Jul 13, 2023
The Best Keynote Speakers for Events, Meetings and Conferences
In a sea of conference speakers, it can be challenging to find the best keynote speakers who can stir up excitement and leave a lasting impression. The best keynote speakers capture an audience’s attention, engage them, and ultimately inspire them to take action.
According to Forbes, the two most significant factors for deciding which keynote speaker to use are their expertise in the topic and the depth of their engagement with the audience. When those factors combine, it results in an impactful and memorable presentation that guests will continue talking about long after the event. Finding the right keynote speaker can be challenging, but when you get it right, the results can be phenomenal.
Below are some of the best keynote speakers that other fortune 500 companies have booked and loved time and time again.
Best Keynote Speakers
Matthew Luhn is a top innovation keynote speaker and former lead animator and storyteller at Pixar Studios. His film credits include Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Cars, UP, Ratatouille, and dozens of other films. Alongside his story work in Hollywood, Matthew works with Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, and other professionals to craft and tell stories that bridge the gap between business and heart to build stronger brands and business communication.
“Matthew will take you on a remarkable journey that will reinforce the power of storytelling in everything we do. Providing you with practical steps you can take today, to become a better storyteller, communicating with influence and impact.” Jason B., Volkswagen Group Australia
Legendary for running the world’s most exclusive high stakes poker game frequented by A-List Hollywood celebrities and sports figures, Molly Bloom is a top-booked inspirational speaker and one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women. She shares a life journey of triumph, ruin, and reinvention—from Olympic dreams crushed by a career-ending accident to seeing her multi-million-dollar business threatened by organized crime and shut down by the FBI. Her story of grit, resilience and self-determination has been called a “goosebump experience,” inspiring corporate audiences and winning stellar reviews.
“Molly’s powerful presentation is as masterful and compelling as her Oscar-nominated film. Her messages of perseverance, triumph, and embracing personal growth remind us that our potential is truly limitless so long as we stay true to our goals and aspirations.” – Sarah V., FilmNation
James Clear is a top personal development keynote speaker and the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller Atomic Habits, which has sold over 15 million copies worldwide. His thought leadership regularly appears in the New York Times, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, Medium, and Time, and he is a regular guest for CBS This Morning. His entertaining talks teach audiences about small habits, decision-making, and continuous improvement.
“James is a strong, confident facilitator and his message was easily understood by the audience. He did a great job teaching and facilitating a conversation with our group about habits. It was a great experience and our team got a lot of valuable ideas from the time spent.” – Laura, Lululemon
Robyn Benincasa is a top leadership and teamwork keynote speaker, author, and Adventure Racing World Champion. One of the highest-rated, female motivational speakers in the world, she regularly shares the stage with world leaders and business icons, her customers include many Fortune companies like Starbucks, Deloitte, Aflac, Boeing, and more.
“I was blown away by Robyn’s presentation. Her presentation also has a great message about being open to challenges, without fearing what can go wrong.” – Annabelle L., Hospital Corporation of America
James Lawrence is a top motivational speaker, endurance world record holder, triathlete, and subject of the documentary The Iron Cowboy: The Story of the 50.50.50. Known to the world as The Iron Cowboy for wearing a cowboy hat during Ironman races, James completed the greatest feat of human endurance: 50 full distance triathlons, in 50 states, in 50 consecutive days (50.50.50). His combination of energy, humor, determination, and achievements captivates his audience and creates an inspirational and awakening phenomenon for all.
“We enjoyed our time with James tremendously. His stories were able to inspire so many of us with his message about the resiliency of the human spirit, and the power our decisions can have over our circumstances. He will leave you feeling encouraged, motivated, and ready to do something impactful! “ – Dale D., Clif Bar Baking Co.
Crystal Washington is a top social media keynote speaker, author, and works with organizations that want to leverage technology to increase profits and productivity. Crystal is well known for her ability to take complex Web, app, and social media topics, and make them easy to understand and accessible for everyday people and small business owners.
“The audience response to her content has been amazing. Crystal’s energy, passion, and expertise simply wows.” – Sterling, Associate Publisher, Barron’s
Dr. JP Pawliw-Fry is a top emotional intelligence keynote speaker, leadership thought leader, peak performance expert, and co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Performing Under Pressure. His work with leaders from Fortune 500 companies, U.S. Marines, Olympic athletes, NBA, and NFL teams has provided him with considerable opportunities to test his science-based tools in environments of high pressure.
“I do not say this lightly – the most powerful keynote I have ever heard. JP was charged with setting the tone for the rest of the week. He clearly over-delivered!” – Pfizer
Described as endlessly optimistic, Nancy is a strategic futurist, corporate strategist, and bestselling author who has consulted on a portfolio of $60+ billion well-known brands and given more than 100+ global keynotes. With a drive to help enterprise organizations and visionary leaders transform to meet the escalating expectations ahead, she is recognized as one of the world’s top female futurists, and founder of the Femme Futurists Society. Author of the Amazon bestselling book Leadering: The Ways Visionary Leaders Play Bigger, Nancy is a frequent panelist at South by Southwest, global keynote speaker, Singularity University guest lecture, and world’s first TEDx licensee. She advises leaders on the organizational structures and new mindsets necessary to effectively harness the significant technology innovations heading our way and ensure a safe and thriving future for us all.
“Thank you for taking the time to speak to our team last week about the important work that you do. It was both eye-opening and inspiring.” – Kristen S., Vice President, HBOMax
Jia Jiang is a top resilience keynote speaker with one of the most viewed TED Talks and the bestselling author of Rejection Proof. In 2019, Toastmasters International awarded Jiang the Golden Gavel, which is given annually to honor the best keynote speaker in the industry. In his book, website, and talks, Jiang provides inspiration and knowledge for people and organizations to become fearless through rejection training.
“Jia’s passion, energy, and willingness to share personal examples of both fearing rejection and overcoming that fear encouraged us all to step outside our comfort zones and adjust the way we think about and interact with the world around us.” – Sandra L., Citi
Janelle Shane’s AI humor blog, AIweirdness.com, looks at the strange side of artificial intelligence. She has been featured on the main TED stage, in the New York Times, The Atlantic, WIRED, Popular Science, All Things Considered, Science Friday, and Marketplace, as well as being Futurist in Residence at the Smithsonian.. Her book, “You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How AI Works, Thinks, and Why It’s Making the World a Weirder Place” uses cartoons and humorous pop-culture experiments to look inside the minds of the algorithms that run our world, making artificial intelligence and machine learning both accessible and entertaining. Shane was named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business, and an Adweek Young Influential.
“Janelle was brilliant! She had the audience cracking up with her quirky humour and fresh examples as she cut through the AI hype to deliver her clear-eyed perspective. Our audience had technical backgrounds that varied enormously, and she delivered a talk that worked for them all.” – Jeremy M., Better By Design CEO Summit 2019
A business attorney and CEO of the American Negotiation Institute (ANI), Kwame Christian took his place among the world’s top negotiation experts when his TEDx talk went viral, spurring his bestselling books, Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life and How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race: Practical Tools for Necessary Change in the Workplace and Beyond, as well as Negotiate Anything, the #1 negotiation podcast in the world. Defining negotiation as “any conversation in which somebody in the conversation wants something,” Kwame has worked with the Fortune 500 to apply the fundamentals of negotiation to virtually all aspects of corporate success. He has also helped thousands, from all walks of life, acquire a negotiation mindset that can be applied to universal situations, conflicts, and difficult conversations. As Kwame is frequently quoted, “The best things in life are on the other side of difficult conversations.”
“One of the team used several of the negotiation skills learned that very same day which resulted in an increase in our fee percentage with this client which covered the cost of the training!” – Casey H., Director of Recruiting, VIP
If you want the best keynote speaker recommendation for your event, contact BigSpeak Speakers Bureau today! Please email info@bigsspeak.com to inquire.