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How to Avoid Speakers That Can't Speak

By: Brooks

It's one of the biggest ironies in the meeting planning industry. Some of today's top authors, sports stars and other famous personalities are terrible speakers. Planners are drawn in by the acclaim of a best-selling book or popular personality and are hit with a double whammy- a poor speaker and a massive fee.

It seems natural that anyone who can write brilliantly on a given topic, or shines during an on air interview would perform well in a lecture setting. In fact, this is usually the case. But speaking to an audience is a totally different dynamic than writing or giving an interview, and just because someone is good at one doesn't necessarily mean that they'll do well in the other.

We have a few tricks for weeding out motivational business speakers that can kill your meeting:

See them for yourself. Obviously, the best way to screen professional speakers is to see them firsthand. While this isn't usually possible, due to the time and travel involved, it gives you a unique perspective that can't be gained otherwise.

Get them on the phone. If you can't check them out in person, having them tell you about their work personally over the phone is the next best thing. A speaker who is comfortable with his or her topic should be able to talk about it, and their presentation, with fluidity. After a few minutes, you should be able to get a sense of their tone and personality, and whether they can connect with your attendees.

Find out if they've spoken before. Just because a speaker doesn't have a lot of experience doesn't necessarily mean that they won't be good. Everyone has to start somewhere, and I've seen some relatively new faces blow an audience away. Still, if you have concerns about your prospective speaker's resume, be sure to scrutinize them a bit more carefully. Someone who has been speaking professionally for ten years is apt to be good, while even very famous personalities tend to be rough at first. It's usually not a good idea to book someone who hasn't been speaking long without getting another opinion.ir video with a critical eye. Lots of professional business speakers have great tapes, but just remember that these videos are in some ways 'highlight reels' of their presentations. You're only going to see the jokes that got the biggest laughs and points that were the most well-received. Look at them the way you would any other commercial advertisement, because that's what they are.

Check a couple of references. You can always try to get the names of some people who have booked them in the past and collect their impressions. Again, a lack of references doesn't always mean that a speaker won't be good-it could just be that they don't like to burden they're clients-but it is a red flag. Most professional speakers will have letters of recommendation that they can show from past clients.

Use a bureau. Of course, if you're looking for speakers through a good speakers bureau for endorsements, they should have taken care of all of these details for you already. Our whole business is built upon finding the right person for each job. We can't afford to lose clients over bad speakers, and you can't afford to have them at your event.

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