|
FINDING A
SPEAKER THAT FITS
by
Diane Goodman
Speakers
bureaus do more than just send out glossy catalogs. A good one will learn
as much as possible about your company, your meeting, your
audience, and your budget in order to help you find a professional speaker
who fits your needs. The aim of this guide is to prepare you for
discussions with a bureau, and to get you thinking about all the factors
that affect your speaker choice.
The
Basics
Your
meeting time and place. As with everything else, tile earlier you contact
the speakers bureau, the better. And certainly mention if either the time
or the elates arc flexible. A star speaker might not be available to kick
off your meeting, but perhaps she could provide smashing close to the
program. The bureau also needs to know your budget parameters.
The Audience
Details to share with the bureau:
your audience's sire, the positions attendees hold in the company and what
divisions they represent, their average educational background, age range,
and the male/female ratio.
The Meeting Objective
- Which
department is hosting the meeting?
- What
is the overall purpose of the meeting?
- What
is the strategic message you're trying to get across in this meeting?
- How
will the meeting be structured to communicate this message?
The Speaker's Role
- Do
you cm envision outside speakers as part of your agenda?
- If
so, for what purpose (e.g., to lighten the mood, act as an emcee
controlling session flow, pump up a sales force, or some other
objective or combination of objectives)?
- How
important do you feel the outside speaker is to the success of the
meeting?
- Is
there a particular type of speaker you believe Will help you meet your
objective (celebrity, sports figure, industry expert, etc.)?
- 'Where
on the agenda do you think the speaker would be most effective?
- What
would be the ideal "takeaway" for attendees from the
speaker's presentation?
Use Your Experience
- Who
stands out as the best speaker you ever had? Why?
- Who
stands out as the worst speaker you've had? Why?
- How
would it affect sour meeting if your speaker of choice was not
available?
Don't Stop Now!
Shortly
after the meeting, take the time to sit down with other executives and
review the impact on the meeting of the speaker you chose. Answer these
questions:
- Did
the speaker meet all of sour expectations?
- Did
the speaker add value to the meeting?
- Did
the speaker further the meeting theme?
- How
did attendees respond to the presentation?
Write
clown additional thoughts about the speaker and share them with your
speakers bureau representative. This will help the bureau next time you speak
together.
|
