Thursday, May 26, 2016

An Expert Guide To Picking A Motivational Keynote Speaker

By Frances Smith


A few things come to the mind of any conference participant upon receiving the invitation. They include the venue or setting, food, guests and social interactions with other participants. Food and venue are fairly straight forward. You have little control over social interactions. Meeting expectations on the motivational keynote speaker is one of the biggest challenges. How do you surmount it?

Conducting background research will help differentiate good speakers from amateurs and hyped imposters. Attending an event where the person is speaking will give you valuable fast hand experience. Where this is not possible, watch videos or follow the person through the media. The issues to look for are audience engagement, mastery of content, delivery style and general presentation skills. Your decision will be based on hard evidence.

Go for an accommodative speaker who involves you in preparation. The conference is themed and intended to achieve a particular goal. Failure to stick to the theme will throw every participant off balance. Accommodating your theme means thorough research to understand and assimilate your concerns. The audience must feel as though the guest is one of their own. This cannot be achieved unless one is ready to research.

Commitment and time are important for speakers to every gathering. Look for a person who is ready to engage with the audience and stay with them for a while. It feels awkward for one to pop in at his slotted hour and disappear immediately after delivering the speech. You need a speaker who can buildup the conversation before and then continue it after his presentation. It enables personal encounters with participants.

Like all other services, a referral will save you the hustle of an extensive and blind vetting process. Get peers in the industry to recommend an individual who delivered an enviable speech during their events. Speakers specialize in different industries. Ensure that you get one who is conversant with your sector. A recommendation enables you to work with a person whose performance is already known. You will avoid the danger of following hyped media pamphlets.

Valuable speakers agree to co-promote events they are participating in. This taps into their fame or networks ensuring that you get the publicity you need to host a successful conference. It works best for new events or where you do not have a definite list of participants. People who admire the guest will be ready to attend because of his presence. Negotiate such details when signing a contract.

There are speakers who use events to promote their wares. This should be done with restriction to avoid overshadowing your event. In fact, it should be negotiated during contracting. It is helpful in that it offers something memorable to take away but must never override your theme or activities. The understanding should be that, it is not about the speaker but your event.

There are risks associated with prominent and highly priced speakers. Their message and style of presentation are known. This might not have the desired impact. It is vital for the guest to understand your journey and mission and further be assimilated into the conference. Consulting during preparation and engaging with the audience are the other vital aspects that determine success.




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