Meeting Planners - 3 Tips For Hiring The Right Speaker

One of the keys to success in business and sports is selecting the right person for the position. Hiring a speaker for your meeting is no different and is certainly one of the most important and daunting elements for conducting a successful meeting. Since the speaker conveys not just the overall message but also must provide profound insight in an enthusiastic, entertaining and motivational manner; selecting the right speaker is crucial to having a successful event. If he or she bombs not only will your reputation take a beating but you will be left in the unenviable position of dealing with a plethora of complaints from a disappointed audience. On the other hand, if the speaker delivers, you walk away as the hero basking in a glow of praise and compliments.

The follow tips will help you when deciding on a speaker for your event:

1.Determine the focus of your event

• Long before you start looking for a speaker you must decide on the purpose of your meeting
  • What are your objectives?
  • Is it an incentive meeting, an awards banquet, or an annual meeting?
  • Are you looking for an inspiring message, light entertainment or is the focus primarily educational?

Arriving at the answers to these questions will definitely help you narrow the choices among the many speakers available and ultimately help you to select the right one.

• Understand the audience's needs

  In addition to the program objectives, you should also consider the needs of your audience. Managers may need teambuilding programs while sales people may need to learn advance-selling techniques. Also ask yourself:

  • Will they need industry-specific or technical information?
  • What is the demographic in terms of age and gender?
  • Is it a multinational audience?

2.Evaluate the speaker's experience

The speaker's background and experience can be a big draw for your event however this does not necessarily guarantee that she will be an effective presenter. The content of the presentation and the speaker's ability to engage the audience is tremendously important.

• Test-drive your prospects

  Get past the glitzy sales materials and fancy brochures and look deeper.

  • What experience does this speaker have?
  • Who else in your industry have used him?

  The best way to evaluate a speaker is to watch him live. The next best thing is to request a video or audio recording of a previous presentation. A session that was recorded before a live audience gives you a better sense of a person's real ability. As you watch or listen, note carefully how well the speaker builds rapport and interacts with the audience. Ask yourself if this person would be right for your group.

  • Is the mix of education, entertainment motivation, and appropriate for your needs?
  • Does the speaker have a message that is appropriate, timely, and relevant to the theme or purpose of your event or can he customize his presentation to meet that need?
  • Do you feel the speaker is genuine and has the tools to deliver a solid presentation?
• Don't be star-struck

  A celebrity speaker can be a great draw but if they can't speak, you would be better off with a total unknown who is an effective presenter. Some people are simply unable to transfer the skills and assets that made them famous into speaking. However, a well-known personality who can deliver a good speech can add enormous appeal and value to your event. Star athletes, politicians and entertainment celebrities often have an inspirational message to impart when they share their life stories.

3.Maximize opportunities

Explore ways in which you can maximize opportunities in a mutual beneficial way with the speaker. More often than not you will find that the speaker can add extra value and be a significant resource to help improve your meetings success. You will find it cost effective to engage the speaker in more than one role at the same event as opposed to hiring two or three other speakers and dealing with the attendant costs.

Suggestions include:

• Engaging the speaker as an emcee
• Asking him to conduct a break out session
• Inviting him to do a meet and greet photo and autograph session