Planners face an ongoing dilemma regarding the selection of speakers: What exactly do their executives want in a speaker? Many planners think they know and they start an arduous search, only to learn at the next internal meeting that the executives have changed their minds. It's a formula that adds greatly to the stress of putting together the "perfect meeting."
To avoid wasting valuable time, and to get your executives on the same page early on in the speaker selection process, we have prepared the following suggestions for all planners to consider (and implement as early in the process as possible). The best scenario is to have a 15- or 20-minute meeting with decision- makers at the start of the selection process, to be followed up in writing to confirm the direction you are taking. Written updates along the way may help as well, depending on the culture and style of your company.
Ask your executives this crucial question: How central is the speaker to the overall success of the meeting? Your executives have a vision for each meeting, and you need to fully understand how speakers figure into that vision. Once you have your answer (get it in writing!), you have your internal executives' attention. If they determine the speaker will make or break a meeting, it becomes top priority for everyone to bring in the best speaker available to you.
Determine the purpose of the speaker. Do your executives expect outside speakers to entertain, motivate, enthrall, or educate the audience? Make sure your executives have given this some thoughtand that they are all in agreement. Now you know in which direction to head.
Consider the type of speaker who would help accomplish the meeting's purpose. There are hundreds of speakers who cover a myriad of topics, but each has his or her own specialty and style. You need to know if your executives are looking for an "expert" to discuss industry issues, or if the top brass is expecting a celebrity to share laughs and inspiration with the audienceor something in between. This information helps you narrow your search.
Think about how a speaker can make your CEO look great. If your low-key CEO is speaking immediately after breakfast, perhaps he or she does not want to be "upstaged" by a high-energy entertainment act. Similarly, your industry expert may have an excellentbut complexmessage that is not best delivered during a large dinner with wait staff bustling about or at the end of a busy day when people have trouble focusing. Knowing the agenda before finding the speaker helps everyone succeed.
Ask your executives about their specific expectations. Do they want a speaker to work within a theme or message of the meeting? Do they want a Q & A session? Do they want something out of the ordinary? Dig as deeply as you can.
Share that input with your speakers bureau to save even more time during the search. And when you present your final speaker selections to your internal executives, remind them of what they wanted. This will demonstrate to executives that you delivered strategically—based on their specific input. Your executives will understand how you came to your recommendations and should be poised to support your excellent choices.
Diane Goodman is president of The Goodman Speakers Bureau. She is also the author of "Survive the Search," a workbook to help planners pick winning speakers. Contact her at (800) 875-2893 or at www.goodmanspeakersbureau.com.
Originally published April 01, 2007
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