How to choose motivational and inspirational speakers for events
Josh here. Recovering engineer. Entrepreneur. And - according to my audiences - motivational & inspirational speaker*. I am a keynote and event speaker covering a range of topics, including entrepreneurship, marketing, brand storytelling, business, mental health and psychology.
*Please note: I personally don’t care for the term “motivational speaker.” But the fact is that “motivational speaker” and “inspirational speaker” are currently the top two search terms associated with event and keynote speaking in Halifax and Atlantic Canada. Hence, they are used herein.
If you are looking for motivational, inspirational, keynote or event speakers, I want to share my perspectives that you’ll (hopefully) find helpful in choosing the right speaker.
Use speaker bureaus and online directories
Anyone can whip up a blog post called, “Top Motivational Speaker for Hire in Halifax” (present company included).
Platforms like the ones below (sometimes called “Speaker Bureaus”) are organized to include the speaker’s areas of expertise, existing keynote presentations, and perhaps most importantly, reviews and testimonials.
Next Speakers (who’s that handsome fella?)
Ask the speaker for videos
A popular keynote speaker from Halifax told me that every motivational speaker should have at least one high-quality video of a speaking engagement.
Why?
I shows that they invest in themselves (and, therefore, you should, too).
Here’s an example:
Research past events, keynotes and conferences in your industry
Check out the top regional events in your industry Then contact those speaker organizers.
For example, if you are seeking marketing speakers in Halifax, Nova Scotia, run a Google search for “Halifax marketing conference" and check out the top results. In this example,
Then, simply scan those speaker lineups for topics of interest and reach out to the event organizers to get some information on those speakers, like:
Was the speaker easy to work with?
What were the audience ratings and reviews of their session?
Who are the best motivational & inspirational speakers you’ve worked with?
And so forth.
By the way: You can find reviews and testimonials from audience members of my speaking engagements here.
Ask the speaker about curating a keynote presentation for your event
Marketing is, as my girlfriend likes to say, the right message to the right audience at the right time.
AI speakers have been super hot this past year. But Google Keyword Planner shows a 900% decrease in Canada year-over-year for “AI speakers” (and your event or conference is likely several months (or even a year) away).
Great motivational speakers should be able to curate a topical presentation to your audience.
Tell the inspirational speaker about your audience and inquire if the speaker will tailor a keynote speaking engagement to that audience.
By the way: I am happy to curate my speaking engagements to your audience.
Dig around on the speaker’s social media and website
Great motivational speakers should have an online presence, including:
At least one social media page, like LinkedIn
Not every good business speaker will have an agency or bureau representing them. But they should have some online presence. After all, why should you invest in them if they don’t invest in themselves?
A speaker’s social media should also give clues as to whether they engage with an audience. Plus, if you use LinkedIn, you can see whether the speaker and you share connections that you can leverage for information about the speaker.
Get a scope and quote from the speaker
One time, my entrepreneurial leadership group paid $2,500 to a clown to teach us to juggle.
Was this a fun exercise? Sure.
Were the nine members of our group, all of whom were in challenging business positions at the time, happy about paying $2,500 for 60 minutes of light exercise?
Hell, no.
The clown/speaker did nothing wrong. We simply didn’t set expectations.
Remember, entrepreneurs, businesspeople, marketers, creatives - we get asked to speak at events and conferences all the time. I’ve experienced instances in which both the conference/event organizer and the prospective speaker didn’t discuss money until the last minute (and both had very different expectations).
Please talk about pricing in your first conversation. It’s not a big deal. It’s better to have clear expectations from the onset. Here was the first event speaker email I ever received:
“I have an opportunity for you to come to PEI on March 21st and speak at a conference for all the food vendors, for Food Island Partnerships. The idea is to give them tips, tools and inspirations to help them have an incredible summer season. Food tourism budget being what it is, I think I have $750, plus your travel and two nights accommodation in Charlottetown, for a 45-minute presentation to these small businesses. I can send you more info, but wanted to gauge interest and availability.”
That wasn’t so bad, was it? In one paragraph, the organizer covered:
Location
Date
Audience
Message/intent
Budget
This is immensely helpful in choosing the right motivational speakers.
And if the keynote speaker rate is out of your event budget’s price range, here’s a pro tip: Offer to pay for their travel, accommodations and A/V recording. At the very least, the speaker will get some social media content at no extra cost to them.
By the way: You can contact me today for a quote about a speaking engagement for your event, or to ask additional questions about booking the right keynote speaker for your event.
