The one thing you want your event or meeting to be is memorable. The whole basis for any of these situations is to convey important information and to keep the focus of the audience. Given that you are investing in educating a group of people then it has to be profitable. In other words, the people in charge of interacting with the crowd need to be engaging. So many planners make the mistake of placing too much effort into the venue or the food, they forget about the big picture. Nobody is going to remember the finger food and the nice view. However, they will remember the keynote speaker that grabbed their attention. A motivational speaker with the right attitude and reputation will be the driving force behind the return on your investment.
But now comes the problem, how do you ensure the speaker will be right for the job? More importantly, how do you make sure they are any good? A strict balance between informing and entertaining the audience needs to be kept in mind. To make this easier, consider the following 7 ways to find great motivational or keynote speakers for your meeting or event.
1: Look and Listen to Demo Videos
One of the best ways to figure out whether you are making the right choice is to see the speaker in action. This can be done in two ways, but the most popular is to use demo videos. The other way to get a better perspective is to go to live events. It doesn’t really matter which way you go, as long as you can witness how the audience responds then it should clear up a great deal of doubt.
2: They should understand the purpose of the meeting or event
This is very crucial, because if they have no understanding of the information then there is not
going to be any connection with the audience. Once again, get some background on the keynote speaker and see whether they are capable of helping you with your specific event. Remember that they need to come from an authority point of view, otherwise the crowd isn’t going to take the event or information seriously.
3: Watch out for Big Promises
It’s understandable that motivational speakers try to sell themselves, because it’s how they make a living. But sometimes you come across individuals who make big promises without any substance. They will claim to have influential skills that can change people within the first five minutes along with many other fake stories. This isn’t to say that they are lying, but you need to be realistic and find out whether it’s the truth.
4: Ask for References
Asking for references is often the determining factor, because a strong client list proves that the
individual is effective. Take for example a top motivational speaker, John Pullum. His websiteexhibits all the testimonial videos and credits you will need to make a clear decision. Some of his clients include Reebok, Morgan Stanley, Prudential Financial, Hitachi, 3M and the list goes on. These are the same kind of credentials you want to see in the speaker you are going to use.
5: Avoid Misconceptions
For the most part people assume that well-known actors are great speech makers and speakers. Unfortunately there is a big difference between entertaining somebody and providing much needed information along with motivation. Where an actor needs to be separated from the audience while a keynote speaker has to be fully engaged.
6: Understanding the Needs of the Audience
Another important factor is to make sure that the speaker is aware of everyone’s needs. He or she has to know on what level they are going to approach the audience in addition to the best approach. This means they should be able to sum up the audience fairly quickly.
7: Good Communication
Last but not least, take notice of how well you communicate with a potential speaker. It’s in your best interest to provide them with all the necessary information so that they can deliver their best, but there needs to be a good flow of communication between you and the speaker as well.
Take these tips into consideration the next time you are planning an event or meeting, because it could mean the difference between success and failure.