17.2: Keynote Speaking

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the purpose of keynote speeches in society.
2. Explain the basic objective of an after-dinner speech.
3. Describe the purpose and the types of motivational speeches.
4. Assess the appropriateness and emotional resonance of AI-generated ceremonial speeches.

The last type of entertaining speech we will examine is the keynote speech. A keynote speech is delivered to set the underlying tone and summarize the core message of an event. Keynotes are often given at the end of an event; there can also be a number of keynote speeches delivered throughout a longer event that lasts for several days. People who deliver keynote speeches are typically experts in a given area who are invited to speak at a conference, convention, banquet, or meeting. Some keynote speakers will be represented by a speaker’s bureau, an agency that represents celebrity and professional speakers. One important organization for aspiring keynote speakers is the National Speaker’s Association. NSA also publishes a widely respected magazine for professional speakers called Speaker magazine, which can be accessed for free from their website.

In the world of professional public speaking, there are two common types of keynotes: after-dinner speeches and motivational speeches. Let’s look at each of these unique speeches.

After-Dinner Speaking

After-dinner speaking gets its name from the idea that these speeches historically followed a meal. After-dinner speakers are generally asked to speak because they have the ability both to speak effectively and to make people laugh. First and foremost, after-dinner speeches are speeches and not stand-up comedy routines. All the basic conventions of public speaking previously discussed in this text apply to after-dinner speeches, but the overarching goal of these speeches is to be entertaining and to create an atmosphere of amusement.

After-dinner speaking is probably the hardest type of speaking to do well because it is an entertaining speech that depends on the successful delivery of humor. People train for years to develop comic timing, or the verbal and nonverbal delivery used to enhance the comedic value of a message. But after-dinner speaking is difficult, not impossible. Here is the method we recommend for developing a successful after-dinner speech.

First, use all that you have learned about informative or persuasive speeches to prepare a real informative or persuasive speech roughly two-thirds the length of what the final speech will become. That is, if you’re going to be giving a ten-minute speech, then your “real” informative or persuasive speech should be six or seven minutes in length.

Next, go back through the speech and look for opportunities to insert humorous remarks. Table 18.1 “Forms of Verbal Humor” lists various forms of verbal humor that are often used in the textual portion of a speech.

Each of these is a possible humor device that could be implemented in a speech. Mark Twain’s speech on his seventieth birthday is a good example of an after-dinner speech and can be readily found online.

Once you’ve looked through your speech, examining places for verbal humor, think about any physical humor or props that would enhance your speech. Physical humor is great if you can pull it off without being self-conscious. One of the biggest mistakes any humorist makes is to become too aware of what his or her body is doing because it’s then harder to be free and funny. As for props, after-dinner speakers have been known to use everything from oversize inflatable baseball bats to rubber clown noses. The goal for a funny prop is that it adds to the humor of the speech without distracting from its message.

Last, and probably most important, try the humor out on real, live people. This is important for three reasons.

First, the success of humor depends heavily on delivery, and especially timing in delivery. You will need practice to polish your delivery so that your humor comes across. If you can’t make it through one of your jokes without cracking up, you will need to either incorporate the self-crackup into your delivery or forgo using that joke.

Second, just because you find something unbelievably funny in your head doesn’t mean that it will make anyone else laugh. Often, humor that we have written down on paper just doesn’t translate when orally presented. You may have a humorous story that you love reading on paper but find that it just seems to drone on once you start telling it out loud. Furthermore, remember there is a difference between written and verbal language, and this also translates to how humor is interpreted.

Third, you need to make sure the humor you choose will be appropriate for a specific audience. What one audience finds funny, another may find offensive. Humor is the double-edged sword of public speaking. On one side, it is an amazing and powerful speaking tool, but on the other side, few things will alienate an audience more than offensive humor. If you’re ever uncertain about whether a piece of humor will offend your audience, don’t use it.

The following are some other tips for using humor from people who have professionally given after-dinner speeches and learned the hard way what to do and what to avoid:

• Personalize or localize humor when possible.
• Be clear about which words need emphasis with verbal humor.
• Be sure the punch line is at the end. Don’t let on where the joke is going.
• Don’t announce, “This is funny.” or “I’m not very good at telling jokes, but…”
• Don’t use humor that you personally don’t find funny.
• Don’t apologize if others don’t laugh.
• Don’t try to explain the humor if it fails—just move on.
• Don’t drag it out! Remember, brevity is the soul of wit.
• Know when to stop joking and be serious.
• Be natural and have fun!

Motivational Speaking

The second common form of keynote speaking is motivational speaking. A motivational speech is designed not only to make an audience experience emotional arousal (fear, sadness, joy, excitement) but also to motivate the audience to do something with that emotional arousal. Whereas a traditional persuasive speech may want listeners to purchase product X or agree with ideology Y, a motivational speech helps to inspire people in a broader fashion, often without a clearly articulated result in mind. As such, motivational speaking is a highly specialized form of persuasive speaking commonly delivered in schools, businesses, religious, and club or group contexts. The Toastmasters International Guide to Successful Speaking lists four types of motivational speeches: hero, survivor, religious, and success (Slutsky & Aun, 1997).

The hero speech is a motivational speech given by someone who is considered a hero in society (e.g., military speakers, political figures, and professional athletes). Just type “motivational speech” into YouTube and you’ll find many motivational speeches given by individuals who can be considered heroes or role models. The following clip presents a speech by Steve Sax, a former major league baseball player who became known for committing errors. In this speech, Sax talks about his life as a baseball player, along with issues related to leadership, overcoming obstacles, and motivation.

The survivor speech is a speech given by someone who has survived a personal tragedy or who has faced and overcome serious adversity. One such example you can find online is cancer survivor Becky Olsen, who travels the country talking with and motivating fellow survivors to beat the odds.

The religious speech is fairly self-explanatory; it is designed to incorporate religious ideals into a motivational package to inspire an audience into thinking about or changing aspects of their religious lives. One highly sought-after religious speaker in the United States is Joel Osteen, head minister at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. Often Osteen uses the theme of finding and retaining joy in life. In addition, Osteen stresses the importance of learning how to take responsibility for one’s own life and letting others take responsibility for their lives.

The final type of motivational speech is the success speech, which is given by someone who has succeeded in some aspect of life and is giving back by telling others how they too can be successful. One such speaker is CEO of Xerox, Anne Mulcahy, addressing students at Dartmouth College discussing the spirit of entrepreneurship and leadership lessons.

Artificial Intelligence and Speeches to Entertain

Artificial intelligence is a rapidly developing tool that can be of tremendous help to speakers. The key to using artificial intelligence wisely is to recognize its legitimate uses and to avoid unethical uses that are most often plagiarism. A speech is effective for presenting information in a useful way. It is the speaker’s job to ensure that the audience remembers what was said. Listening for broad themes buttressed by credible support is the audience’s task. The speaker must craft a speech that engages the audience, inspires them, and is entertaining. It is the speaker’s message, information, and organization that makes a speech their own. An interesting speaker has something to say and says it in their own way. Like any tool, artificial intelligence is only as good as the person who uses it. Crafting precise, detailed prompts is the most important element in wise use. Prompts reflect elements in the speech. In a speech to entertain, the occasion, the subject of the speech, themes and key points are all starting points for prompts.

Given this result, it is quite tempting to rely on AI to craft our speeches. There is no question that this is ethically suspect. It can be argued that the prompt itself results in inevitable plagiarism and therefore said prompts and their progenies should not be used. And it is a hard line to draw as to when prompts veer into prohibited and unethical uses. Realistically, it would be difficult to detect the use of said prompts. Plagiarism detection tools exist, including Turnitin, Grammarly, and Quill, but they would not necessarily detect the use of AI.

ChatGPT and similar artificial intelligence tools are detectable because of their unoriginality and common tendencies. In the sample above, some of the stylistic devices are cliches and there are no detailed, original stories revealing the essence of this specific person. Using AI for brainstorming and outlining may be legitimate uses. Having AI write stylistic devices is harder to defend, for it is almost impossible to claim these devices as one’s own.

In summary, guidelines can be established for legitimate and ethical uses of AI in speech writing. Enforcing these guidelines is heavily dependent on an honor code. In life, think about productive uses for AI, including collecting previous work to generate models for success. The best speeches are of your own creation, delivering a sincere message adapted to your particular audience.

Figure 17.2 Why Entertainment Lasts

Try It: Match AI-generated excerpts

Activity Introduction: AI tools can generate impressive-sounding speech excerpts, but they are only as strong as the prompts that shape them. This activity helps you see the link between the input and output — and why careful, ethical prompting matters.

Wrap-Up :
As you saw, AI-generated speeches can sound polished, but they may also lack originality or emotional depth. Beyond the podium, what makes a speech powerful is not just style but sincerity — your authentic voice, your ethical choices, and your connection with the audience.