Choosing a professional speaker is a choice we assist you with. To take the head ache out of your planning and organisation to ensure your event runs smoothly and professionally
1. Decide on the Theme
It’s no use looking for a wildlife speaker, if your theme is Future Global Trends. If you’re not sure whether there are any speakers who will cover anything related to your theme – ask a reputable agent. They will certainly be able to help you.
2. Ask Around
The very best way to find a good speaker is by word of mouth. If a speaker is good, trust me, the word will spread. This is a really small industry and it doesn’t take long for a speaker to develop a reputation – either good or bad.
3. Phone an Agent
Of course, I’m completely unbiased on this one. The value of an agent – I strongly believe – lies in his/her experience of which speaker addresses which topic best, to suit which kind of audience. However, beware! There are many people with Google and a cell-phone calling themselves agents – a good question to always ask is whether the agent has actually seen the speaker speak.
4. Shop Around
Again – a word of warning: there are agents; and then there are Agents! Ethical agencies are working hard towards a “one exit price” strategy with professional speakers, wherein their commission is paid to them from the speaker’s fee, so that they don’t have to “add on” to make their money.
In the past, it was more than a nit of a free-for-all, and some hapless clients have been saddled with bills more than twice (or three times!) the speaker’s fee! A good way to find out what you’re paying is to ask the speaker!!
Believe me, they’ll also be delighted to help weed out the unscrupulous, greedy sods by telling you what their fees is. If an agency forbids you (or the speaker) to discuss fees – it’s time you smelt a big, smelly rat!
5. Get references – verbal and written
Whether you book a speaker directly or through an agent, I believe it’s always a good idea to get some references. Bear in mind that if an agent has seen the speaker in action, that should count as a strong reference in itself.
No agency worth its salt and remotely concerned about it’s reputation would want to place a speaker who’s not worthy of flying their (the agency’s) flag.
If you’re dealing directly with the speaker, get them to provide you with written and verbal references – and then, for goodness sake – check them! Phone the people. Remember that it’s your reputation on the line, too.
6. Get a Contract
This is something that an agency will automatically do for you, s will any professional speaker worth their fee.
Check the fine print, though, particularly with regard to cancellation clauses – I know of one speaker who insists on a 100% cancellation fee from the moment you sign the contract, regardless of how long in advance you either cancel OR postpone the event.
This isn’t a policy we endorse, so we don’t work with that speaker, but for your own peace of mind, read the little words!
Something else to watch out for is travel costs. Some speakers will insist on flying Business Class, while happily most of them will fly economy, as long as it’s a changeable ticket. Most speakers nowadays will want to do their own travel arrangements, as we prefer to do for our clients, too.
We try and save money for you wherever we can and if we are able to book a really inexpensive ticket because we know the speaker’s booking around that time and can thus book non-changeable tickets, we do.
We absolutely believe that travel should not cost the same as the speaker’s fee!
7. Insist on a Briefing
Many of our top-notch speakers are simply too busy speaking (and traveling to speak), to be able to do personal briefing meetings. However, at the very least they should agree to a telephonic briefing.
The best way to make sure the speaker knows what you expect from him on the day is to give them both a telephonic and written brief. This way they have a black and white “back up” of their conversation with you.
Any decent agency will send you a Pre-Appearance Questionnaire, which will greatly help you in getting the relevant information through to the speaker.
This way you will also have something to fall back on, in the unfortunate event of a speaker not fulfilling his brief to you.
I once worked with a speaker who completely ignored the detailed (three hour long) verbal briefing as well as written (I personally delivered the pack of documents to him, in his hands) brief. He simply got up on the stage and delivered his usual “canned” presentation.
He didn’t give a hoot who he was speaking to, and even referred to the Chairman of the Board who had spoken immediately before him, as “that oke”! Needless to say my client was underwhelmed to say the least, and they haven’t booked him since. Even more needless to say, neither have we!!
8. Check the technical rider
The what?? Yep, the technical rider. In the old days, we used to call this the speaker’s equipment requirements.
But that phrase is SO last century. Seriously though, check out what they need carefully. Most venues do not supply proximas (that’s a data-projector, by the way) and CD sound systems as standard equipment, and this could impact quite dramatically on your budget.
9. Do they belong to a Professional Association?
Finally, this really doesn’t matter to you or your event. Their associations are really just for them to get together and share internal awards. Do not get bothered by CSP, MPI or anything unless a real degree.
Bronwyn
Contact us at Speakers Inc and click here to find more Motivational Speakers
Diversity in Speaker Lineups has become a buzzword in the event industry. Conference organizers, corporate summits, and industry panels all claim to be making strides toward inclusivity. Promotional materials showcase smiling, multicultural speaker lineups. But beneath the surface, a difficult question remains: Are events truly diverse, or are we just witnessing performative inclusion? Despite increasing […]
When it comes to diversity and inclusion as a leader you need to understand one thing, you need to understand that; It is more than just activism, minorities vs the privileged, and correcting the injustices I’ve observed the efforts of many organizations and leaders when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion, to be more civil society […]
I have worked with corporate teams that measure Leadership Effectiveness and what seems like everything. My concern with these teams isn’t what they are measuring, but rather what they are not measuring – leadership effectiveness. Teams measure on-time delivery, sales call per day, employee engagement, and so many more useful metrics. I’ve even seen a […]
Speakers Inc in November 2025 brings you our Top AI Keynote Speakers where artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept but a business reality, organisations are asking far more than “what is AI”. The real questions now are: How will AI reshape our industry? What skills will our workforce need? How do we innovate ethically and […]
Unleashing Inspiration: Ohio Top Motivational Speakers and the Power of Booking Them for Conferences Introduction: In the heartland of America lies a state brimming with innovation, resilience, and a spirit that refuses to be subdued – Ohio. As businesses, organizations, and communities across the state strive for excellence, the need for motivation and inspiration becomes […]
We are only as unified as our loneliest team or Disconnected Worker community members. No one is immune to feeling lonely at work — not even the outgoing top sales associate, the customer success representative that brings her dog into the office, or the charming vice president who always declines every happy hour invitation due to “overcommitments.” […]
Are you guilty of multi-tasking during meetings? Unfortunately, being present during meetings, especially present-day Virtual meetings, is so rare, I wish I could bottle and sell it. Here’s a few facts you can toss around the tele-conferencing office (Source: Prezi State of Attention Research): In any online meeting about 95 percent of the audience is probably multi-tasking. The […]
Understanding the Distinction: Customer Experience vs. Customer Service with Dan Gingiss. In today’s competitive marketplace, businesses often tout their “excellent customer service” as a hallmark of their brand. However, what many fail to recognize is that customer service is only one facet of a much broader and increasingly crucial discipline: customer experience (CX). While Understanding […]
Our Mission:
© All rights reserved 2025. Designed using Voxel
