Originally published in MeetingNews April 10, 2006
The process of picking a speaker, while not as universally feared as public speaking itself, still has an assortment of variables, any of which could result in a wrong choice.
"As expensive as speakers are, usually the most costly component of their presentation is the cumulative time of those listening," said Brian Palmer, president of National Speakers Bureau in Libertyville, Ill. That makes picking speakers who can deliver messages that resonate with the audience among a meeting planner's most vital tasks.
Planners are opting for presenters within their client's industry over those outside the industry by a four-to-one margin, according to a new MeetingNews survey. This preference was even more pronounced among association planners compared with corporate planners.
"Speakers inside the client's industry are crucial to continuing education," said Sandy Biback, founder of Imagination & Meeting Planners Inc. in Toronto.
On some occasions the speaker should be even closer to the attendees. "There are times when a C-level or other executive speaker within the organization is more on-point and on-message for a particular program," said Ann Godi, president of Benchmarc 360 in Atlanta. "Understanding corporate culture is key."
Representing those planners who feel that professional speakers have a place was Esther Eagles, president of Eagles Talent Connection in South Orange, N.J. "Outside speakers can often address issues that may be a bit too sensitive for internal people to tackle," she said.
Three-quarters of the 329 meeting professionals surveyed said they are involved in the process of finding speakers. Topical experts are used by half of corporate planners and four in five association planners. Discussion facilitators are tapped far less frequently by both planner groups.
Association planners rarely use motivational speakers, but nearly one-third of corporate planners do. In a recent example, Kim Hester, director of meeting and incentives for Travel Dynamics Group in La Jolla, Calif., hired the captain of the Jamaican bobsled team, who delivered an inspirational presentation to her client's audience while t hey attended the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
Planners are tending towards keynote speakers with an average fee of $15,000, according to a separate survey of 117 planners conducted on MiMegasite.com.
Speaker bureaus have observed fees moving upward. "Fees that seemed average a year ago are now considered low fees," said Andrea Gold, president of Gold Stars Speakers Bureau in Tucson, Ariz. "There's a little sticker shock for some meeting planners."
"Executives looking to make events distinctive are increasingly turning to people with some degree of celebrity to draw people and attention to their events," noted Palmer of National Speakers Bureau. "This has increased the prices for people who are well-known and has drawn some to speaking who traditionally did not do much if any speaking."
Based on speaker occupation, business executives, followed by consultants, were rated as the most effective by both corporate and association planners.
Susan Frate, director of conventions, trade shows and meetings at the International Bottled Water Association in Alexandria, Va., prefers senior-level executives "who can adapt their knowledge to the industry and the changing landscape."
Interestingly, corporate planners lean toward more light-hearted speakers than their association counterparts, giving higher scores to both humorists and entertainers. "The bar for speaking excellence is continually rising," said Eagles. "The trend is definitely toward a speaker who will not only be informative but also entertaining."
Media personalities, athletes, coaches and politicians appeared lower on the ratings scale, although among those categories, association planners favored politicians most and corporate planners favored them least. Both types of planners concurred that religious figures are the least effective overall option for their audiences.
"Sports speakers, specifically coaches, have a natural ability to be motivational, present well, and have a message that is universally understood," said Diane Goodman, president of Goodman Speakers Bureau in Windsor, Conn.
As far as sources for information useful in making the right speaker selection, the planners surveyed rely most on word-of-mouth references.
"Word of mouth verifies the speaker's ability and professionalism overall," said Sherry Cummins, who plans meetings in her job as human resources staff assistant at Con-Way Transportation in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Corporate planners valued all the information sources about speakers more than association planners did. Sample videotapes were considered to be good secondary sources, followed by speaker bios and speaker bureaus. Internet searches and media reports, both more general in nature, were found to be less helpful aids.
Meeting planners' assessments regarding their own past performance in choosing speakers were mostly positive, though many were on the fence about their prior choices.
Only one in five of those surveyed agreed strongly with a statement that most speakers they've booked have been entertaining, and only a third agreed with statements that their speakers have left a lasting impression and were worth the money paid them.
"Due diligence is still required to ensure that quality and content are a good match for the audience," said Godi. "The referrals are the start, just like reading a movie review. But referrals may not always pinpoint what you are looking for, so the need to spend time, energy and resources to research the best option is still there."