How to be a Great Guest Speaker and Get Results

Nine tips to help you be a speaker who is applauded, referred to other groups, and invited back

Have you decided to hit the speaking circuit to promote your book, product or service?

Congratulations! Giving talks is a powerful, effective way to enhance your reputation and grow your business (or audience).

Once you’re booked, these tips will help you be a speaker who is applauded, referred to other groups, and invited back:

1. Provide appropriate promotional materials in advance.

Find out if the host organization has a newsletter, when it goes out, and the preferred content submission format. Send a brief description of your presentation, your bio, and a photo well ahead of the deadline.

Make it clever and catchy so readers will see a benefit in attending. Remember that most organizations post their speaker info online these days, so include your targeted keywords in the copy. And remember your complete contact information.

2. Find out how much time you have and stick to the organization’s schedule.

You can always offer to stay after the meeting closes to answer questions one-on-one.

3. Let the host know ahead of time what sort of equipment (projector, screen, whiteboard, other resources) you need.

Don’t walk in the door five minutes before the meeting starts and expect to have those items available.

4. Write your own introduction and hand it to your host.

You can also send it ahead of time, but bring a copy with you.

Your introduction should briefly establish you as the expert you are and appropriately set the stage for your talk. If you let the host come up with your introduction, there’s no telling what will be said — or left out. Most hosts will read exactly what you give them.

If your name is tricky to pronounce, include a phonetic spelling.

5. If you have a book or other products you want to sell, ask about the host organization’s policy in advance.

Some are liberal; others very strict about how sales are conducted. Non-profits may appreciate a cut of your sales. Never assume anything about back-of-the-room sales — always ask.

6. Get the numbers and demographics of the audience.

Before you book the event, ask about the group’s demographics so you don’t waste your time or theirs with an inappropriate presentation.

Find out how many people will be there so you’ll be sure to have sufficient hand-outs and/or products.

It’s also worth asking if the organization will make the attendance list available to you for follow-up. Most won’t, but they may allow you to collect business cards or use some other strategy such as a raffle to capture contact information.

7. Make your hand-outs memorable and usable.

A thick pack of information will likely get left behind or tossed as soon as folks get home or back to their offices. Try something clever or whimsical, such as a small toy attached to your business card that you can relate to your talk.

Another option is to offer a free download of information, such as a copy of your slide deck or an ebook. Provide an easy-to-remember link for people to go to your website to get it. And when they do, you’ve captured their name and email address.

8. Don’t read, engage.

Don’t just stand at the front of the room and read a speech from paper — or even worse, throw up a PowerPoint presentation and just read what’s on the slides. Use notes to keep yourself on track, but have a conversation with the audience.

If time allows and the venue is appropriate, take questions. Hang around after for individual chats.

9. Keep your promises.

If you offer to send follow-up materials, do it promptly. If you agree to meet with someone, make it happen.

There’s more to being a great guest speaker than being able to speak to a group. Remember these tips and your audiences will remember you in a positive way.

A version of this article was originally published on my site at CreateTeachInspire.com. You can reach me there or email me at [email protected].

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