At a political event, industrial convention or academic event there will often be a keynote speech given to outline the main message or theme of the occasion. The speaker is usually someone of notoriety within their sector who has achieved great things or is a big personality in their industry. Keynote speakers can have a massive impact on the event that they are speaking at and their own careers might be enhanced as a result of their speech.

When there is an electoral campaign in America, the keynote speeches given at the rallies can be very influential. Barack Obama raised his international profile with his speech at the 2004 democratic national Convention and other politicians have become popular or influential at similar events. p Sometimes they can influence the course of the election if they are delivered well with a strong message. There are keynote speeches given at political events across the rest of the world too.

When there are graduation ceremonies at colleges and universities there are keynote speeches given by academics or celebrities. These speeches are usually ones of celebration and have a light hearted message.

An event organiser will often use a keynote speaker to gain publicity for their event and more attendants, especially if the event is sponsored by a corporation or business. Picking a keynote speaker who is well known for his or her expertise in a certain sector, or is famous for their other accomplishments, will probably raise excitement among prospective attendees for a meeting or conference.

Typically a keynote speaker will talk for anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes depending on your specification. A lot of speakers will lend their services to an event for free if it is for a charitable cause or they get enough positive publicity out of the event so that they do not require getting paid. If the speaker is going to be paid, they will get a fee which will be decided on prior to the event, this is what usually happens at corporate or sponsored events.