Finding the right speaker for your business engagement is perhaps one of the most important things you can do to pull off a successful meeting. Having a speaker that "connects" with your audience can motivate attendants and make them feel like their time was well spent. On the other hand, you might be consumed with other tasks in preparing for your meeting, such as purchasing advertising merchandise, and planning the agenda or schedule of events for the business engagement.

1. Know Your Audience

You need to consider the type of audience you're catering to at every point of the planning process. You'll consider your audience for the types of advertising merchandise you offer, but also for the type of speaker you hire as well. Ask yourself how many men and women will be at your meeting. Decide on the takeaways you want your audience to get. You might even compare the remarks or themes of past speakers to help you find someone similar.

2. Set the Details

If you have a wide selection of speakers to choose from, you can narrow down your choices by setting the details of your business meeting. For example, setting the exact date and time naturally filters out speakers who aren't available on those times. You also need to consider your budget and how much you're willing to pay.

3. Research the Speaker

When researching a speaker, you need to keep in mind that the most well-known individuals and those with the highest fees are not always the best match, especially if you'll need to keep part of your budget for advertising merchandise and other expenses. When researching the speaker, you should read others' experiences and even request a preview DVD where you can see him or her actively engaging a live audience.

4. Finding Resources

There are several ways you can go about tracking down a speaker. You can contact the speaker directly if you have his or her contact information. Other options include contacting speaker bureaus and agencies. These organizations are designed to match your needs with available speakers who have the same strengths and speak on the same topics as you're looking for. However, speaker agencies and bureaus often charge high fees.

5. Hire the Speaker

Once you have found the right person, you'll want to present an offer. Some speakers may lower speaking fees if they're performing multiple programs for your organization. However, you need to keep in mind that paying your speaker’s fees involves not only the speaking part, but also for the speaker's time to research, prepare and customize the presentation for your meeting.

6. Sign an Agreement

You need to get your agreement with the speaker in writing. This agreement or contract should clearly outline the speaker's responsibilities and the fees you'll pay him. Also, any other issues should be spelled out, such as travel expenses, etc.

7. Keep the Speaker Updated

After you officially hire the speaker, you need to keep him or her in the loop so everything goes according to plan. You need to stay in contact both before and after the meeting, especially to let the speaker know if he or she was a hit with your group.

Narrowing down which speaker you'll choose is the most important step to take, among the other tasks you need to get accomplished. After you hire the speaker, though, you should have smooth sailing as long as you stay in touch with the speaker and keep everyone abreast of the timeline of events. Make sure to also communicate the successes of the meeting afterwards.