highly skilled in his or her art. When compared to an inexperienced after dinner speaker, these skills will shine through. This is simply because new speakers have not yet been able to hone the vital skills for super presentations.

Clearly, strong communication skills are vital to an after dinner speaker who may be required to convey many different messages over their career. However, humour is also vital if the speaker is to prevent boredom amongst audience members. Because the after dinner speaker is expected to entertain the audience during what is a natural lull in proceedings, they must be humorous to prevent any after dinner lull. Aside from humour, brevity is another string to the after dinner speaker’s bow. Conveying messages without spending hours doing it always makes for a good speaker.

Furthermore, good, solid knowledge is very important for an after dinner speaker. They must have a good grounding in their subject matter or else the audience is unlikely to take them seriously and will probably disregard their message. As far as knowledge is concerned, some responsibility lies with the person booking the after dinner speaker. Choosing a TV presenter to talk about training and management is unlikely to be a sensible decision. Remember though, that even a knowledgeable business speaker should be given some introduction to the company.

Another large part of the after dinner speaker’s skill lies in their understanding of an audience and their needs. Certainly, organisers should still provide information where appropriate. Failure to understand the needs of an audience has caused many an after dinner speaker to make gaffes in the past, with inappropriate jokes at the top of the list.

Most people have heard of an after dinner and are aware of their function at many types of events, including charitable, educational or sporting occasions, but yet aren't familiar with keynote speakers. In reality, most of us are likely to have heard keynote speakers without even realising it. We simply don't realise because unlike an after dinner speaker, the idea of keynote speakers is not so commonplace.

Keynote speakers deliver their speeches at grand, important and large events. The nature of the event could be industrial, commercial, academic or industry related. The purpose of the speech is to set out the general tone of the event as a whole. Keynote speakers therefore, will often summarise the main message of the event or pass on an important message.

Keynote speakers will speak at the start of an event if they are introducing it, or at the end of the event if they are summing it up. If they are introducing it then they will be employed to raise interest amongst the audience so that they are really geared up for the conference, exhibition or event. On the other hand, if they are employed to speak at the end of the event, they will focus more on summing up key messages so that the audience leaves with a very clear understanding of what the event has been about.

Because they have generally been trained in or had a lot of practice at public speaking, keynote speakers know who to make striking and memorable speeches. They are also likely to be renowned, respected, and perhaps even famous within their field. Keynote speakers are employed on the basis of the credibility and authority they bring to a topic, rather than solely on their public speaking abilities. As a result, keynote speakers are generally educated, successful and in some cases business minded.

The attendance of some keynote speakers might be as an award to the audience. In many graduation ceremonies, a celebrity or academic who is well respected by the student body might be hired. Equally, a keynote speaker might be booked to encourage attendance at the event.

Not everyone can comfortably speak or perform in front of a lot of people. For some, it can even be a frightening experience which is to be avoided at all costs. Anxiety and paranoia are often experienced by sufferers of performance anxiety, otherwise known as stage fright.

Performance anxiety affects even the most seasoned professional speaker or performer like business speakers and motivational speakers. Some find it easier to remain calm even when they are stressed however most of us will fall into a state of panic as we think about the negative aspects of public speaking.

This debilitating fear may depend on the context of the performance. The size of the audience, being alone on stage, the importance of the evaluation; all these factors can change the level of anxiety experienced by the speaker. For a larger audience, the speaker might experience more nerves. In a job interview, the applicant is more nervous in front of the manager than the secretary.

Types Of Anxiety.

1.     Most common among sufferers of performance anxiety is a fluttery, unsettled sensation which slowly dies down once the speech has begun. This built up energy can make performers better.

2.     Reactive anxiety is something which happens when the speaker or performer is not prepared enough or they do not have any public speaking skills. This will go away with practise and experience and of course, more public speaking. This is how business speakers get better.

3.     There are also physical and emotional signs of stage fright including sweating, shaking, an uneven voice and a quickening heart rate as well as fear and panic. The thought that you will be unsuccessful at the speech is what causes these reactions.

Believing that your speech or performance will be a success is a way to alleviate these symptoms. Typically this is done by asking the performer to accept the fear and come up with ways to get round it such as breathing exercises, audience relation and practise. You may discover that fear still remains, but you notice that you can handle it, as you are beginning to get the sense of enjoyment from your performance and from connecting with others.

When we attend remembrance events we show our respect, our thanks and we reflect on those who fought and died for us. With the passing of the last WW1 soldier earlier this year and the services held across the country for the anniversary of armistice on the 11th November every year, it is clear that modern society and it’s attitudes have not forgotten those brave men and women who serve for us.

However, not only do we remember those who fought in the two world wars, we also continue to think of the men and women fighting in modern wars in places like Iraq and Afghanistan and when the 100th soldier to die in Afghanistan did this year, there was an outpouring of emotion. At events held around the nation, people have been publicly remembering those they knew and strangers that have served, died or been injured in a war. At these events, keynote speakers have made the atmosphere even more special with their touching words and firsthand experience.

Most people think of z-list celebrities when they think about keynote speakers. However, there are members of the armed forces and everyday citizens that have personally experienced battle, warfare and injury who speak at events such as these. When you are listening to a soldier who has seen people die and lived in a war zone it really does make you realise just what soldiers go through and your respect increases.

However, the keynote speakers who have served for Her Majesty the Queen do not want to make the event over-sad but instead create a sense of optimism, patriotism and celebration that what we have achieved on the battle field has led to the UK becoming one of the most influential countries on the global scale. The enemies of democracy and the western way of life try to attack our fair democracy however our soldiers still fight to protect us from this.

Graduation ceremonies at university are very proud moments for those receiving their degree and the parents or friends who accompany them. What that works means could be a new career with bright prospects, an opportunity to get into a job that would never have been possible had they not held a degree, or simply a life changing experience that widens your social horizons and life’s possibilities. It is no small thing to achieve a university degree in this day and age so the keynote speakers chosen to attend the event need to reflect this in their speech.

Now this may sound like snobbery, but I do not believe that a keynote speaker should be invited to speak at a graduation ceremony if they have not experienced the same academic life as those receiving their degree. Going straight into a job after leaving school is a life completely different than if you choose to go to university for three or four years, and keynote speakers will not be able to relate with their audience if they have not gone through the same experiences.

University life makes you more independent. You often move far from home with no one that you know, have to budget your loan and get a part time job on top of your studies to help with living costs and deal with people that you might not get along with. If you choose to stay at home and get a job you do not have to deal with these kind of things.

When working straight out of school you often live with your parents for a few months or even years until you are earning enough to pay for rent, you choose your flatmates when you do move, and so long as you are earning a big enough wage, you do not have the financial worries of students at university. And contrary to most people’s beliefs, those who do go to university mostly pay for the experience themselves by getting a part time job. Working through the holidays and paying of their loan once they have left.

And so when the academic department at university are looking for through keynote speakers for their ceremony, the first thing that should be checked off the list is that they hold a university degree. Otherwise their audience will be given a speech that has not resonance with their own lives for the past three years.

At political or industrial events and expositions and at academic conventions, the keynote address or keynote speech is delivered to set the underlying tone and recap the fundamental message or most important findings of the event. The person who gives the speech normally has some affiliation with the audience, for example they are a successful business man or renowned scholar. A lot can be achieved by good keynote speakers as they can benefit their own career and influence the audience they are speaking to.

Some of the most influential keynote speeches of all time have been given at the events during presidential election campaigns in the US. politicians can raise their profile at these events like Barack Obama did at the 2004 democratic national Convention. p Sometimes they can influence the course of the election if they are delivered well with a strong message. Similar speeches are given at political conventions and party meetings across the globe.

When there are graduation ceremonies at colleges and universities there are keynote speeches given by academics or celebrities. These speeches are usually ones of celebration and have a light hearted message.

Keynote speakers are often chosen to gain more interest in a particular event, such as a conference or large meeting sponsored by a corporation or company, and draw people to attend that event. Meetings and conferences are made more exiting with the use of a keynote speaker from the world of business, sport, adventure and celebrity, especially if they can speak in an entertaining manner.

most speeches last for 30 to 60 minutes although you can get shorter and longer ones if required. A lot of speakers will lend their services to an event for free if it is for a charitable cause or they get enough positive publicity out of the event so that they do not require getting paid. Corporate and sponsored events usually pay their speakers because they are given sponsorship, the speaker will receive a pre0arranged fee for giving their speech.