Checklist - hiring a public speaker

Know what you want of your keynote speaker

• Inspiration/motivation
• Entertainment
• Information

Of course all of these should be present in a good talk; only the emphasis will be different for different types of event.

Know what your keynote speaker needs to possess

• Industry-specific experience
• Reference clients
• Ability to promote your event
• MC experience
• Training experience

Will you be asking for

• A talk tailored specifically for your industry/organisation/event?
• Pre-event meeting to discuss details
• Advice

The speaker’s requirements

• Payment terms
• Logistics (travel, accommodation, screens, projectors, audio)
• Translation
• Room set-up

You may wish

• To negotiate the fee (everything is negotiable!)
• To see the speaker in action (recommended) either live or on video
• To speak with former clients
  • Did speaker start/finish on time?
  • Was speaker relevant to the audience?
  • Was his/her material acceptable (blue/gender/ethnic material can offend)
  • Would you hire again/recommend?
  • What was most memorable about the talk?
• To discuss selling (or not) the speaker’ product from the platform

You should know about your event

• Type of event (AGM, Christmas dinner, awards ceremony, conference, training day)
• Date / time / budget
• Audience needs / expectations
• Ideal speaker type / topic

Ready to search for a keynote speaker? Click here!

If you have any other questions or would like assistance or advice with your arrangements, pleas email info@ifps.org.uk. We will be delighted to help.