Don’t overlook these important tips to help you find a winning speaker for your event:

• Years of experience as a speaker – no less than 3 to 5 years for the real thing.

• International experience – this is rare and is a high credibility marker.

• Range of experience – look for a good mix of corporate, community and other types of audiences, not just 1 type of audience.

• Size of audiences if a speaker can move a large audience 500+ they will be good with small and large. Check – if they only have experience with small groups, be more cautious.

• Social Upliftment –if a speaker has social development or charity speaking experience you know you have someone who cares about empowering people.

• Willing to take a brief –ask if the speaker is willing to take a full brief about the audience and the objectives.

• Reliablity – believe it or not, some professionals don’t show up for their bookings and don’t care. Look closely at the resume and ask if they have ever not showed up for a booked talk.

• Humour & Heart –experience proves that humour and heartfelt inspiration are the most effective motivational talks, so look for that winning combination.
• Good references –it goes without saying that a speaker should be able to give you a list of testimonials with people’s names and company names.
• Showreel and photos –ask for a showreel (clips of talks) or photos so that you can get a clearer idea of the speaker in action.
• Go direct-bureaus perform a valuable function, but very few speakers have exclusivity agreements, so it is often possible to book with a speaker directly.
• Erik Vermeulen