Speaker Selection: Finding the Right Voice for Your Event

So you’ve gotten your event arranged, and now it is time to find the right voice for your event. Congratulations! You’ve made it to a pivotal moment in the event planning process because this is probably one of the biggest pieces of any event. There’s a lot you have to consider for a speaker, more than you’d probably think. Let’s find out more about finding the right voice like Zkipster did with this award ceremony.

The Right Field

Perhaps one of the most important approaches to finding a speaker is making sure that you are looking within the right field of either research, business, or what have you. For example, you don’t want to bring in a researcher on a specific disease to a writer’s gathering.

It’s all about making sure you have someone from the right field who will talk about the subject that you are targeting (more on that later). It’s best to start off broad when you are beginning your hunt for a speaker, because if you try to narrow down to subjects too soon, you will find yourself overwhelmed with the amount of information that you will find.

Talk About Subjects

Even if you think you’ve found your speaker, you have to dive into the deep end to make sure that they are going to be talking about subjects that your guests are going to be interested in.

A great way to do this is to send out an early survey to your guest list to see what it is that they want to learn about or hear more about. That is always a great way to approach a speaker, too. Speak to them and talk with them a few times to make sure that you are getting what it is that you need for your event.

All About Clout

Now here’s something that isn’t often talked about when it comes to finding your speaker: clout. This is also something that is going to take some deep consideration when it comes to your budget. If you want a speaker with higher clout, then you are going to have to pay a higher rate.

Clout, if you haven’t heard the term before, is a social presence that a speaker or influencer has in their circle. The more clout that someone has, the more powerful what they say will be, and the more their presence will draw people to your event.

There are two ways to look at this: you can bring in someone with high clout or low clout. Higher clout is going to attract more attendees, but someone with low clout may have something that hasn’t been thought about and can bring a breath of fresh air to the event.

Schedule Video Calls

One way to make sure that you are hiring a speaker who is ready to work with your event the way that you need them to is to schedule video calls. Believe it or not, this is also a great way to see how your speaker comes across, get a read on their attitude, and see how they are going to be in front of your guests.

Remember, while you may want a speaker with higher clout, you still have to essentially interview them to see if they are going to be doing what you need them to do for your guests.

Utilize Social Media

Here’s the kicker with everything when it comes to finding your speaker: social media. Speakers from many different fields are going to have social media accounts across the internet, and one of the ways that you can pick out your speaker is through their social media.

A big hint is to watch their content. If they have TED talks, content on YouTube, shorts or reels, those are great ways to start looking into the person that you are thinking of bringing into your event. Another great thing to look at is going to be podcasts. Take the time to do your research via social media because you will find a plethora of information that you didn’t think you could find in the first place.

Bring it Together

The last part of everything is bringing all of your information together to find the right speaker. You’ve tested their clout, read through their content, and made sure to talk over subjects that they can talk about. It’s time to make your decision and book your speaker!