How to Hire a Speaker

By: Dr. Leif Smith
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:43:09
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

A majority of my work as a consultant involves getting in front of potential audiences via speaking. My speaking engagements, which range from forty-five minutes to all day, vary according to the objectives of those purchasing my services. In other words, I have no canned speeches that I pull out, and I never give the same speech or presentation twice. However, this is not usually the case. In fact, most speakers today take the same speech content and deliver it repeatedly to different audiences. It is because of that propensity for regurgitation of past material that I believe most companies can benefit from the following guidelines to use when searching for your next speaker.

Print out these questions, and answer them prior to hiring any speaker. Not only will it help you hire the RIGHT speaker for your company needs, but it will make you look like a million bucks in your boss’ eyes!

1. What specifically do you hope to achieve through hiring this speaker? (Increased sales? Motivation? Decreased turnover? Higher fees in your sales staff?)

2. What is the potential speaker’s main area of expertise? (Sales, Marketing, Management, Leadership Development, etc)

3. Can this speaker provide references?

4. Does the potential speaking candidate listen to what you think are your company needs?

5. How engaging is the potential speaker? (If your initial conversation with them is as inspired as watching paint dry, move on. It’ll get worse in person)

6. What are their fees? (And remember that most of the time, you get what you pay for)

7. Do they provide a satisfaction guarantee? (Quality speakers want you to be completely satisfied with the results of your work together and won’t hesitate to guarantee your satisfaction as such)

These seven points will enable you to discern good potential speaking candidates from lousy ones. Your time, and your company’s time, is too valuable to waste. Put effort in initially and ask the tough questions. Your boss will thank you.

Copyright (2005) Leif H. Smith, Psy.D. All Rights Reserved.

Leif H. Smith, Psy.D, has worked with hundreds of executives to improve leadership and employee effectiveness. He presents annually on topics related to leadership development and improved personal effectiveness, and can be reached via his company website, http://www.personalbestconsulting.com

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Teleseminars category

  • How to Convert Telephone Calls into Powerful Presentations - By: Roger C. Parker
    You can multiply your ability to persuade by 400%, whether your audience is 1 or 100. Web-based presentations add a visual element to teleconferences. Instead of just talking to prospects, you can simultaneously show them and tell them.
  • Attending Teleseminars for Fun and Profit - By: Jeanette S Cates, PhD
    Do you attend teleseminars? I do. Anywhere from 4 to 6 per week, either as a host, a guest or an attendee.
  • Conducting a Great Teleseminar - By: Andrea J. Lee
    There is actually something rather mysterious about a TeleSeminar, isn't there? A certain intimacy that's created in the sound of voices gathering together, that creates a depth of connection unlike one that you make when face to face. Maybe because it's a bit of an out of body experience, being on a TeleSeminar, that makes the connection seem almost spiritual at times.
  • Teleclasses: 15 Ways to Promote Yours Programs - By: Catherine Franz
    Teleconferences, also known as teleclasses or teleseminars depending on the presentation format, are the second hottest delivery technique for 2004. This delivery format satisfies the yearn to learn and opens an exchange to unbelievable global portions. Also called distance learning, a format began in the mid-1990s by higher learning institutions.
  • Teleconferences: 15 Ways to Promote ePrograms Of Any Kind - By: Catherine Franz
    It is true that this article is directly more towardsteleclasses, yet, the ten tips also included hold true forany type of electronic Learning (eLearning) marketing andpromotion. Teleconferences, also known as teleclasses or teleseminarsdepending on the presentation format, are the second hottestmarketing delivery technique for 2004. This delivery formatsatisfies the yearn to learn and opens an exchange tounbelievable global portions.
  • The Top 10 Ways to Market Any Business to Thousands by Leading Teleclasses - By: Bea Fields
    As business owners, we all know that the key to fantastic sales is to let your customers have a personal experience of you. The difficulty, of course is that to give every customer that experience personally requires a tremendous time commitment of ourselves and our staff. So what do we do?
  • Professional Transcription and Your Business - By: Kate Smalley
    Got stacks of audio tapes that need to be converted to a more user-friendly format? Professional transcription services may be the answer.Professional transcriptionists can take standard or micro cassette tapes and produce a typed version of the text in a format that's clear, consistent and correct.
  • Three Reasons To Host Your Own Teleconference - By: Tom Parker
    Top companies have been doing it for years.It enables their employees to "be there" without actually being there.Teleconferencing has been in existence for a number of years to help people to work at home and still be a major part of meetings.
  • Seminar Success Strategies...How to Action What You Learn - By: Lorraine Pirihi
    It's no secret that many people who attend seminars, workshops and conferences have great difficulty in implementing the ideas.They get all hyped up and excited on the actual day, write a book full of notes and proclaim to everyone in earshot that "this is it! I have found the magic pill that will transform my work and my life.
  • Will Seminars Get You Clients? - By: C.J. Hayden
    I often suggest public speaking as a powerful way to show prospective clients what you can do. Many professionals and consultants have built successful practices by giving free presentations to associations, businesses, and educational institutions. But what about producing your own seminar, where you arrange the logistics and invite the guests?