Saturday 28 May 2016

A Professional Guide To Picking A Motivational Keynote Speaker

By Frances Smith


Participants to a conference are excited about very specific aspects when they receive the invitation. Some of them are social interactions, food, speakers and the venue or setting. It is easy to get the venue and food right. Social interactions are a bit personal. It is your choice of motivational keynote speaker that will make your event a hit or miss. How do you get it right?

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.

Personal engagements with the audience and commitment will endear the message to participants. As such, a good speaker does not pop in and out as if he is just fulfilling an obligation. This is an indication of pure commercial interests and disinterest in the gathering. Your guest should commit to appear early, build momentum towards the speech and remain behind to continue the conversation. Personal engagement with participants leaves a lasting impression in their minds.

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.

Speakers take personal initiative to promote events they are participating. This works perfectly for new events or where you have no track record to boost participation. In instances where you are sourcing for participants, this will boost your campaign. Co-promoting events also involves using own networks to gather momentum. It raises the profile of your gathering and creates greater impact. This can be negotiated when signing the contract or be part of his incentive for speaking at your event.

Some speakers carry wares to conferences for promotion purposes. Clarify such issues to ensure that your event or wares are not overshadowed. While it offers a memorable takeaway to participants, it risks altering your theme. You must own the event instead of the speaker.

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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