A Speaker Speaks Out

Over the course of my seven years as a public speaker, I’ve been treated both quite well and quite poorly. Surprisingly, the kinds of things I would take for granted as common sense are often overlooked, many times because the event planner is harried or inexperienced, especially for small groups. But treating your speakers right should be more than an afterthought — it will not only get you rave reviews from speakers, but also maximize the value attendees take away from the event. Here is my perspective as a speaker on how to do it right — and how it can go wrong.

Requesting the Speaking Engagement

If I’m not submitting myself to a speaker’s bureau or directly to a conference, the most common ways I receive requests to speak are by e-mail or by phone. In that case, I obviously want to know the basics:

• To whom will I be speaking?

• On what date and where?

• On what topic?

• In what format (solo, panel, roundtable, hands-on workshop, other) and for what length of time?

• How will I be compensated?

Oftentimes I am asked to speak, but the topic has not been defined or chosen for me — I’m just being asked to share my expertise and to develop the topic on my own. In this instance, it’s helpful for me to understand the intended audience as much as possible: who they are, what their level of understanding for my subject matter is, what they would like to get out of listening to me speak, what previous successful speakers have done in the past to engage this group, etc.

Compensating the Speaker

In my business, time is money, so obviously, if I’m going to take time out of my day to prepare a presentation, travel and speak to a group, I expect some level of compensation. As the speaker, I do not feel it should be my role to bring up compensation and instead much prefer that the person requesting my speaking services bring it up. Personally, I do both paid and unpaid speaking engagements at my discretion, and I base my decision on a number of factors:
- How great is the speaking opportunity to get myself in front of
a large, qualified audience of prospective buyers for my
company’s services?

• How high-profile is the event at which I’m speaking?

• How much customized work needs to go into the presentation I’m being asked to give?

• How far will I have to travel and how much time will I be out of the office?

• How busy am I?

• How many other speaking engagements have I previously committed to around that time?

If I’m going to speak in an unpaid arrangement, at the very least, the host should expect to pay for my travel, lodging and expenses.

Prepping the Speaker

After I commit to a speaking engagement, the host should do all he or she can to prepare me. This helps give me ammunition to create the best, most appropriate presentation for the group, and also can save me a lot of time and headaches. For example, you can help by:

• Describing/giving me a copy of the agenda as it relates to my speaking engagement.

• Telling me what type of timetable to expect, including by when you might need my presentation materials

• Sharing the registration database
• Reviewing the registration database with me to let me know what industry type the attendees are
• Describing the setup of the room in which I’ll be speaking
• Asking for my A/V and other presentation needs or describing what will be available to me
• Knowing how the A/V system works before I am to speak (or having an A/V technician on hand)

Promoting the Speaker and Event

If you’ve gone through the trouble of booking me to speak, please promote my appearance and your event as heavily as possible. Nothing’s worse for a speaker — even a paid one — to have a small crowd when you’ve prepared for a larger one.

In this day and age, online promotion of the event should be de rigueur, as should online registration. Provide the speaker with the URL to his or her event so the speaker can help you promote the event as well.
A recent conference at which I spoke, Search Engine Strategies, had the terrific idea of providing its speakers with a “Hear Me Speak” button graphic to use along with a unique anchor link to their appearance on its online conference agenda. I embedded the graphic in my e-mail signature file and on visible places throughout my website.

Coordinating the Speaker’s Travel Arrangements

Though many organizations leave booking travel arrangements up to the speaker, offering to simply reimburse him or her for travel expenses, I find it’s far more courteous to take care of the arrangements for me or, at the very least, offer me the services of a travel agent. If you do not have a travel agent working with your event or organization, definitely make recommendations to the speaker about conveniently located, quality hotels.

Bottom line: I need to know logistics to plan as best as possible — the earlier
the better.

Greeting the Speaker

The most gracious of hosts will offer to pick me up at the airport or train station or will make arrangements in advance for transportation to my destination. If I’m checking into the hotel on my own, having a small token or even just a note thanking me for coming out is always appreciated.

If I’m making an overnight trip, the best hosts will take me out to dinner with a small group. For example, the Business Marketing Association of Indianapolis welcomed me in great style and had its chapter’s executive board join me for dinner and lively conversation.

Introducing and Assisting the Speaker

If you have not already done so ahead of time in your event’s promotional materials, it’s good etiquette to have the speaker’s bio in printed format for event attendees. When introducing the speaker, rather than reading directly from the printed bio in front of the audience, it’s more interesting to pepper the intro with additional facts or trivia about the speaker. The best masters of ceremony have picked my brain ahead of time to get factoids for their introduction and have read my bio enough not to sound as if all they’re doing is reading off a teleprompter.

Also use this pre-interview time to review any props or assistance the speaker might require during his or her presentation, such as collecting forms, signaling time remaining, how to handle question and answer periods, etc. The more well-coordinated the parties are, the better the speaker’s session will flow.

Thanking the Speaker

Speakers are not greedy. We’re not looking for extravagant gifts or lavish praise. We do, however, appreciate being recognized for our time and effort, especially if speaking is not our full-time job. At the very least, you should verbally and publicly thank your speaker in front of the audience. Don’t let the question and answer period end and allow the speaker to simply walk offstage. Reiterate the speaker’s contact information, especially if the speaker is not being compensated for the event.
The most gracious hosts usually honor their speaker with a small token of appreciation. If the speaker is from out of town and you are providing a small gift, however, keep their suitcase space in mind. Big plaques or bulky statuettes could be replaced by desktop items or gift cards. You can be extra courteous by sending your speaker a thank-you e-mail or note after the event.

Giving Speaker Feedback

Speakers really care about audience feedback. My best hosts share their evaluation form results with me. I find that input such as how the content of my presentation met the attendees’ expectations and if it was above, below or just right for their knowledge level especially helpful. Without this kind of feedback, I cannot improve as a speaker. It’s also helpful to know what attendees liked best about my presentation so I can incorporate this content again in future presentations.
Other useful feedback to provide? How about a testimonial quote that I can use to secure future engagements? And if you plan to distribute my presentation to your group, if I’m not being compensated for the engagement, the least you can do is give me the contact information for those recipients as well.

Canceling the Speaker’s Engagement

In the rare instance that you have to cancel your speaker’s engagement at the last minute, the proper thing to do is to reimburse him or her swiftly for event-related expenses already incurred. For uncompensated speakers, it’s a good idea to establish a drop-dead date by which you will cancel your speaker due to poor registration — or at least give him or her the choice. It’s actually best not to go forward with an event generating lackluster interest — it’s a waste of the speaker’s valuable time and oftentimes the audience is less stimulated by a weak turnout as well.