Speaking Platforms:
Lecture.
A speech usually 20 to 90 minutes, given before a group of from 10 to 1
,000 or more. Speeches are somewhat formal. The speaker reads a prepared
lecture or follows an outline of points to cover. Audience participation
is minimal and usually confined to a brief question-and-answer session
after the talk. Audiovisual aids are usually not used.
Example: The U.S.
president's State of the Union address.
Keynote. A keynote is a speech that
is the main speech at a meeting or for that day of the meeting. Keynote
speakers command big fees, and usually speak to the entire group of
meeting attendees at or after breakfast, lunch, or dinner. A keynote
speech is typically 30 to 90 minutes and usually focuses on a broad
topic of interest to all attendees. Example: At an advertising
association meeting, science fiction writer Ray Bradbury gave a keynote
on creativity.
Breakout session. One of the side
sessions during a meeting, as opposed to the keynote session. Often
meetings will be broken into "tracks"-sequences of breakout sessions
each following a different theme or topic. Most breakout sessions are
from 4S to 90 minutes. Two or three breakouts are typically held
simultaneously. Attendees may go to the ones that interest them most.
Therefore, total attendance at breakouts is less than at keynotes, and
breakout speakers often command a lesser fee than a keynoter.
Example:
At the annual meeting of a printing industry association, a sales
trainer giving a breakout on how to use cold calls to get new accounts.
Presentation. Similar to a speech,
but usually longer and less structured. Multimedia audiovisual aids are
often used, and there is more audience participation. A presentation
usually covers one topic, often with the goal of bringing members of a
team up to speed on a project or issue, and getting resolution so as to
move forward. Example: An engineer explaining the technology of a new
product to the marketing department so that they may develop a plan to
market the technology.
Seminar. A presentation on a topic
covering some facet of knowledge or skill (e.g., banking regulations,
telemarketing, Who Is Doing it? quality control, digital imaging). The
program can be public or private (see "training"). The presentation is
usually organized into modules. The speaker's goal is to impart
knowledge of the topic, and he or she typically uses a combination of
lecture, visual aids, interaction with participants, and exercises to
get the job done.
Workshop. Similar to a seminar but
with a greater degree of attendee participation, interaction, and
hands-on exercises. A seminar may convey the fundamentals of Web site
design, but at a workshop on the subject, trainees may actually design
Web pages during the class, and even walk away with their finished Web
site on disk as part of the program.
Training. Training refers to
seminars or workshops conducted for a private client, usually a
corporation, specifically for a group of its employees. Most corporate
training seminars are one or two days.
Public seminar. A seminar where
registration is open to the general public. Most are one day; some are
two or three days or even longer.
Please Note: The Calendar Team highly recommends the book, "Getting
Started in Speaking, Training, or Seminar Consulting" by Robert Bly.
The above is quoted from this book on pages 8-9.
Go Back to Previous Page
|
|
