Finding a keynote speaker who stays on topic, keeps the audience engaged and does not go over their time is no easy feat, but is essential. Credit: DepositPhotos.com

“What did he just say?” Your speaker has gone off-topic, sprung a surprise theme, sworn or uttered some otherwise offensive term or viewpoint. You can see the shock ripple across the room as attendees exchange glances. The wrong words at the wrong time can derail the energy of even the best-planned meeting.

What do you do? You have two options: let them carry on, or dim the lights and cut them off. Either way, you know your attendees will be buzzing about it, and probably not in a good way. If you have an emcee, you can sometimes make light of what happened later in the program. But prevention is always better than damage control.

Speaker Prep is Non-Negotiable

One way to reduce the risk is by equipping your speaker with data and context. If you supply them with a clear picture of who they’re presenting to, why the audience is attending, and what the event is designed to achieve, you lower the chances they’ll miss the mark. Speaker prep calls, pre-event briefings and rehearsal runs can go a long way.

Many planners also now include behavioral clauses in contracts that spell out expectations and reinforce time limits. Some even provide emcees with a discreet signal, a “red card” system, to intervene if things veer too far off track.

Preparation isn’t just about content. It’s also about aligning tone, technology and timing. A strong pre-event process means fewer surprises and more consistent delivery.

Courtside Instead of on the Stage

Of course, some situations are out of your control. One of the most prominent recent examples was when Jason Sudeikis, known for playing Ted Lasso, canceled his scheduled keynote speech at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conference in Chicago at the last minute. Instead of taking the stage, he was spotted nearby at a WNBA basketball game. Social media quickly lit up with images, while SHRM staff scrambled to replace him. Al Roker was able to pick up the reins.

But not every planner can book Al Roker last minute. What can you do in a situation like this?

Experienced planners keep a shortlist of alternate speakers who can step up if needed. Professional speaker bureaus can also help as many have last-minute, travel-ready talent on call.

And when all else fails, don’t overlook internal voices. A senior executive, subject-matter expert or even a skilled moderator can anchor the program. If no speaker is available, planners can reframe the time with a fireside chat, an interactive panel, a Q&A session or an extended networking block.

Transparency is Key

Remember, transparency is key. Attendees usually understand when plans change, especially if the replacement is framed as an opportunity.

No-shows aren’t the only headache. Illness, travel delays or technical mishaps can create chaos. Liz Lathan, co-founder of Club Ichi, recalls when former president Bill Clinton arrived an hour late for his keynote.

What was done to keep attendees engaged? “We kept the expo hall open and had people letting our attendees know that there was a schedule change and we would update them as soon as we could. We also sent push notifications out via the app,” says Lathan.

When Speakers Won’t Stop Talking

Then there are the keynote speakers who show up but throw the agenda off track. They just talk and talk without keeping track of time.

Steph Couch, CMP, executive producer and founder of FIN LLC, has learned from experience to expect the unexpected when it comes to keynote speakers. She was running a meeting for 300 in a hotel in Charlotte and was cognizant of the schedule as it was the last day and attendees had to check out of their hotels and get on flights.

Instead of speaking for the allotted 60 minutes, the speaker went for an hour and 45 minutes.

“This caused the entire program to go 60 minutes over which was super embarrassing,” says Couch.

There were internal presentations that must be held after that speaker before the meeting adjourned.

What was Couch to do? She pivoted and had the hotel staff set up the ballroom so lunch could be served during the presentation.

This seemed like the best alternative to fix the issue until she realized the internal presenter had props — stress balls!

“I sat there and watched as stress balls were thrown from the stage landing in water pitchers and ranch dressing bowls,” says Couch. “If this happened during the planned part of the conference, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But the fact that it took place during lunch and food on the tables was getting hit by the balls changed that.”

Since then, Couch asks all of her presenters if props will be used.

She also stresses the importance of sticking to one’s allotted time. “But that was a hard one to navigate between outside producers plus decision makers for an inside client working for an external agency … If I could do it over again, I would have had a better means to get that keynote speaker to stop.”

Plus the speaker was using a PowerPoint and had lost the audience. “It was death by PowerPoint,” says Couch.

She added that when she needs a giggle she pulls up the video from the “stress ball incident.”

When Keynoters Hurt Relationships

Even when the agenda holds, speakers themselves can create friction.

Evan Babins, manager, event production, Scotiabank, remembers working for an event production company that was producing a sales kick-off for a large tech company in Orlando for 2,500 people.

“Against our best judgement, the company’s CEO informed us the day before show day that he was going to do a keynote for the entire audience. After many back and forth conversations, it was agreed that he would go last on the final day, giving our tech team enough time to get him prepped and ensure his slides were done properly,” says Babins.

Halfway through his presentation, the lighting director tells the event production staff via radio that the lighting board was malfunctioning. “Within 20 seconds, the lights blackout. He reboots the board and gets things back up and running within what was probably 45 seconds, but it felt like a lifetime to our team,” says Babins.

Everything was quickly rectified. “The CEO goes off script and says to the audience, ‘I’d like everyone to turn around and look at the tech guys and give them a round of applause for making me look terrible in front of you all,’” says Babins. “We were all shocked and appalled at what just happened. He continued his remarks, and when he was done, his chief of staff came over to us apologizing profusely for his comments. Needless to say, we didn’t work with that client ever again.”

How to Prevent a Keynote From Crashing and Burning

Keynotes flop when speakers are unprepared, misaligned or unaware of who is sitting in the audience. Too often, talks are generic, self-focused, or overstuffed with content that has little to do with what attendees actually came to hear.

The solution? Preparation, alignment and relentless focus on the audience.

Preparation Is Everything

Encourage storytelling that is tailored to the room, not pulled from a generic playbook. Insist on rehearsals, with slides, props and tech checks, well before the event. Keep visuals clean and minimal. Slides should support the message, not supplant it. If a speaker can’t deliver their talk without slides, they’re not ready for the stage.

Reading a speech verbatim is as disastrous as winging it. The best keynotes are written for the ear, not the page. Have your speakers practice transitions, refine delivery and rehearse with all the tools they’ll actually use on event day — clickers, videos, even backup batteries.

Keep the Audience Front and Center

Above all, remind speakers that keynotes are about the audience’s needs, not personal accomplishments. Establish credibility briefly, but quickly pivot to insights, inspiration or solutions that resonate. A simple test: if “I” and “we” appear more often than “you,” the focus is wrong.

A keynote falls flat fast if the speaker doesn’t understand who’s in the room. Tailor stories, analogies and data to the audience’s context. Jokes that land with one generation or industry may leave another silent and disengaged.

Clear through-lines win every time. Help your keynoter identify one key message to reinforce throughout their talk. Structure and simplicity amplify impact; tangents and content overload dilute it.

Expect the Unexpected

Tech failures are the keynote’s biggest wild card. Always run a full tech check. Test mics, back up decks and rehearse on the actual platform for virtual events (since not all tools behave the same).

But even with perfect prep, things can go wrong. Slides freeze. Stories flop. Nerves hit. That’s okay. Audiences don’t demand perfection, they demand authenticity. Instruct speakers to stay calm, own the moment and keep moving forward. Resilience often leaves a stronger impression than a flawless delivery.

Jay Menashe, senior director at Exhibitus, recalls sitting in the audience for a keynote that did not hold back. The speaker told such a vivid, graphic story that one attendee fainted. That speaker? Aaron Ralston, who survived 127 hours trapped by a boulder in Utah’s Bluejohn Canyon. After five days, he broke his forearm and amputated it with a dull pocket knife to free himself. Talk about creating raw emotion and unforgettable connection.

Cultural Nuances

Global events add complexity. Humor, metaphors or gestures that work in one culture may fall flat in another. Planners must brief international speakers carefully and, when possible, test material with a diverse audience. Again, it’s all about doing the research.

Collaboration Between Speaker and Organizer

Disjointed planning and poor communication can sabotage even the most talented keynote speaker, as well as the entire meeting. Unclear expectations, objectives that don’t align can lead to disaster. Think timing overruns, missed messaging or not sticking to what the audience wants or the event’s goals.

Make Keynotes a priority

Keynotes should not be considered another way to fill the agenda. They can set the tone for the entire event, unify the audience. Oftentimes, they are discussed long after the speaker has stepped off of the stage. A strong one will get attendees talking, purchasing the speaker’s book if there is one, and continue your message for days after they have returned home.

But because keynotes carry so much weight, they’re also high-risk. A flop isn’t just awkward — it undermines the credibility of the entire meeting. That’s why planners must treat keynotes as strategic assets, not simply a box to check.

Virtual vs. In-Person Keynotes

Virtual adds another layer of risk. Speakers must know how to use the platform, engage a camera and interact without live feedback. Rehearsals should include:

• Checking lighting, framing and sound
• Practicing interaction tools (polls, chat, Q&A)
• Preparing backup internet solutions

In-person, meanwhile, requires stage presence: body language, eye contact and spatial awareness. Speakers must rehearse in the room to understand sightlines, acoustics and flow.

Why It Matters

When done poorly, a keynote is wasted time and often remembered for the wrong reasons.

When done right, it becomes the heartbeat of the meeting — sparking energy, setting vision and leaving attendees with a shared sense of purpose.

Careful preparation, smart contingency planning and audience-first thinking transform what could be a risky gamble into the highlight of your event. C&IT