I spent more than a decade as a journalist in New York City. My whole job was asking questions.

So it always makes me smile when a meeting planner gets on a call with me and runs out of questions after "Are you available on the 14th?"

That's not on them. Most planners are juggling the venue, the AV, the catering, the budget, and an executive who wants this year's meeting to be "different." The speaker is one line on a very long list. But it's the line everybody remembers, good or bad.

So here are the questions I'd ask if I were on your side of the call. Ask them of me. Ask them of anybody you're thinking about booking.

What should you ask before booking a keynote speaker?

The short answer: ask questions that tell you whether the speaker will build the talk around your audience or just show up with the same talk they gave last week. The best questions cover your goal for the room, how the speaker prepares, what people will actually do differently after, what formats they offer, and what happens once the applause stops.

1. "What do you need to know about our people before you walk on stage?"

This is the most important question on the list, because the answer tells you how they work. If the speaker says "nothing, I've got it," that's your answer.

A good speaker wants to know who's in the room, what they've been through this year, what leadership hopes changes, and what nobody's saying out loud. Before I speak, I get on calls with people from the organization. Same instinct I had in a newsroom. You can't tell the story until you've done the reporting.

2. "What should people do differently on Monday morning?"

Not "how will they feel." Feelings fade by the time people hit the parking lot. Ask what the audience will actually do. If the speaker can't name one specific action, the talk will be fun and forgotten.

Eagles Talent, a speaker bureau, put it well in a piece on making your one keynote count in 2026. Organizations are running fewer events and expecting more from each one, and audiences want "one solid action they can try out on Monday morning."

3. "How do you customize?"

Everybody says they customize. Ask what that actually means. Does the title change? Do the examples change? Do they use your language and your challenges, or just drop your logo on slide one?

For me it's simple. Sometimes the client suggests a new title and we run with it. The talk gets built around the room, not the other way around.

4. "Is this a keynote, a workshop, or both?"

A keynote is great for energy and shared language across a big room. A workshop is where people actually practice the thing. For one association event, I'm doing a 60 minute keynote followed by a two hour interactive workshop the same morning, with tables talking and a mic going around the room. Ask what the speaker offers and what they'd recommend for your goal. If they only sell one format, they'll recommend that one.

5. "Can you do this virtually and still make it work?"

Virtual is not a smaller version of in person. It's a different room. Ask how the speaker keeps people from multitasking through the whole thing. Look for breakouts, questions that make people answer out loud, and short sessions instead of one long one.

6. "What happens after the event?"

A lot of what people hear at a conference is gone within a few days if nobody reinforces it. Ask what the speaker leaves behind. A follow up email? A 30 day plan? Coaching for the leaders who want to go further? I wrote a whole post on making the next 30 days count after a keynote, because this is where most of the value is either kept or lost.

7. "Who else in our world have you spoken to?"

Not for the logo wall. Ask so you know whether they understand audiences like yours. Associations are different from corporate all hands. Young professionals are different from a room of senior VPs. You want someone who's been in rooms that look like yours, or who asks enough questions to learn fast.

The question most planners forget to ask

"What's the question you're going to leave our people with?"

I like this one because advice is everywhere now. Everybody in your audience has a phone full of answers, and a lot of them are still stuck on the same thing they were stuck on last year. Another speaker handing out answers isn't going to change that.

A good question is different. People can nod at advice and forget it by lunch. A question makes them answer. And once somebody answers out loud in front of their peers, the answer is theirs.

That's how I build every talk. The two keynotes people book most are built on two questions.

• Transform Your Next 30 Days asks: based on your last 30 days, would they rehire you?
• The 1-Day Method asks: what will make today matter?

Red flags when you're booking a speaker

• They don't ask you a single question about your audience.
• They can't tell you what people will do differently after.
• "Customization" means your logo on a slide.
• Every answer is about them and none are about your people.
• They're selling a burst of energy, and nobody can tell you what happens after it wears off.

FAQs

Q: How far in advance should we book a keynote speaker?
A: For most conferences and company meetings, three to nine months out. Popular dates like spring conference season go first, so earlier is better if you have a specific date.

Q: What should a keynote speaker do before the event?
A: At minimum, a planning call with you and time to learn about the audience. The best speakers also talk with a few people who'll be in the room so the talk sounds like it was built for them, because it was.

Q: Should we book a keynote or a workshop?
A: A keynote gives a big group shared energy and shared language. A workshop gives people time to apply it. If you want behavior to change, pairing a keynote with a workshop or follow up coaching usually works best.

Q: Do virtual keynotes work?
A: They can, if they're designed for the screen. Look for interaction every few minutes, breakouts, and a speaker who treats virtual as its own format instead of a recorded stage talk.

Q: Does Antonio Neves offer workshops and virtual sessions?
A: Yes. Keynotes, in person and virtual workshops, and group or one on one coaching for leaders.

Final Word

You're not really booking a speaker. You're booking an hour of your people's attention, and those are hard to come by these days.

Ask the questions. Any speaker worth booking will be glad you did.

And if you want to ask me, let's talk. Tell me about your event and who's going to be in the room.