Do you have speakers at your events? If so, are you connecting with them? Are you taking care of them, and do they know how much you appreciate them?
Imagine if all your speakers have the best experience at your event, and begin to rant and rave about how everyone they know should attend. You’ll sell out with no problem each year.
If you want to learn how to give your speakers the royal treatment without feeling like you’re selling yourself short, keep reading.
Learning and understanding the art of communicating has always been important to me. I have a Masters Degree in Strategic Communications, and am a practitioner in NLP, Neuro Linguistic Programming. I’m constantly sharpening this skill.
Yet, what allows me to truly connect with people is my genuine desire to get to know them on a personal level. I’m a curious person. I believe that everyone has a story, and I like to hear them tell it.
John Maxwell says, “everyone communicates, few connect.” In fact, he wrote a whole book about it.
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Remember, Speakers Are People, Too
After working with several thought leaders and well-known, high-profile speakers I’ve learned a thing or two about connecting with them. I’ve also realized, they’re people, too.
You see, at first, I thought all speakers were high-maintenance. I put them on a pedestal and was really intimidated by them.
It was a total mind-shift for me when I began to research each individual speaker and saw they had a family, they had a message, and they were passionate enough about it to face their fears of public speaking, get on stage in front of hundreds sometimes thousands of people and share it.
I’ve been grateful not to have any divas or douchebags, knock on wood, at least not in my experience. I like to think it’s partly because I’ve learned how to connect with them, and not give them orders.
There seems to be a disconnect between event planners/managers and speakers. The proof, Event Manager Blog wrote an article called, “Dear Event Planner, We Hate You. Sincerely, Your Speakers.” No wonder these speakers were initially giving me the stink eye. Planners aren’t connecting with speakers, they just want to get the job done.
I’m here to change the narrative, ya’ll!
Yes, speakers want to be and should be treated well. After all, they’re adding value to your event, they’re taking the time to engage with your community, and many times they’re leaving their families to spend a couple of days with you and several strangers.
Yes, it’s beneficial for them, because they get to meet new people, visit with some of their speaker pals, continue to grow their influence, see a new city, and hello…they chose your event over hundreds of others. So be grateful and take care of them!
***end rant**
On a serious note, I felt the need to share all of that ☝️ in order to move on to what’s next 👇.
9 Ways to Successfully Connect With Your Event Speakers
Do your research and follow them on social media 💻
I don’t know how to talk about this without sounding like a stalker but learn as much as you can about your speakers. Visit their website and follow them on social media. Find out if they have a speaker page if they have their bio, headshot, and entire media kit online before you start asking them questions.
Start to engage with them on social media and find things you might have in common with them. Leave appropriate comments and let them know you’re paying attention to them.
Brian Fanzo has a standout speaker page with a section just for event planners. It has all his keynote talks, how to book him, his bio and a variety of headshots all ready to download. This makes all the difference.
And, every situation is different, talks are sometimes tweaked for certain audiences, and time frames, so it’s nice to let speakers know you’ve seen their page, and confirm it’s what they want to be shared on your event page. They’ll appreciate you took the time to look, and ask.
Give them a dedicated go-to person throughout the entire process 🙋
Make sure your speakers have one person they can connect with from beginning to end. This makes communicating and connecting easy. They know who to contact for questions before the event, and who to look for on the day of the event. I’ve worked with 13 speakers at one time. Larger conferences will have hundreds of speakers, and you’ll want to make sure you organize accordingly.
Be friendly, brief and straight to the point 📏
Most of the time you’re communicating with speakers via email. It’s important to send as much detailed information as you can in the beginning. Set them up for success and set the expectations.
Emails should share your excitement and appreciation to work with them, while also being short and concise. Speakers are busy people and want to get the info they need. Many times you’ll be connecting with their assistant, so don’t get thrown off if someone chimes in saying, “hey Linda here for Jeff!” It’s totally normal.
When sharing information, do your best to use bullets and headings so they can quickly scan, access dates and details they need.
Stay in touch, be clear, highlight important details and set flexible deadlines 📅
Speakers have told me directly that they appreciate the reminders. Again because they’re so busy. They need the updates and want to know that someone cares about where they need to be. Give yourself a buffer for deadlines, and be flexible as needed.
Send friendly reminders, say please and thank you, use emojis☺️
Some important things your speakers need to know about…these will vary with every program…
- How much time they have to speak
- What the agenda looks like
- When their slides are due
- Keep them up to date on their hotel and travel accommodations
- Special speaker or VIP events they’re invited to
- Speaker promotional images
- Event location
Be responsive
Even though you might be thorough in your communications, there will still be some questions and confirmations. Be sure to address any needs or concerns from your speakers as soon as possible. If you don’t have the answer, let them know you’re working on finding it for them.
This is where your research will also come in handy. As you begin to build relationships with each speaker one one one, you can start you connect and comment on the things you have in common. Whether it’s something they posted on Instagram about their kids or that cool productivity hack they shared on their Facebook live show.
This is where your communication evolves into connection.
Make yourself available and be resourceful
As a planner or someone who is dedicated to taking care of event speakers, make sure they know how to connect with you. This is especially helpful on the day of the event. Give them your cell phone number. If it’s already in your signature line, give them permission to call you.
Give them a special check-in table at registration, and look out for their arrival so you can greet them IRL, in real life!
Making yourself available doesn’t mean you’re their slave for the entire event. It means that you’re serving them and taking care of them in the best way possible.
Ask them if they’re okay if they need anything. Sidenote, it helps if you’re the holder of the drink tickets 🥂
Remember, speakers are people, too. They won’t take advantage of you unless you let them. Know your boundaries, and do your best to accommodate. Don’t know the answer, check-in with your client or event producer and find out. They’ve got the final say.
Get to know them
Speakers are some of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet. Ask them about their stories. Sure you may have read them online or seen them on stage, but ask them more questions. Be curious. You’re rubbing shoulders with the top people in any industry, people would pay to be where you so take advantage of the opportunity. You can always learn something new, you can always make a new friend, heck, your mind even land a new client. You just never know.
Ask for feedback
Always ask for feedback in person. Not to toot my own horn, I want you to understand how valuable connecting with your speakers is.
My event producers at Social Media Day San Diego mentioned to me that one of our speakers had been to several large conferences over the years, and ours was the only one where he felt welcome and taken care of.
During a toast at an impromptu speaker celebration, Brain Fanzo said he appreciated my support for the event, and confirmed that I did not do this in an annoying way. That is a compliment…did you see the article I mentioned above? I often wondered if I was being a bugaboo to these people. It turns out, they want to know what’s next.
Finally, flowers. What speaker sends flowers to their event planner? One who felt a positive connection. It was a nice surprise to see that my hard work and genuine desire to connect had paid off.
Give a memorable speaker gift
Work with your clients on this one. Custom gifts are the best. Custom Yeti mugs, jackets, and event bobbleheads. Your clients will write a note of thanks and gratitude, and you should too. Make your notes personal and always send a follow-up email expressing your gratitude for their time and energy, and to tie up any loose ends.
Final Thoughts
Speakers are people, too. Connect with them. Inspire them, and be inspired by them. Serve and be served. Be positive and helpful. Be you. This is nothing new, and yet we tend to forget that it’s not about getting through the event and making it perfect, it’s about making close connections and building those relationships. The relationships are first, it’s the engine that keeps people, speakers and attendees alike coming back for more.
Your Turn
What’s your experience been with working with speakers? Share your thoughts in the comments below, or join our Event Planning for Entrepreneurs Facebook Group to discuss more.
