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A professional speaker has specific responsibilities
to the meeting planner -- to know the group and the
meeting's objective for starters.
How would you like to have zero percent embarrassment
and risk in hiring your next speaker? As a full time
paid professional speaker and former vice president
of National Speakers Association/Northern California,
I have had the responsibility of selecting speakers
for our meetings. As a speaker hiring other speakers
the shoe was truly on the other foot. Today I have a
greater appreciation for the work of meeting planners
and the responsibility on their shoulders.
Until now, published articles emphasized what the meeting
planners were responsible for when hiring a speaker
but never the responsibility of the speaker to the meeting
planner! The speaker's responsibility does not end after
they have been selected ... it is merely the starting
point!
The meeting planner should expect a confirmation letter
and contract from the speaker to avoid any misunderstandings.
When agreement with your speaker is strictly verbal,
too much is left to chance. The written contract should
clarify fees, expenses, hotel and air accommodations
as well as the payment schedule. Also included should
be the title of the speech along with date, time and
location of the presentation. The meeting planner should
also expect the speaker to inform you of his or her
date of arrival and departure. A current photo, biography
and program description, and terms for permission to
tape the program should be sent at this time.
A pre-program questionnaire should be conducted by your
speaker to learn about your Organization and help ensure
that the talk is specifically suited to the themes and
objectives of your group. Your speaker should seek information
in the following areas: 1. Your conference theme; 2.
key issues to avoid; 3. expected number of attendees;
4. the percentage of males and females in attendance;
5. main objective of the meeting.
Along with the pre-program questionnaire the speaker
should request annual reports, job descriptions, product
service brochures, industry/ association publications
and newsletters to customize their presentation for
your specific needs.
It is critical that the meeting planner and speaker
discuss audiovisual requirements. After this discussion
and well before the date of the speech, all requirements
such as type of microphone, screen size and room layout
must be submitted to the meeting planner in writing
so that they can be passed along to the person handling
logistics.
The speaker's introduction is critical to a good speech
and your speaker should provide a prewritten introduction
which should be read exactly as written. Allowing the
introducer to ad-lib leaves the speaker open to almost
anything. The introduction is meant to set the tone
for the speech.
Perhaps one of the greatest worries a meeting planner
has is whether the speaker will be on time, or will
show up at all. A courtesy call from the speaker to
the meeting planner upon arrival will enable everyone
a better night's sleep. The speaker should allow sufficient
time to check out the room he will be speaking in for
layout, audiovisual requirements, temperature, lighting,
etc.
Prior to the program the speaker should be available
to shake hands, introduce himself or herself and establish
a rapport with the audience.
As meeting planner you have every right to expect your
speaker to be a pro. This is not the time for practice
nor is it a time to be reading notes. Your speaker should
avoid the lengthy self introductions where they extol
the virtues of the group and how glad they are to be
there. You should expect your speaker to stay within
the allotted time frame. If you have hired a speaker
for a serious message -- that's what you should be getting,
not fluff and whipped cream content.
The last things the meeting planner wants the day of
the speech are surprises. The speaker should deliver
the speech the way it was promised and both the planner
and speaker will be winners!
When the program is completed the speaker should be
available to answer questions. This is not the time
to solicit referrals nor give the audience or meeting
planner the feeling that you are mounting your horse
to get out before the posse is formed.
A speaker can make or break the success of your meeting.
Teamwork between the meeting planner and the speaker
can guarantee a 10 for your next meeting.
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