Becoming virtuoso: unpacking the best keynote in years

Take the road less travelled (your road)

Despite being in what is traditionally called the creative industry, I’m often surprised by the lack of originality found in these keynote type events.

Sure, things can get creative, with a clever narrative arc or a proficient use of memes. But all too often, it’s mostly marketers showing other marketers what other marketers have done. Originality is different. 

Originality is creativity with a good bit of you mixed in. It’s what we look for in works of art, music and anything that’s worth our time. In other words, it’s a vital element in your next keynote. 

Felipe didn’t show other people’s cases, but focused on telling his own story, starting from his passion for music and classical composers. 

Instead of showing Jobs, he showed Bach. Instead of settling for a fixed slideshow format, he produced a curious blend of video, cabaret and classroom lecture. He even managed to throw in some Coldplay and still make it work.

Imagine your next presentation as an invitation into your world. Lead with your passions and peculiarities, and your audience will follow.

Challenge your audience

Or somewhat more accurately: don’t treat your audience like toddlers. 

At some points during the UBA Trends Day, I wasn’t really sure whether the presenters regarded us as a group of sane adults, or as a troupe of kindergarteners, as they clambered to lower their level from professional to pre-school.

This translated to corny hyperbole of us having the power to change the world, or cringy bits of audience participation that frankly made me want to melt into my chair. More subtly, it also involved the typical management book trope of establishing simplistic causal links between an insignificant detail and a desirable outcome. 

Gomez luckily took a different approach, introducing more challenging concepts that didn’t automatically guarantee success, and focusing on insight and personal reflection.

At the end of each section, he walked back to his piano to play a contemplative tune, while asking the audience to ponder the questions that appeared on the screen. Some questions would provoke a resounding ‘yes!’ and a sense of accomplishment, others confronted you with some of your lesser qualities. In any case, they gave you the feeling that you were touching on something profound.

So as you’re preparing for your next keynote, ask yourself: does my presentation challenge my audience? Do I see them as competent, intelligent people? Have I banished all banality from my story? If so, you’re just about ready for the last tip.

Do it with passion

Okay, this last part requires a confession: remember I mentioned Felipe including a bit of Coldplay? That wasn’t all. He actually asked us to sing along. On multiple occasions. And I did. Each time. 

However, what easily could’ve been one of the more embarrassing moments in my adult life actually carried a valuable lesson. Because Felipe not only got away with it, he managed to pull the entire audience into his poppy delirium. The reason that he succeeded where so many others have failed (I’m not going to mention Carla Johnson’s awkward innovation architect oath) is that he was completely confident in what he was doing.

A confidence that can only follow from a genuine passion, for your story and for the audience. “Do it like it’s the very last thing you do.” Felipe would roar as he turned up the chorus for Viva La Vida one last time. But far from just telling us, he obviously felt it himself. He set the example and owned the moment. His energy was electrifying.  

This last tip is a bit harder to emulate, because you can’t fake passion. You simply need to love what you do. And share it. 

Who knows, maybe you’ll create a moment of magic of your own. Just like Felipe.