How to Choose the Perfect Guest Speaker – Top 6 Tips

When planning a corporate event, one of the most important decisions that you can make is to choose the perfect guest speaker. Having a keynote speaker at your event will be the highlight of the show and he or she can do much to inspire your audience. However, before choosing the best guest speaker, there are many factors that you have to think about.

With so much to do to organize your event, choosing the perfect speaker can be difficult. The biggest mistake you could make would be to leave it to the last minute. So what can you do to make sure that your event entertains, inspires, and enthralls your audience?

Choosing the Perfect Guest Speaker – How to Do It

Here are our top 6 tips to make sure that you find and hire the perfect speaker for your business event.

1. Know Who Your Audience Is

The first factor to consider before choosing which keynote speaker is best for your event is to think about your audience. All audiences are different and a guest speaker that is inspiring to one audience may not have the same impact on another audience.

So, ask yourself these questions about your audience:

• What are the demographics of my audience?
• Are they all from a specific industry?
• What should they learn from the event?

For example, if your audience is all from a specific industry, there is a greater chance that they will get industry-specific jokes and understand that jargon. However, if your audience is from a wide background, then you may need to look for a speaker that can appeal to all kinds of people.

2. Have a Budget and Stick to It

The second factor to consider before hiring a guest speaker is to work out your budget and then stick to it. Remember, that the guest speaker will be the main attraction of the event, so set aside a large enough budget to hire the perfect candidate.

How can you work out your budget? The easiest way is to calculate a “value-per-person”. If your event is very large and you want your guest orator to have the greatest impact, you should definitely set your budget as high as you can afford.

Remember, that even though the corporate event catering will be one of the costliest items on your budget, it is the speaker that everyone will remember – for the right or wrong reasons!

3. What Should the Speaker Accomplish

It would be a mistake to think that a famous personality will automatically be the best speaker for your event. Each speaker has his or her own traits and characteristics that you should take into account. Usually, a high-quality speakers’ agency will give a complete profile on each speaker they have and what type of event there are best suited for.

Remember that not all speakers have the same balance of humour, entertainment value, motivational skills, and life experience. However, to help choose the perfect speaker, the type of speakers available can generally be divided into 3 categories:

• Famous personalities. There are many celebrities who speak at corporate events and can bring an element of “showbiz” to your event. They are great for attracting a large audience to the event, however, they are usually the most expensive speakers.
• Industry leaders. If you are planning a business event, having a leader from that industry can be an excellent choice. The speaker can provide valuable insight into the specifics of your industry and inspire and educate your workforce.
• Motivational speakers. A motivational speaker can be from any industry, but the advantage is that they bring their own experience, humour, and personal stories to the event. These types of speakers are some of the most interesting and inspiring for your audience. However, you have to make sure and match the right motivational speaker to your specific audience.

4. Speak Directly to the Speaker

When you book the guest speaker, it’s important that you can communicate personally with them. Try to avoid just speaking to agents or and another representative. This can help you share some specifics of the event directly with the speaker and get a feel for how they will benefit your event.

5. Communicate with the Keynote Speaker

Although the fifth tip in choosing the best keynote speaker seems like the previous one, there is a difference. Communication with the keynote speaker can be done through his or her agent after you have had the chance to speak directly to them.

First of all, you need to communicate clearly the goals of your company and what you expect from the event. The guest speaker needs clear information on the demographics of your audience, and any specific message you would like them to include. This can help to address issues are problems in the company in a very tactful way.

Remember to inform the keynote speaker of any information that shouldn’t be included!

Usually, the agency will help make all the necessary arrangements between you and the guest speaker.

6. Learn the Needs of Your Speaker

The last point to keep in mind when hiring a guest speaker is to find out their specific needs. There are a few things that you should find out from your guest speaker, for example:

• Can they do a “meet and greet” session with the audience?
• Have they any specific dietary requirements?
• Will they need a room or personal space for preparation at the event?
• Would the prefer to stand behind a podium or like to walk freely on the stage?

Although finding and choosing the best guest speaker for your event is a challenge, it can be done successfully. That is why at Successful Speakers we have made the task for you as easy as possible. You can look through the profiles of all our guest speakers to pick the perfect one for you. Feel free to contact us to discuss your specific needs and we can match you up with the perfect guest speaker for your live event.