Speaker Assets

Finding the best speaker for your event could mean long days for you. But the rewards are worth it. “A good speaker can make or break a conference,” says Walter Bond, public relations director for the Minnesota chapter of the National Speakers Association in Plymouth. “What differentiates a good conference from a bad is the quality of its speakers.”

To ensure that your speaker leaves attendees inspired and enlightened, check out some tips from local professionals. They take us behind the podium to explain how to find just the right speaker for your event.

Check Your Expectations

• Know your audience. “Knowing your audience is 50 percent of the process,” says Bond. “Sometimes people want content. Sometimes they want entertainment. If you work with the same audience for a couple of years, you’ll know what it wants.” If you are not familiar with your audience, some strategic polling before the event can give you helpful insight.

• Have realistic goals for the presentation. Knowing what a speaker can and cannot deliver is crucial to putting on a successful meeting. For instance, a speaker cannot turn managers into leaders, says Jim Ericson, program director and cofounder of the Masters Forum, a Minneapolis group that organizes regular business-education programs. What a presenter can accomplish, he says, is entertainment and education. “Entertainment is the least a company can expect. At a minimum, if nothing else, a speaker should be entertaining,” Ericson notes. A speaker can also educate, but shouldn’t be viewed as “all powerful.” “Whether someone actually uses the information the speaker provides is up to the individual,” Ericson says. “And expecting the organization to become better because you picked the right speaker is just whistling Dixie.”

• Choose speakers that match your goals. For instance, a meeting planner may choose a speaker for his or her ability to drive attendance. For that, you’ll need a big name. “Local celebrities or politicians can be great draws, but they might be best used for a meet-and-greet cocktail event rather than as a keynote speaker,” says Karen Frank-Lopez, entertainment director for MetroConnections in Bloomington.