Picking the most suitable guest speaker in the Philippines is the deciding factor whether you’ll be getting pats on the back or slow shakes of the head. When planning a seminar or event, one of the key elements to its overall success is having a guest speaker who can provide fresh knowledge and inspire the attendees. Without a doubt, they could help set the tone of the event and make it a memorable one.
Unfortunately, attendees can be so unforgiving. Get it wrong and your reputation is damaged; get it right and you will have made a substantial step towards being labelled a great host or event coordinator. In this piece, we examine how to pick the ideal speaker for your event.
What Makes a Great Guest Speaker?
To a certain extent, an ideal leadership speaker in the Philippines depends on your specific vision for the event and what you want to achieve. But there are some aspects that are non-negotiable – a fantastic guest speaker needs to have the ability to perform at least a few of the following:
1. Draw the attention of every audience.
2. Reinforce key themes
3. Entertain every audience
4. Educate the attendees
5. Inspire attendees and induce positive change
6. Provide fresh insight and outlook on related subjects
7. Supply actions and motivational takeaways
Primarily, they need to be able to attract the attention of their audience by inserting a little entertainment – just the right dose of fun. When you’re able to engage your audience, you’re already halfway in accomplishing your goal of touching their heart. Surely, they will remember you once they leave the room and go on with their life.
In every event, we must also take into consideration the audience. What works for a certain group might not work for another group. And not all the time, we have the luxury to know the personality of each attendee, even if you happen to work within the same company. Therefore, the best approach would be to incorporate a little bit of each of the 7 points.
What's the Purpose of the Guest Speaker?
After you have figured out what’s going to be the central theme of your event, the topics, and the general goal, your speaker should align closely his style with the provided aspects of the speaking engagement. Do not try to interfere too much with the guest speaker’s approach as he/she may lose his style or identity. Always remember that you pay them for their expertise and teaching them everything might make them feel ineffective. Allow them to be themselves, as long as they can follow your theme and overall goal.
A guest speaker may conduct a number of distinct roles. They could initially energize a crowd in order to make it easier for them to convince the audience to follow their advocacies or whatever is the goal of the event. It can be accomplished by sharing their knowledge and offering a different perspective into a certain topic. If you're clear what it is you want out of your occasion, it's easier to pick a motivational speaker in the Philippines which may help accomplish that.
Guest Speaker’s Level of Knowledge
It’s highly important that your guest speaker has knowledge of your industry. If you would like an expert in a field that is relevant to your event, its key topics, and your audience, then this will narrow the choices for your speaker. One good example is the business technology industry. Finding a business technology coach in the Philippines is harder as compared to finding coaches from other industries due to its small size as it only started a few years back. They can provide insight into emerging trends and offer activities that have a positive impact on your business. In short, these people are the industry authorities whose opinion truly matters.
Another alternative is to opt for a speaker which has no or limited industry knowledge but will fulfill other objectives. This could be an author, a CEO from another industry, or any highly skilled motivational speaker who has the ability to engage and inspire your audience. Normally, you would like to have a little bit of both, someone who can truly inspire and at the same time have enough industry knowledge to command the respect of the crowd.
Once you’re able to find the perfect guest speaker for your event, brainstorm a few topics that could support the theme of the event. You may wish to find a guest speaker with expertise and openness to tailor the presentation for your audience.
Irrespective of the type of speaker you opt for, you are looking for their capacity to connect with your audience. This usually involves impeccable pacing, a solid sense of storytelling, which is all backed up by case studies and data.
“If you're looking for guest speakers, be sure to match them to your audience.” – Joey Gurango
If you’re planning to hire someone famous but doesn’t have any background on giving talks, then they aren't very likely to appeal to the attendees. Ask yourself why are people attending the seminar – what are they looking for? Are you currently interested in something light-hearted and amusing? Do they want a storyteller or someone that may supply insights with facts, figures, and stats? Discovering the proper speaker for your audience is essential, so match your speaker into your audience’s needs and expectations.
Budget
When planning a seminar, it comes down to staying on budget. This implies understanding exactly what your budget is to get a competent inspirational speaker in the Philippines. It would be wonderful to handpick the best and brightest keynote speakers from around the planet, but conference and event budgets don't often stretch this far. It's worth pointing out that high profile speakers aren't always the best choice, even if you got the budget. Being a great and inspiring speaker is the priority over their status and draw.
It makes sense to start by calling around agencies to get an idea of the going rate to get an excellent speaker. Making inquiries will provide you a clearer idea of the costs and what’s possible to achieve within your budget. Nowadays, pro bono hardly exist, especially in the event that you want a competent speaker. It takes time, hard work, and accumulated experience to deliver a fantastic presentation and this has to be covered. If you understand how much you can afford, then this can narrow down the list of possible speakers. When you enter into an agreement, it’s important to be clear what’s inclusive of the fee and what’s incidental. Some guest speakers may expect traveling and accommodation to be offered in addition to their fee.
Also, it's important to have the guest speaker interact with attendees during intervals and refreshment breaks. If you want this to happen, then be sure you talk about it and get it included in the agreement. Remember, giving your audience one-on-one time together with the speaker after the speech just enriches the experience.
It’s necessary to point out that diversity is needed during a talk, which means diverse views, different perspectives, meaningful debate, and general development of ideas. By choosing a guest speaker from a different background, whether it’s about faith, sexual orientation, race, and gender, you can create a more engaging and enriching experience for the audience. Therefore, it’s not always a bad idea to hire someone different.
Learn more about the industry by reading another article titled “Executive Coaching in the Philippines: The Help that Every Business Needs.”
This is Joey Gurango, your Business Technology Coach!