Hiring the Right Speaker

Hiring the right speaker for your event can be easy with a few important considerations. Image credit: Product School for Unsplash.

Hiring the right presenter or entertainer for your event might seem like a no-brainer and it certainly doesn’t have to be a challenge if you have a clear idea of what you need.

Throw in a little help from an expert and you’ll have solid choice for your event.

Business Retreats caught up with Leanne Lamb, director at Keynote Entertainment for some tips and tricks on finding the perfect speaker for your upcoming event.

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“Hiring the right motivational speaker for you event is easily done, with our help of course,” she says. “What we will need from you first is some information about your event and audience.”

Leanne says one of the most important considerations prior to securing your speaker, is thinking about what you want your delegates to take away from the presentation.

“It is worth spending some time talking to the key decision makers running the conference to find out what are the important messages, don't worry if they don't have time to do this, push them to make time, after all it is their vision you need to make sure you follow,” she says.  She adds that if it’s possible to speak to those who will be in the audience, find out what kind of speaker would be appealing to them.

Leanne Lamb, director at Keynote Entertainment.

“That way when you speak to us, we will be able to look at both sides of the equation to assist you in finding the right presenter or motivational speaker at your next event,” she says.

Leanne says having as much information as possible on the people in the audience is one of the most important bits of information they have to work with.

“The more you can tell us about who they are and what motivates them, the better. Additionally, if you have engaged motivational speakers in the past for your conferences it is always handy to have a list of names for us and the feedback that you have received for them.”

Having as much logistical information is also an enormous help, she adds. Everything from the date and time, venue location, etc. will help  source a speaker with the best availability. Even the expected presentation length (most commonly 50 min plus 10 min Q & A for a keynote or 4 hours call for a master of ceremonies) is of great assistance.

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It’s also important, before you sign on the dotted line for your next event speaker, to refer to the checklist below  to make sure you are choosing the best candidate for your attendees and your stakeholders.

1. Know your goals and select content accordingly.
The only way to know you are making the right choice is to know what the event’s expectations are from the start. Get a variety of information from the stakeholders. Their input and expectations on what they expect attendees to walk away with can be incredibly useful. By establishing specific goals up front, it will be easier to determine the best speaker (and content) for your event. 

2. Think like an attendee.
Your attendees are taking time out of their schedules to be at your event so they’ll want it to be worth their time.  When you’re choosing a speaker, put yourself in the shoes of your attendees and consider their agendas, as well as your speaker’s ability to deliver, from the attendees’ point of view. Is your audience younger or older, male or female? Consider the demographics to find the right fit.

3. Consider cost against the value.
It might be cheaper to have a senior member of the team speak at your event, but will it inspire, will it engage your audience? Sure, it’s cheaper, but will it deliver the results you want? Sometimes the benefits of saving money will not outweigh the cost of unengaged attendees who walk away with no new knowledge. Ultimately, you may have to break away from the known and from your comfort zone and spend the extra money to hire an outside speaker.