There’s little doubt that it’s vital to keep your team motivated. In her terrific book “Brain Power,” the author Shannon Bradford argues that an organization’s best asset used to be its hardware. The situation has shifted and, in the new economy, it’s a company’s personnel. And so, at your next company conference, one way of investing in your team is to contemplate hiring an inspirational motivational speaker.

There’s no doubt that the flagging economy has increased the demand for keynote motivational speakers at business programs. That said, not all inspirational speakers are created equal. And even among the best inspirational speakers, some are more likely than others to meet the particular needs of your corporation.

And so the function of this blog is to give you practical strategies into hiring the right motivational speaker for your conference. FYI: If you sign up for my rss feed you’ll know every time my blog is updated…watch this space!

Here’s some quick and easy ideas for looking for a professional motivational speaker able to encourage your audience of professionals to increased levels of performance.

Before outlining the top tips, a word of advice: Becoming a motivational speaker is (for lots of passionate people) a lifelong aspiration. Which is a great aspiration for them, but little help to somebody in the market for a speaker who is in reality a true “professional”! Keep in mind, choosing the wrong speaker (and, as I mentioned, there are quite a sizable number of those) can totally stink up the rest of your meeting. And, be under no illusion, the reek lingers for days! Here are the tips:

First Tip: Is the motivational speaker easily available to talk to on the phone? A good speaker with meaningful content will be able to tell you exactly how their topic is relevant to you and your industry. If they can’t express it clearly on the phone, odds are they can’t do it from the platform. If a speaker can’t put in plain words what he or she talks about in a succinct and persuasive way during a conference call, it’s extremely doubtful he or she will be able to sway your entire audience from the stage. Any motivational speaker worth his or her salt will be able to engage your committee members over the phone

Second Tip: Do your potential  speaker’s office staff give outstanding customer service? If the answer in “No,” book another speaker. Mull this over: If a speaker’s assistant isn’t motivated to give excellent customer service, what are the chances the motivational speaker him or herself will encourage your people to achieve professional excellence? My guess, the chances are poor.

Third Tip: Always ask your prospective motivational speakers for the contact details of a handful of people who’ve used them and would be willing to describe the experience. And when you speak to the speaker’s customers make inquiries about more than the program itself. Did the speaker produce a “buzz” which lasted the entire conference?

Fourth Tip: Request that the motivational speaker pays for his or her personal travel expenses, preventing any potential last minute “hits” to your conference budget. (Thanks to a speaker who runs up a very big hotel bill; doesn’t happen regularly, but shrewd to take precautions.)

Fifth Tip: Don’t throw away all the time you’ve spent searching for the right inspirational speaker (to say nothing of the financial investment you’ve made) by not laying out the hotel meeting room in a way that will contribute to your speaker’s success.

Finding the right motivational speaker – conclusion
Tactics like the above will determine whether your attendees have a truly inspiring experience or yet another best forgotten meeting! I hope (for the sake of your attendees) that it’s the former. Good luck!

1)  They should have some online video footage you can look at right now.  Along with virtually everything else, the internet has changed the way we shop for professional speakers. Online video is pretty easy to do nowadays—a professional speaker will be proud to show you his/her demo video.  You should bear in mind, though, that specific topics change.  Most keynote speakers have a selection of speech titles to choose from—the footage on the video should be a good representation of their speaking style.  What they’re actually saying on the video may be different or even customized.

2)  Do they clearly outline what programs they have to offer? Speech titles and program descriptions will be very helpful to you when deciding on a speaker.  But, don’t make the huge mistake of eliminating a great speaker because his title doesn’t fit with your conference theme—titles can be customized, the core of what the speaker talks about should be the primary focus.

3)  Important and relevant does not mean ‘boring’. If you’re laughing at what you see on a speaker’s video—do not automatically stick them in the ‘humorist’ category.  Many bookers link and confuse the importance of the content with the seriousness of the presentation.  Just because you’re laughing doesn’t mean you’re not learning!

4)  Do they list their fees on their website? One of the issues that bothers people looking for a professional speaker online is the feeling they might get ripped off.  Do you want to be dealing with someone who won’t give you their fee up front?  Let’s face it, one of the biggest considerations you have is finding a good speaker that’s relevant and is in your price range.

So, they’re my thoughts for today. I’ll add some more tomorrow.

5) Is the motivational speaker willing to do a technical rehearsal? This article motivational speaker advice (by an inspirational speaker) goes into more detail on one aspect of this topic. Fact is, even the best speakers can have problems when using a brand of microphone they’ve never used before.

6) Is the inspirational speaker easily available to talk to on the phone? A good motivational speaker with meaningful content will be able to tell you exactly how their topic is relevant to you and your  industry.  If they can’t express it clearly on the phone, odds are they can’t do it from the platform.

7)  Consider the technical requirements—the inspirational speaker might look great but require a ton of ‘extras’ that are going to push your budget over the top.  This info should be easily available online as well.

8)  Is the booking process easy? It should be!  Most expert, motivational speakers have a very straightforward agreement and require a 50% deposit to hold a date.  Provided they have all the necessary information, they should be able to email you an agreement within a day of your call.

9)  Remember, good motivational speakers get booked several months to a couple of years in advance. If you want to book a speaker, do it early.  You’ll be much more likely to get the speaker you want on the date you want—and, at today’s rates!