Choosing the right speaker for your next event is a big responsibility. After all, you want a public speaker who can entertain the audience while offering no-nonsense advice.
Key Takeaways
- Find speakers who inspire through social media
- Observe how they educate and inspire their audience even online
- Connect with speakers through corporate entertainment agencies like Clean Comedians®
- Schedule a meeting with speakers to see if they can meet your business goals
- Ask your audience ahead of time what kind of speakers they want to see
- Make sure that speakers’ content is aligned with the values of the conference
The perfect speaker to provide insight into your niche industry. A motivational speaker who can inspire attendees to become thought leaders of their own.
As you can see, there’s a lot at stake here. And that’s why we’re offering you our top 7 tips on how to find and choose the right keynote speaker for your event.
See Related: How To Promote Teamwork In The Workplace
#1. Find potential speakers on social media
Nowadays, social media gives us a glimpse into several different kinds of people. And this can make your speaker selection both easier and harder.
With so many speakers out there, it can be difficult to choose. But here are some ways that you can narrow down the potential speaker pool and all by tracking their social media presence.
Track their engagement in real-time
“Engagement” has become a buzzword with the likes of social media. That and “trending,” “hype,” “vibing,” and more.
But seeing a keynote speaker or guest speaker engages their digital audience is an important facet of how they’ll approach your entire event. Do they respond to comments online?
Do they take the time to answer questions? Or do they talk, talk, talk without listening or getting any feedback?
You can find evidence of all of these characteristics through their social media feeds. Simply scroll through and observe how they share their expertise and engage with a large-scale audience.
Assess how technology-savvy they are
Public speaking didn’t always require technology. But in this day and age, there’s not a conference in the world that doesn’t use slideshow presentations.
Your team can immediately see how engaging they are with the use of technology through their online presence. Are they able to get the message across with digestible content?
Or are they the type of host that’s scatter-brained and their Instagram feed offers clear evidence of that? It may seem trivial at first, but scrolling through keynote speakers and guest speakers online is research in and of itself.
Not only can it give you ideas for the type of speakers you want to hire. But it can also offer you insight into which audience members they’re connecting with most.
#2. Search websites like Clean Comedians®
If you don’t have the time to do a deep dive into research, consider finding keynote speakers through business agencies like Clean Comedians®! After all, it’s our job to make it easy for you.
And not just when it comes to finding great keynote speakers and guest speakers. But when it comes to guaranteeing that those keynote speakers will serve the interests of your audience and create a fun-filled afternoon for the lot of you.
Go with some of the best speakers who have already been vetted
At Clean Comedians®, you can find everything from professional comedians to keynote speakers. From a comedy magician to an event emcee!
And what makes this even better is that all of our entertainers have been thoroughly vetted by us. When you hire a comedian from our agency, we guarantee that your conference will not only have a blast.
But have fun without any profanity, politics, or prejudice involved. Instead, you’ll only have a great time at your leadership conferences.
Because you decided to go with organizations like ours that have your best interests in mind. That sounds like a lot of hard work of scouring the Internet taken off your plate if you ask us.
Guarantee clean content among keynote speakers and motivational speakers
Of course, every business in every industry has a different kind of message they’re trying to impart to attendees. But we doubt any of those include the likes of profanity, politics, or prejudice.
That being said, some event speakers simply can’t help themselves. And it turns a once clear idea in a speech into a slippery slope of a conversation.
Rather than go through all that trouble, you can benefit from the expertise of our performers. The only thing you need to do is celebrate the inevitable success the event will bring.
#3. See how they interact with audience members
If you have a keynote speaker or guest speaker in mind, it’s always best to see them in action. Whether it’s through videos on their website or by attending one of their events in-person.
Do they deliver an awareness of the audience’s needs?
Event speakers should know how to read a room of attendees in order to address their needs. For example, does the keynote speaker facilitate breakout sessions so more folks get the chance to speak?
Or do they create a never-ending line of folks at a microphone, waiting for leaders to answer their pressing questions? Observing their demeanor in real-time will give you the best sense of whether they’re the right thought leader for your event.
#4. Meet with them before your upcoming event
From marketing the event to seeing the event through, there are plenty of ways that you can get speakers involved. And that’s precisely why you should be interested in meeting with them before the event itself.
Go over specific topics such as personal success as well as overarching event goals
A pre-event meeting is great not only for giving organizations the chance to lay out their event goals. But also for fostering collaboration with the keynote speaker themself.
Ideally, you’re able to hire a world-class speaker who’s been around the block a couple of times. And odds are, they’ll have certain marketing tips and business strategies to help your event really take off.
Use their past experience to your advantage and imbue it into your own process. That way, your team will have a leg up over other event organizers. And besides, it just makes sense.
#5. Ask audiences what kind of keynote speaker they want to see
Obviously, you’ll want to invite speakers that your attendees are actually interested in hearing from. So why not ask event attendees themselves who they would like to see?
Gain insights from audiences themselves to deliver top-notch public speakers
There may be industry leaders you hadn’t considered before. Or maybe your business team has their marketing scheme skewed in the opposite direction as the attendee desires.
Either way, you can glean a lot of the audiences at your event as to what they want to gain from you. Really, this is the perfect opportunity for a little feedback.
And besides, your event will only be more successful when leadership listens to what the audience desire. You might have the best contact in the world for your events.
But they’re just not up the alley of your industry audience. If that’s the case, it’s time for you to let your ego go, and offer the audience members exactly what they want.
Bonus: How To Become A Motivational Speaker In 7 Easy Steps
#6. Follow up on any referrals you receive
Throughout the year, it’s likely you’ll get recommendations for various speakers. So don’t shove those off without giving it a second thought.
Instead, take up the offer and contact these motivational speakers. Someone related to your organization obviously thought their content matter lined up with your organization’s values.
So explore that referral. And see where it takes you.
Word-of-mouth networking can set you apart from other clients
There are plenty of high-profile speakers who get asked to speak at events by strangers. But when you have some type of personal connection to them, it changes the whole game.
Because speakers want to know where they’re making an impact. Let’s say you have an audience member who is close friends with a keynote speaker in the industry.
That personal relationship could set you apart from other clients when you reach out to them. Odds are, speakers are looking to be just as selective with the events they take on as you are when choosing the right speaker for your organization.
#7. Make sure their content is aligned with your organization’s values
This one really should go without saying. But sometimes, our egos can get in the way of us finding a keynote speaker that truly speaks (pun intended) to our audiences.
Forgo keynote speakers who are only in it for the popularity contest
In the search for speakers, you’ll most likely find the most popular speakers first. After all, they’re high-profile so their visibility is through the roof.
But don’t let this popularity contest fool you. It’s one thing if you’re looking for speakers who bring a type of relevance and stardom to the stage.
But if they have nothing in common with your organization, then what’s the point? Don’t let your speaker search get struck down by stardom while sacrificing the true values of your event.
Wrapping up
All in all, finding great speakers for your event doesn’t have to be hard. Whether you go with a corporate entertainment agency like ourselves or reach out from word-of-mouth connections, the process itself should be rewarding.
So put these strategies to use. And make the most of your businesses’ upcoming events!
Keep Reading: 10 Best Jugglers Throughout History & Which Ones To Invite To Your Next Corporate Event
—
Adam Christing is a professional comedy magician, virtual MC, and the founder of CleanComedians.com. He is a member of the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood and a popular corporate entertainer, magician, and virtual speaker.
