Here’s what I’ve learned after years of standing on stages that stretch from Fortune 500 boardrooms to stadium-sized arenas: a great keynote speaker doesn’t just deliver a message—they deliver a moment.
People think it’s about charisma. Or having the perfect slide deck. Or telling a clever story. And sure, those things matter. But none of them make you great. What makes a great keynote speaker is the ability to connect deeply, to communicate boldly, and to turn information into inspiration.
I didn’t start out trying to be a keynote speaker. I started as a spoken word poet, carving stories out of silence, turning rhythm into revelation. And what I discovered along the way is this: when you fuse art with authenticity, strategy with soul—you create impact. That’s what makes a speaker unforgettable.
Great keynote speakers don’t speak at audiences. They speak for them. With them. They don’t just teach—they touch. They don’t recite—they reveal. And that comes from doing the inner work before the outer work. Knowing your purpose. Trusting your voice. And crafting a message that matters.
If you want to become a great keynote speaker, start there. Ask yourself: What’s the story only I can tell? What’s the truth I’ve been carrying that someone in that audience needs to hear? Because the power of your keynote doesn’t come from your résumé—it comes from your resonance. From your ability to make someone feel seen, challenged, uplifted.
In my Stage Might keynote training, I teach speakers how to build not just a talk, but a journey. We build emotional arcs. We anchor in storytelling. We add rhythm, breath, and performance techniques from the stage to elevate your delivery. We do the work that turns a speech into a show-stopper.
And let’s be clear—great keynote speakers are not perfect. They stumble. They sweat. But they are present. They are human. And because of that, they’re powerful.
So if you’re asking, “What makes a great keynote speaker?”—it’s this: the courage to bring your whole self to the stage, and the skill to make every second of it matter. The willingness to do more than speak. The willingness to ignite.
Step into that, and trust me… the stage will meet you there.
