The benefits of organizing a leadership speaker presentation for your company are numerous. Not only will your organization be getting an expert-outsiders perspective on the mechanics of leadership, but the presentation can serve to galvanize employees and break the standard 9-5 monotony.
Crucial to an effective leadership presentation, however, is choosing the perfect keynote speaker, a daunting task for any individual. There are so many speakers out there, and even organizations that curate leadership speakers like the Sweeney Agency give a vast array of options. To help with the process, here are six tips to help you choose a leadership speaker.
Inform Your Company’s Entire Leadership Team
First and foremost, before any external leadership-influence can aid your employees, you need to ensure the executive staff of your company is all on the same page. Company executives must be entirely aware of why a leadership speaker is being chosen and the benefits that come along with such a presentation, ensuring no misunderstanding as to why a speaker is being hired. In doing so, a strong leadership base will be formed within the company, thus providing the framework and foundation for a leadership speaker to work off of.
Fully Establish Topics & Objectives
With help from you company’s executive staff, a topic must be chosen for your future leadership speaker’s presentation. This is perhaps the most important step in hiring a leadership speaker, as it will determine the core content of the presentation itself. You must be certain whatever topic you choose is in line with your company’s culture and goals.
Next, you must determine your objective for the presentation, or what you want your employees to gain from attending. Whereas the topic is the general road the presentation will take, an objective is the specific final destination. For example, if you want a presentation given on the need for efficient teamwork, do you want attendees to come out of the presentation with an understanding of a specific teamwork strategy, the qualities needed to make an efficient workplace, knowing what the company is doing wrong right now, or all of the above? Creating concrete and attainable objectives for a presentation are essential, only by doing so will you get exactly what you want for your employees out of a leadership presentation.
Let Your Topic & Objectives Inform Your Decision
Key to any leadership presentation is the speaker themselves. But now that you’ve outlined your topic and specific objectives, the action of choosing a leadership speaker will be much easier and less of a gamble. First, check if a speaker’s credentials and past experience gives them some authority on your given topic. You can also just ask a potential candidate directly. When it comes to objectives, inquiring with the speaker is all but essential. The speaker must be aware of presentation’s goals, while also making you feel confident they can achieve them.
Perform a Thorough Background Check
In the age of the internet, nearly anything can be fabricated. A website may look flashy, but the speaker may hold no true substance, so it’s essential you really delve in and make certain a potential speaker lives up to their reputation. Thankfully, with the Sweeney Agency, you’re guaranteed a fully qualified speaker, but it never hurts to perform a background check yourself, just for you own piece of mind.
See a Speaker’s Past Presentations or Attend a Live One
Nothing will tell you if a speaker is the right fit for your company’s needs than by seeing them perform an actual presentation. Doing so isn’t very difficult either, given that almost everything is recorded nowadays. It’s pretty likely your potential speaker will have excerpts of their own talks online, or have been posted by autonomous individuals. If scheduling permits, go see them live in person, for the full experience.
Of course, you may not be able to find any footage online and likewise not have the time to see them give another talk. When in that boat, try and contact other company’s or people who have hired the speaker for their opinions.
Create a Rapport with The Speaker
Once you have chosen your leadership speaker, it’s quite important not to simply say “you’re hired” then not have any interaction with her/him until the presentation date. Form an actual relationship with your speaker, make them feel needed, and give them as much information on your company as you can. Try and get them excited about the presentation by setting your company apart from all the rest. A little enthusiasm on your end will go a long way in giving more energy to the presentation itself.
