How to get the most out of your speaker investment

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In a perfect world, you would have an unlimited budget to hire top speakers for your next meeting or convention. Since it's not, here are some tips on getting the most for your meeting dollar. Let me tell you about a project I worked on with the American Payroll Association that could be a model for you -- or at least expand your thinking about ways to use speakers.


APA's Executive Director/CEO, Dan Maddux had a week of speaking and seminar slots to fill. Instead of assigning each slot to a different speaker, Dan chose to maximize the contribution of a few top people, using three of them in three different ways. That's how Dan made 1 + 1 + 1 = 9. Three speakers used three ways equals nine slots filled. Here's how such a move can save your organization and money and let you "trade up" to speakers you otherwise couldn't afford.


Save on Hotels and Airfare

Cutting the number of speakers might or might not reduce the total nights lodging needed, depending on your schedule. However, you'll definitely save on transportation -- for instance, three round-trips versus nine.


Speakers May Reduce Fee

I can't promise you that all speakers will do extra presentations for the same rates -- they won't. But the speaker you hired last year might have been more flexible if you had only thought to ask, "After your keynote, could you do a breakout session?" Or," Could you emcee?" "Could you moderate a panel?" Even, "Our chairman is a bit nervous. Could you coach him on speaking?"


Speakers may give you a better price for three consecutive days at one hotel, rather than three separate dates months apart.


For example, for the Florida Realtors Association, I asked, "After my luncheon speech, would you like me to do a seminar on speaking skills?" They said, "Well, the agenda is already slotted in, but we'd love it if you would emcee our Top Producers' panel, the first breakout session after lunch."


For the California Interment Association, I was scheduled to present a two-hour seminar after lunch. I said, "What else is going on? Would you like to me to do a spouse program?" They said, "We've never had one, but we've invited spouses for a breakfast get-together." I added a 45-minute program that same morning. The only difference to me was that I had to go to the hotel a few hours earlier. Like most speakers, I want my clients to know I am there to serve them, not to pick up my speaking fee and run.


It's Easier to Get Sponsors

Trading up to big-name (or bigger-name) speakers makes it easier for you to get sponsors. Whenever people say, "We can't afford you," I always ask, "Do you have sponsors to help pay for your event?"


Who would sponsor your event? Consider approaching the exhibitors at your conventions, or whoever sells to your members or who wants good PR with the people in the audience. List these "angels" prominently in the program. I always make a point of giving sponsors a good plug in my presentations. For example, after my opening story for the American Cemetery Association, I quoted the founder of my corporate sponsor, Service Corporation International. Then I gave examples to reinforce my points by reading from their newsletters, and my walk away line incorporated their name. I always let sponsor know, "Don't worry, they won't have any doubt who paid for me," and make a joke about it in my speech.


Three Invaluable Bonuses

Having speakers on hand throughout your event gives you far greater flexibility in scheduling. Continuity can establish a powerful connection between audience and speaker, getting your message across in a way that a wide variety of speakers couldn't. Dan Maddux says, "We found that when we triple-booked those speakers, they become even more popular, really getting to know our people who always want them to stay around longer." Continuity, during an event or from year to year, means your speakers are able to notice and volunteer to help your organization in special ways you may not have thought of.


How It Works

Recently, 1,674 members of the American Payroll Association attended its Sixteenth Annual Congress in Nashville. Dan chose as keynote speakers Art Linkletter, Susan RoAne, Willy Jolley, Al Walker, and me, Patricia Fripp. He had little trouble getting sponsorship to help pay for these keynoters because of the success of his past conferences.


The Congress was scheduled to start on a Monday. Dan came up with the idea of offering an extra pre-Congress program on Sunday, "For Women Only." This isn't as sexist as it may sound because seventy-five percent of APA's membership is women. Dan figured that many could take advantage of cheaper Saturday night airline tickets, saving their company's money, so they might be open to an extra day of education and fun.


He called this extra program "Women on the Ladder to Success: Career Strategies for the Millennium," and used six presenters. Three were from within the Association and industry, including the current president. Three were professional speakers who were also scheduled to speak during the main Congress. Each of the professionals gave two talks at this separate Sunday session. I did "Women in the Workplace, the Evolution of Career women" and "Are You a Wonder Woman or Superman in Payroll?" (In a custom-made Wonder Woman costume I had made 20 years ago. The fact I can still wear it deserves applause!) Susan RoAne spoke on "Taking Charge of Your Accomplishments" and "Women Who Make Things Happen: Traits of the Savvy and Successful." Diane Parente's programs were "Your Passport to Image Credibility" and "Looking Your Professional Best Without Spending a Fortune."


Then, at the kick-off Monday session for the full membership, Susan was the keynote speaker with "Schmooze or Loose: How to Gain the Verbal Edge." She also presented a program for the vendors, "How to Make the Most of the Trade Show." Diane Parente delivered a breakout session on "Image, a Powerful Tool," and gave Dan's Board of Directors one-on-one consultation as a bonus. (17 in all.) I delivered the Congress's keynote speech, "Insights into Excellence," presented a marketing seminar for the vendors, "How to Nurture Relationships Once You Leave the Trade Show," and, as a break-out, conducted a workshop on "How to Sell Yourself and Your Ideas."


Having booked the Sunday before the conference, Maddux thought of a way to use his talent pool for a Speakers' School on Saturday. Last year this program had been a success, but with a smaller audience of their speakers who talk on tax law changes, it had not justified a hiring a keynote caliber presenter to teach it.


As I was already going to be there for several days I was excited at the prospect. I suggested we invite his association members scheduled to give programs during the congress. He also invite the APA leadership from the State chapters who have to speak at their meetings and get no formal public speaking training. As far as I am concerned the more the merrier. I charge the same whether my audience is five or 5,000. After the session I helped the President and Woman of the Year totally rewrite their talks. They have now requested I train them at least 3 months before next yearнs convention.


Synergy Makes Good Sense

Dan says "Using proven professionals in several slots so they develop a rapport with the audience is a better investment than bringing in a different speaker for each slot. In our case, two of the speakers, Diane and Patricia, had been so successful as keynoters the previous year that the audience was looking forward to seeing them again. This gave us the advantage of repeat role models, because our presidents turn over every year. The added fact that Patricia, Diane, and Susan had worked together before, and are best friends, gave us even more bang for our buck. We could never have put a dollar value on that kind of synergy.


"I need my speakers to deliver a message and be powerful role models. Patricia, Diane, and Susan are all self-made women over fifty, looking good, feeling good, and they've built their careers themselves. This is an important message for our Association audience."


More Bang for Your Buck

Dan Maddux was able to negotiate with his speakers for a lot of extras. Many professionals figure that, as long as they are there anyway and being well paid, their time belongs to the client. Therefore, they are happy to take on extra tasks.


The next time you are planning to hire a speaker, consider using him or her in multiple ways. It doesn't hurt to ask if the speaker would be willing to:

• Deliver one or two "breakout sessions" or a spouse program along with the keynote at the same half-day fee.


• Introduce other speakers.


• Emcee the event that they are part of.


• Help association Presidents of Board of Directors with their own presentations, either in advance or while the speaker is there.


• Say a prayer at a meal.


• Moderate a panel.


• Sign autographs.


• Appear in the sponsor's booth to make their sponsorship more of an investment.

Like most of my comrades in The National Speakers Association, I want to be memorable and to give full value for your meeting dollars. For the Hamilton Bank in Philadelphia, I even leaped out of a spaceship, wearing a Wonder Woman costume. (Getting into the spaceship was a little more complicated, but that's another story.)

Public speaking tips

Any public speaking involves delivering information to people who are, in one way or another, waiting to get some information. This is a key reason why you should pay careful attention as you prepare to make you speech and as you plan to meet your audience.

Some people are naturals at public speaking and getting to audiences, you may think of politicians or a good college professor you took some classes with, the fact of the matter is most people are not good at making speeches and the vast majority of people are terrified of delivering a speech. This should not discourage you in any way, since many experts have studied this and worked hard for you to deal with these problems in speech making.

If you are at a point that you are going to deliver a speech, you probably got to a stage in your life your thoughts are worth something to other people, this means that in principle, people want to get into your head and they appreciate your talent or skill in some particular field, the people that will listen to you have something to learn from you. But you are not thinking of these people, are you? You are thinking of the few people that probably know more than you and will be in the crowd. This is a big mistake, first because you should think of the person that will profit from your knowledge and get to him, and secondly because you have something in you that will benefit even the ones that you fear.

The key to all this is simple, its preparation, it’s the most basic, banal and trivial thing, but it is the base of any success in any field. Lets think about speech making preparation.

First think about your audience, who is the average person coming to your speech, what does he know, what does he need to know, what will inspire him and make him listen carefully to what you have to say, and how will you get him to appreciate your speech. It is not that difficult, its actually good to start at this point, remember – people want to know what you are thinking, you just need to keep them interested, and I am sure you got interesting thoughts.

Rehearse, this seems clear to me, practice the speech again, and again, and again. Obviously I know that you don’t have all the time in the world to perfect it, but, there is a value to this, timing your speech, and pre setting spots in which you know you need to change your tone, your speed and rhythm, will make you a better speaker and a better speech planner. So rehearse your speech and listen to yourself while doing it. Start strong, confident, talk about things you know no one can beat you or undermine you, let the confidence and the experience shine through, people feel that, and if you do this right, you will own your audience.

Think about your entrance and the first 3 minutes of the speech, pay attention to the way you walk in, project confidence and calm, do not rush into anything, even if you are late or under a tight schedule do everything slowly and thoughtfully, show the room that you are entering your speech zone and that no one is allowed in, they can sit and wait for a few seconds (which seem like hours) – its only a few seconds. Make sure you got the attention of the crowd, and start strong. Pick the words of your opening carefully, and trust yourself.

In the next article I will review more of the speech making basics. Good luck.

The long and winding road to machu picchu

Have you ever wanted to do something crazy?

Have you ever wanted to walk on the wild side?

Have you ever wanted to leave the office environment and never return?

Driving up to Manchester one autumn's evening in 1995, I decided something had to change.

The three hour journey from Leicester had turned into a six hour marathon, again.

It was cold, damp and desolate stuck in the endless lines of slow moving cars.

In my briefcase sat an unsigned and rather overly negotiated contract extension for my job in Leicester. When I finally arrived in Manchester at 11pm, bored, hungry and miserable - I knew that I could not face another winter of living and working out of a suitcase. It was time for serious change.

The week before, I had been stuck on a train for hours heading down to London.

The woman sat opposite me had left her travel magazine on the seat when she alighted at Luton. I had read my newspaper back to front and on the second time of reading, I found nothing new.

I reached over and killed a little time by flicking through the glossy magazine, but each time I thumbed the pages, my eyes returned to page 34 which advertised a five month trip to South and Central America. Setting off from Ushuaia in Argentina (the most southerly City in the world) and finishing in Mexico City. The itinerary read like a Who's Who of top travel destinations.

Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Punta Arenas, Pucon (Mount Villarica - 10,000 feet active volcano), Bariloche, Esquel, the Argentine lake district, Santiago, Valparaiso, La Serena, the Atacama desert, Arica, Nazca, Arequipa, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, La Paz, Manaus, Angel Falls and so on...

Do you get the picture?

Travelling on a converted truck and free camping, the lucky adventurers would experience the full range of South and Central America's charms. Having never been camping before and with my thirty-fifth birthday celebrations still ringing in my ears, I suddenly realised that I was confronted by a serendipitous 'once in a lifetime' opportunity. Would I break the mould of my boring office life or step out bravely into an adventurer's world?

I was single, no obligations and I had the money. What is the point in having a big bank balance while life was passing me by?

The following Monday morning, I handed my notice in. Contract discussions had been delayed and I had only ten working days to endure. It seemed like forever before I was released from that working purgatory.

Once the deed was done, I was walking on air. Skipping down the corridor and whistling 'El condor Pasa' - I never whistle…

It was a euphoric experience - the weight of meetings, ironing work shirts and driving those endless miles up and down he M1 had dissipated into nothingness. Top priority on this project manager's list was buying outdoor gear, expensive sleeping bags, boots and all weather jackets.

And there was one place, one destination that I was focussed on - Machu Picchu in Peru - I had read so much about it and I knew that it would be the highlight of my journey…

If you want to find out exactly how my crazy decision turned out… then click on the link and follow my path on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.