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Catchy title, right? And quite a niche request.
Travel and tourism as a sector is very event heavy on events and conferences - in a good way, there are some epic ones in the calendar, from Arival to WTM. And the best ones have brilliant speakers and hosts.
I attended the Women in Travel event last week and whilst I still remain confused about some elements of allyship and why we really need it (a totally separate and beefy topic), some of the speakers were just incredible. In that properly put your phone away style that has you hooked on everything they're saying because they are humbly funny and so very relatable.
So regardless of whether that's a keynote speaker to kick off the day in style and get people excited, or the leader of a practical and interactive learning workshop, it pays to have brilliant speakers at your event - as Daniel Priestly rightly says - a keynote worth paying for brings an audience with them.
What should you look for in a great speaker for your travel, tourism, visitor attraction or experiences event?
A really good public speaker has the audience anticipating what's coming next from the moment they take to the stage. Whether that's a dramatic pause or a bold statement or question, they'll have the audience just where they want them from the first few seconds. This is really important if you want to take people on a journey with you.
2. Creating natural engagement and conversation
I once did a keynote for a conference of travel managers and afterwards was told that they'd never seen participation like it, that this group of a hundred or so consultants literally never engaged at their events. Using simple techniques like asking people to agree with a statement is a good way to break the ice, as is a show of hands for something. From there it's far easier to get people shouting or suggestions or asking questions. And remember, always thank people for their contribution and never, ever put it down.
3. Share your opinions, the audience isn't always right
If you are encouraging audience participation, you don't have to agree with everything the audience says. Yes you want them onside, but it's also your job to show that you're an expert. So if someone says something you disagree, it's fine to highlight it as controversial, but then throw it back to the audience for more opinions, or you can suggest the reasons it might be controversial, rather than arguing the point directly. Make sure to allow a balance of voices in the room and always share your own perspective, just make sure it's always inclusive.
4. Engage all skill levels
If you're speaking to a diverse audience, make sure that you have different levels of expertise aimed at different skill sets from beginning to pro. Don't patronise anyone by telling them what they're doing wrong, simply give people options based on their level and available time or resource - frame that as 'if you want, you could...' or 'to take that further you might...'.
5. Listen and repeat
When it comes to Q&A times in your speaker session, make sure to really listen to the question. There is nothing more concerning than a speaker who either doesn't take time to understand your question or doesn't have an answer. So listen hard, repeat back the question so everyone can hear it, and ensure you have understood it correctly. This not only buys you time to think about your response but also ensures that you're answering the question that was actually asked.
6. Create a story and a flow
The best speakers are masters at creating a really natural and engaging flow through their talks. That's because there is a beginning, middle and end. Usually along the lines of a 'once upon a time' opener followed by a problem posed, a battle, a success and then the 'happily ever after' close. This allows you to keep the attention of the audience and ensure that they're following your logic. Talks that jump around in all sorts of directions might be crammed with value but it's far harder for your audience to remain tuned in.
7. Challenge difficult questions
I witnessed this just last week. I was listening to a speaker on the topic of customer personas. At the end an audience member debunked everything the host had just said. It was awkward to say the least. But the speaker did an epic job of making the questioner feel validated, whilst also backing up their approach. They recognised the differing opinion and why that might be the case, thanking them for being engaged enough to share their views, and also added 3-4 more reasons their logic was useful to explore as well as contrast with the newly raised suggestions. This is easier than you might think, it just requires practice and a little confidence.
8. Use the power of silence
And this is a difficult skill to master because it requires real practice. Standing and saying nothing on stage is as hard to do as not joining a queue if you're British. It requires real poise and purpose. But if you can wait between points to let the idea you've just shared settle and sink in with people, what you say is going to be far more memorable and you'll find that you receive more questions at the end because you've really emphasised the points you want people to take away with them.
9. Use personal stories
Storytelling is so powerful. Your own stories multiply that by ten. So whatever the topic, you hopefully have some great stories and anecdotes on my subject matter - if you don't it's maybe worth challenging whether you're speaking on a topic you truly are expert on...Intersperse those with ideas, observations and tips. Using storytelling to bring an idea to life creates a picture for people and allows you to connect theory with reality in a relatable way.
10. Prep people to engage and ask questions
This is especially useful if you're new to speaking or speaking at an event where you don't know if the audience will engage or not. If you can, prep a few people to ask questions, or if you have access to an attendee list, even better, reach out and ask if you can use them or their business as an example to illustrate a point in your session. They'll be flattered to have been asked and will enjoy the added publicity, and you'll be able to show off your expertise with real social proof - a live demo or example right there in the room to bring your point to life.
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