Choosing a Guest Speaker

Choosing the right guest speaker to meet all your objectives can be a stressful task.  Your guest speaker selection is one of the most important elements in a successful meeting. Selecting the right business speaker for your meeting can be a daunting task, as public speakers are available in every fee range and specialty topic.

We find that many of our clients have struggled for years to find guest speakers who are a good match for their group. Clients are looking for a well known professional, familiar with their industry, who will present a customized program with a perfect blend of humor and cutting edge information that will leave the audience motivated and well-informed.

By blending her funny real-life stories and her twelve years of  fashion and beauty expertise, Inspirational Keynote Speaker NANCY JOSEPH educates, empowers, and entertains—delivering solutions her audiences can use right away. Each presentation contains powerful information on how your image impacts your income and  your outcome in your personal and professional life.

Ten Tips on choosing a guest speaker

1. ENTERTAINMENT VERSUS MESSAGE: You’ll need to decide on the blend of entertainment value and meaningful message that you want for your program. You’ll find guest speakers who range from 100% entertainment value to those who focus almost exclusively on content with little entertainment value. Often you can find the exact blend that you’re looking for. For example, if you wanted 70% entertainment value and 30% motivational message, many professional speakers can tailor their talk to fit your needs. Just let them know exactly what you want. If you’re not sure what you want, discuss the options which your speaker might offer to you.

2. TYPES OF GUEST SPEAKERS:

a. The HUMORIST is someone who delivers humor with a message: Story, relevant point, story, relevant point. Professional humorists can normally blend their humor and message to fit your needs.

b. The MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER provides an inspiring and uplifting program usually built around powerful stories, often personal experiences of the speaker. Most motivational speakers also use humor, but not to the extent that a humorist would.

c. The INDUSTRY SPEAKER is a person with expertise in a particular industry who lectures on a specific topic. Industry speakers are generally not known for their entertainment or motivational value but are brought in to inform and take an in depth look at a particular topic.

3. INTERNET WEB SITE: A speaker’s web site will give you an instant “brochure” which may help you make a decision. Speakers’ web sites should include video clips, clients lists and testimonials. A quality professional speaker will be easy to find on the internet and will generally appear on the first or second page of search results for the topic you are looking for.

4. TESTIMONIALS: Testimonials may give you an indication of quality. You could ask for the names and phone numbers of three recent clients (who had the kind of program you need). Call them and ask questions. Read between the lines and listen for genuine enthusiasm in their voice when talking about their experience with the speaker.

5. VIDEO SEGMENTS: All professional speaker should have video footage available on their website. Watch for genuine audience response, the ability to hold the audiences attention (Do you get bored just watching the footage?)

6. VIEW A PERFORMANCE: It might be possible to watch the speaker in a live performance before hiring. Although this is often not possible, you could ask. Most speakers will not “audition” for a single-date performance, but you might be able to attend someone else’s program. is probably the best way to really see the speaker’s style and content.

7. AWARDS: Although awards are normally a good flag, you just never know the true significance of the award received by the speaker. Ask the speaker if they belong to professional associations. Also ask what awards or certifications they have earned.

8. PERFORMER’S EXPERIENCE: How long has the motivational speaker been in the business? Does the speaker speak full-time (earning a living as a speaker) or part-time (with a full-time day job)? These considerations may or may not have a great impact on the quality of the talk.

9. CUSTOMIZATION: Find a motivational speaker who will tailor his or her presentation to your group. While talking with the speaker, you may get a feel for his or her customization skills. What kind of questions is the speaker asking YOU about the audience or organizational culture? Not every talk needs customization but most professional speakers specialize in adding a personal touch.

10. INTRODUCING THE SPEAKER: Normally, the introduction is an important part of the speaker’s talk. Most professional speakers will provide you with a written introduction in advance. Find someone in your organization who will be able to properly set the stage for the talk and get the program off to a good start.

Watch the video above and Check out the GUEST SPEAKER page to see if NANCY JOSEPH could bring value to your next meeting?