SPEAKING
Keynote speeches and presentations to inspire, encourage, and set ideas in motion.
Meet conference speaker, award winning author, and keynote speaker, Eleni Kelakos.
As a conference speaker, I speak about public speaking, presentation skills, executive presence, and leadership. My mission is to help people understand and tap into what is holding them back (their limiting beliefs) and what can propel them forward (their full potential).
As a member of the National Speakers Association and an expert in public speaking, presentation skills, and leadership presence, I love to walk my talk by speaking to organizations and associations all across the United States. My keynote and speaking programs are a compelling combination of stories, actionable content and–on occasion– original songs, delivered with theatrical flair, heart, and humor.
Are you seeking keynote speakers for conferences?
You are? Great! I offer three keynote presentations that I can tailor for your organization and audience.
Are you a founder and CEO, Vice President, managing director, or a member of the executive leadership team? This is a keynote program appropriate for conferences, forum gatherings, and training retreats where executives gather to improve their ability to lead with greater influence and impact. Perform at Your Peak inspires audience members to reach for a master-level degree of authentic, compelling presence as speakers and leaders—even when the stakes and pressure are sky-high. Note: Though Perform at Your Peak is appropriate for audiences of all genders, I often present it at women’s leadership summits, retreats and conferences (like the Women who Fund Forum or AWIN-Allstate Women’s “I” Network) motivating women to take the stage and step more boldly, visibly and vocally into leadership.
As a conference speaker, I am on my soapbox encouraging people– and women in particular — to realize their potential as leaders and speakers. This program, specifically for women in the professional world, combines motivational and practical presentation tools to help women stand out, communicate and lead with power in the workplace that is often dominated by men. It’s a great fit for women’s professional organizations or women’s advocate groups.
My flagship “keynote concert” program can be customized for “Everyday Healers” (Volunteer organizations, Health Care professionals, Administrative Professionals, and Educators), Direct Sales Marketing Consultants, and Sales professionals. It’s a great way to kick off or end a conference when you want to fire up attendees and raise morale and engagement.
“Great Conference Speakers Wanted!” is the noble, relentless quest of event planners everywhere!
As an event planner, conference coordinator, meeting professional or company leader, the responsibility of choosing a great speaker for important and meaningful events rests in your hands. You understand that the organizations and associations that hire you trust you to find and deliver the kind of speaker who can make their event more magical and memorable. You understand that they want a speaker who will lock in attendees’ attention, keep them engaged, and hopefully teach them a thing or two. At the end of the keynote speech and each and every subsequent presentation, you want audience members to say to themselves, “Wow, that speaker was awesome! I feel inspired. I feel like I’m ready to do something new – speak my voice, step up at work, be the best version of myself I can be!. I’m so glad I saw that presentation. It changed my life.”
As an event and conference speaker, I can serve in the following capacities:
Keynote speaker – Need an expert speaker to capture the essence of your meeting or conference and establish the tone and framework for the rest of the event?
- Opening speaker – Seeking a humorous, inspirational, and riveting speaker to kick off your opening general session or start your convention with a bang?
- Closing speaker– As your event comes to a conclusion, do you need someone to re-energize the crowd, tie up key points and lessons learned, and send attendees off on their quest to be better leaders and perform at their peak?
- Panelist or panel facilitator – Need a well-spoken woman panelist to hold her own and represent the female perspective? Or are you seeking a talented facilitator who can keep the conversation flowing and inspire audience participation?
- Award winning writer and top selling author – Seeking an author who can also speak to your audience? Audiences love it when I speak, and then they all get copies of my book, Touch the Sky: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Truth, Make Your Mark, where they are inspired to stop sitting on life’s sidelines, make changes in their lives, and let their hearts sing.
- Business speaker – Is your business association (chamber of commerce, entrepreneurial organization, women’s forum) looking for a dynamic speaker to energize your next event?
- Women’s leadership speaker – Hosting a women’s leadership summit, women’s retreat, or conference for women in a specialized industry? I speak at women’s leadership forums, conferences, and confabulations across the United States.
- Guest speaker – Need a guest speaker to talk about public speaking, presentation skills or executive presence? I’m your gal.
- Breakout session speaker / facilitator – Looking for a keynote speaker who can also facilitate breakout sessions or conduct workshops or seminars? Often keynote speakers fly in and out of your conference, but I’ll stick around and provide conference goers with deeper dives into my material.
- Female motivational speaker – Male speakers are fine and dandy, but sometimes you need to mix it up, bring in the female perspective, or surprise a conference full of men (in industries or trades where there are more men – like plumbing and pipe fitting) with a female motivational speaker who understands business and leadership.
- Musical keynote presenter – Music surprises, energizes, and motivates! My keynote presentations are infused with my own original music. Ooh la la!
- Sales presentation speaker – Does your company need to ramp up sales and improve its sales presentations? I teach sales teams how to use stories to connect with prospects, engage with them during the decision making process, and seal more deals.
7 Questions to Ask Potential Conference Speakers - before your next association, event, annual conference, quarterly retreat, or forum
In a Forbes article, John Hall, Forbes Contributor and CEO of Influence & Co., provides great tips for selecting speakers for your next conference or event. Here’s my take on the questions to ask before hiring just any keynote speaker or presenter:
What will you (dear potential speaker) deliver to my audience that can’t be found with other speakers?
Ask speakers what they plan to do to engage with the audience. Will they deliver the same old canned presentation they’ve done for years. You probably don’t want the speaker to spew verbatim from a YouTube video (why would your audience get out of bed or get out of the office to see something they could watch from anywhere). How will the program or presentation be tailored to your unique industry and the needs of the audience?
How long will you (dear potential speaker) stay at the conference?
Are they going to charge you oodles of money to fly in, do a 45-minute stint on the stage, and jet back out of there? Will they meet with attendees one-on-one after their speech? Might they attend sessions before and after their presentation to get to know event goers? Are they also available for breakout sessions or to facilitate workshops?
How are you (dear potential speaker) going to help ME?
Will they promote the event to their networks – via social media, their blog, or other outreach methods? Might they provide a short video clip or or write a customized article for the Association newsletter to get people psyched up about attending?
How does your content (your expertise, the topics you cover) directly tie in with the mission for my event?
If your potential conference speaker doesn’t ask you what you hope to achieve with the event, be leery. The best conference speakers want to make sure that they are tailoring their content to your mission, vision, and goals.
What kinds of stories do you tell in your presentations and speeches?
No matter the subject matter, audiences want to connect with the speaker. They want shared experiences. They want to laugh, feel heartache, feel hopeful – and good speakers know that the way to each attendee’s heart is through her or his ears (and eyes and imaginations) through intriguing stories. Will the conference speaker honestly, openly, and fearlessly talk about times when she or he failed, learned a hard lesson, or had a truly authentic experience. If your speaker can’t or won’t do that, the audience won’t connect with them.
What are your “demands”?
If your potential speaker requests only green M&M’s, bottled water from a mountainside in Austria, and has other extreme demands, that’s a red flag. You want a flexible and fun speaker, not a demanding prince or princess.
Will you leave me in a lurch?
A great conference speaker will show up. They’ll arrive early. They’ll stay after their presentation to talk with attendees, autograph books, and answer questions. If an emergency arises, they will have already come up with solutions to help you out. They probably have friends who are great public speakers too, and should the need arise, a good speaker will call on those friends to fill their spot.