The United States motivational speaking industry was worth $1.9 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow to $2.3 billion by 2025.
Humans constantly have the need to feel uplifted and get motivated, no matter what area of life it concerns. This shows how important motivational speakers are, also demonstrating why the market will continue to grow with no end in sight.
If you are looking to hire a motivational speaker for an event, you’re in good company. It’s one of the best things you can do for employees or clients, but there are some tips you should learn first.
Read on to find out more.
Table of Contents
1. Set Clear Goals
When choosing a motivational speaker for your event, you’ll first need to determine what your goals are, and what you want to accomplish.
Figure out what you want your attendees to walk away with.
Should they feel inspired to achieve their business goals? Or, should they feel motivated to take control of their life in general?
Different types of speakers provide different types of experiences. Once you set your goals, you’ll have a much clearer path forward.
2. Keep Your Target Audience in Mind
When hiring a speaker, you want to choose someone that your audience will want to see. It should make sense for who they are, and what they came for.
Those looking to make a great change in their personal life probably won’t want to see someone discussing business. However, topics of motivational speaking can intersect.
For example, if you are hosting an event all about changing your personal life, you may hire a personal finance speaker to help those take control of their money.
However, you may also hire a personal finance speaker if you are hosting an event that surrounds business or economics.
It’s up to you to determine what your audience wants to see. Put yourself in their shoes. If the speaker adds value to the topic that everyone came for, then they may be the right fit, even if they aren’t the most obvious one.
3. Consider Your Budget
It’s wise to set your budget for your motivational speaking event at the very beginning of the planning process. This will help you to figure out exactly who is in your price range, so you don’t waste time researching pricier speakers.
Of course, the more popular a speaker is, and the more in demand, the higher they will cost. This doesn’t necessarily mean the best ones cost the most, though.
You can find speakers that are still up-and-coming that make a significant impact on their audience. Doing some research on social media is a great way to go.
This way, you can find those that have a few thousand followers, fit in your budget, and will still create a successful event for you.
4. Ask for Recommendations
Because the motivational speaker can quite literally make or break your event, it’s essential that you find one you can trust.
After all, they have to be knowledgeable, entertaining, inspiring, motivating, and engaging.
If you want to ensure you tick every last box, ask for recommendations from your colleagues, friends, or party planners that you trust. If they’ve already had an amazing experience with a speaker, you can leave out the guesswork and already know that you secured someone that will deliver.
You can also browse through your industry’s top speakers, which will also give you this peace of mind. However, these tend to be a bit more expensive, so make sure to consider that while on your search for recommendations.
5. Look at Their Past Work
Researching a speaker’s past work can tell you all you need to know about them. First, browse their website and see what events they feature.
You can then research those events and see what was written about them, or if there are video clips you can watch. If they have written publications in magazines or have published books, it’s a good idea to read through those too.
This will show you exactly how much they know about the particular topic, and you will get a preview of what they would present at your event.
6. Determine the Flow of the Event
Through the course of the event or conference, the energy will fluctuate. This is inevitable and requires an understanding of the flow of the event.
There are generally three key slots for speakers: the opening speaker, the after-lunch speaker, and the closing speaker. Determining what slot you’re hiring for will greatly impact what you’re looking for.
The opening speaker is there to kick off the event, showing everyone the big picture, and setting the tone for the day. This speaker has to have good energy to wake everyone up and get them feeling inspired for the rest of the event.
The after-lunch speaker has the toughest slot, as they must have excessive amounts of energy to keep everyone awake post-meal. However, this person also has the most flexibility for the content that they present.
The closing speaker generally recaps what everyone learned throughout the event, going over the main points and honing in on the specific goals for the event. They must have stricter guidelines to follow for what they say, and be able to provide a big impact for everyone to remember when they leave the event.
Finding the Right Motivational Speaker Is Easy With This Guide
It can be tough to find the perfect motivational speaker for an event. You want to bring someone in that will get everyone excited and ready to conquer whatever goals you set.
There also needs to be a certain level of trust, after all, there’s nothing worse than bringing in a boring speaker for a work event.
Avoid making this mistake, and use this guide along the way. As long as you take your time and do thorough research, you are sure to be successful.
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