There are many perspectives on what defines a great speaker or keynote presentation. You have your own ideas, your individual clients have theirs, and so does each participant. Additionally, presentation experts and rhetoricians likely have their opinions on the matter.

The most popular way to gauge quality is by asking the participants. While this approach is convenient for event planners, it can be somewhat superficial for you as a speaker. Sure, you can use positive feedback in your marketing to highlight that you score, for example, 4.8 out of 5.0 on average. But keep in mind that those who didn’t enjoy your presentation are unlikely to bother submitting an evaluation.

Because participant satisfaction is often viewed as critical, many speakers focus their energy on improving their stage performance, believing that success lies solely in applause or audience reactions. While it’s gratifying to receive a standing ovation, you shouldn’t assume that applause alone equates to long-term success.

From a practical, business-oriented standpoint, measuring your quality as a commercial speaker is simpler: You’re delivering sufficient quality if you’re being rebooked regularly—either by the same clients who’ve hired you before or by participants who saw you at an event and decided to book you for their own.

As a commercial speaker, your talks need to generate new opportunities. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself perpetually stuck in sales mode, wondering why rebookings aren’t happening.

Rebookings often occur when you fulfill a strong need for the buyer and the participants they represent. This need fulfillment is far more crucial than just delivering an impressive performance. You could be an outstanding performer, but if your presentation doesn’t address the audience’s or buyer’s needs, you may face challenges in securing follow-up bookings.

On the flip side, if your content strongly meets a need, you can still be rebooked even if you’re not the most polished performer on stage. When you combine both – a compelling, need-driven product and an engaging delivery – you significantly increase your chances of success.

Of course, you want applause and satisfied participants, but these don’t necessarily guarantee commercial success.

Practical tip:
It’s essential to identify where you need to focus in order to secure more rebookings. Allocate time to regularly evaluate your speaker product – not just based on participant satisfaction but also in terms of how well your presentation contributes to rebooking potential. This approach will help you refine your product, meet your audience’s needs more effectively, and build lasting commercial success.