It’s not enough for speakers to just show up and speak—even if they’re great on stage. To provide an exceptional audience experience, meeting planners and speakers need to work together in partnership, paying attention to details large and small from the initial call throughout the planning process.
As in every productive partnership, each has to do his or her part. Great speakers pay attention to details about the audience and their needs so they can tailor their presentations and be memorable, repeatable, and re-bookable. Meeting planners pay attention to the overall goals of the meeting audience so they can communicate these important details to their speakers—and all who need them.
Here are five ways speakers and planners can work together to ensure that the audience has the best possible experience:
1. Speakers, don’t be divas. Many years ago I witnessed a speaker demand that the meeting planner run to the pharmacy to get medication for a sore throat—wow! Speakers need to be self-sufficient and pay attention to the items they need for a successful event: They should bring first-aid supplies, all necessary adaptors and dongles, and anything required for a unique diet.
2. Planners, specify meeting logistics early. Speakers need to be sensitive to the shipping and logistics deadlines. To help them, meeting planners can provide specific dates for delivery of books, handouts, slides, and any other materials that will make the speech a valuable experience for attendees. Speakers, you need to pay attention: Mark dates on your calendars and deliver on time, every time.
3. Planners, respect room set requests. Some room sets create valuable and interactive learning experiences for the audience. If the speaker requires a specific set up to maximize audience attention, he or she should include the details in all preconference calls and contracts. Meeting planners, you need to explain if what the speaker is asking for isn’t possible due to budget or other speaker considerations. Get everything in writing.
4. Speakers, participate actively in the sound check. This is a vital part of every event. Be patient; arrive on time; check slides, remote, and microphones; and confirm the staging arrangement. When sound and lighting aren’t great, it distracts your audience. Do all you can to create a pleasant experience for participants.
5. Everyone: Don’t forget good manners. It’s astounding how often people forget that “please” and “thank you” go a long way when the show is about to start and everyone is overwhelmed. Actively use people’s names, look people in the eye, and send thank-you notes to show your appreciation for all the hard work. One of my early speaking mentors told me, “Make friends before you make requests”—this is good advice for all of us involved in meetings.
If the event doesn’t go as either partner planned—your speaker doesn’t arrive on time, the slides don’t work, the room isn’t set how you want, the audience is noisy—stay calm, be professional, and remember the show always goes on. There are things that speakers and meeting planners see that the audience is not aware of—remember that they don’t know what you were planning.
A speaker’s job is to stand in service of his or her audience, and a meeting planner’s is to create a memorable experience for everyone involved—it’s a fantastic partnership that requires that we all focus our attention and work together to provide the best results for everyone.
What would you add to this list? As an audience member, what do you want?
This post was originally published by meetingsnet and can be found at: http://meetingsnet.com/speakers/5-ways-ensure-show-will-go
