How To Hire A Professional Speaker

All 1500 attendees have gathered for the start of a three day national conference. The awesome responsibility for setting the tone of the entire event is about to fall on the shoulders of one person, the opening keynote speaker. A dazzling speech will energize, educate and entertain the audience.

However, if the speaker is poorly received, the 'thud' will echo for the duration of the meeting. It can cause the attendees to wonder about the quality of the remaining speakers and even question their decision to attend the conference at all. And, as many planners have found to their cost, people who are forced to endure a poor speaker can be very unforgiving on their feedback forms!

Here are some simple steps for selecting a wonderful speaker for your next meeting. Regardless of whether you choose to hire a speaker directly or enlist the services of a bureau, it is imperative that you have clear and specific answers to the following questions:

What are the objectives of our meeting?
What type of speaker do we want?

Meeting Objectives

Rest assured, assuming you have an appropriate budget, a speaker can be found to meet your needs. However, the effectiveness of the selection process depends on the extent to which you have clearly defined your meeting outcomes. Consider the following questions:

What is the theme of our meeting?
What challenges are people facing in our industry?
What do we want our attendees to be saying to each other immediately after the speech?

After you've identified your meeting objectives are you ready to consider the type of speaker that you require.

Types Of Speaker

For example, do you want a celebrity or non-celebrity speaker? Celebrity speakers may be a big draw and increase attendee numbers. However, as noted in a recent M.P.I. poll, famous politicians, athletes and authors are becoming less popular among meeting planners. This is a result of many factors including disproportionately high fees, inadequate platform skills, concerns about lack of relevant content and reluctance to hold a date.

Are we looking for a speaker who can talk on a specific topic?

Consider your theme and objectives for possible topics. For example, if your meeting is entitled 'Embracing Our Diversity' then obviously a speaker who specializes in diversity may be a good fit. If you find yourself asking, 'I wonder if there is someone who talks about _____?', there probably is!

Don't be afraid of thinking broadly. For example, a creativity expert might encourage your attendees to be more receptive to the ideas and suggestions of the other presenters. He or she might be an excellent choice, even in an industry not usually associated with overt creativity.

Be extremely wary of people who claim expertise in a wide range of unrelated topics. Hire this individual and you are going to get a 'book report', not the insight of an expert. Is our primary goal to educate or entertain?

Speakers lie along a spectrum from pure content to pure entertainment. Where is the focus for your meeting? If you are looking for a content-heavy presentation, you might opt for using a speaker from within the ranks of your own industry. While this may work well for your opening event, ask yourself, 'Will this speaker inspire our attendees to approach their subsequent sessions with open mindedness and enthusiasm?' If in doubt, you can always schedule your industry speaker for a concurrent session. In truth, even a little humor will engage the attention of your audience and a really funny speaker can electrify a room.

Final Do's And Don'ts

Do perform an Internet search on your prospective speaker's name. This will provide you with a profile on their general visibility in the industry.
Do insist on conference calling with a prospective speaker and asking them to summarize their content. If a speaker can't do this over the phone, it is unlikely that he or she can do it from the platform.
Do watch out for individuals 'in transition'. For example, entertainers without any academic credibility seeking higher fees or individuals who've decided to 'have a go' at speaking. My office gets calls every week from people seeking advice on becoming a professional speaker.
Finally, don't leave booking a speaker until the last minute.

This targeted approach will enable you to choose fantastic speakers and hit the bull's eye every time!