How to Be a Great Guest Speaker

This is the Public Speaker, quick and dirty tips for improving your communications skills with your host Lisa B. Marshall.

This past week Barbara Nixon, she asked me to comment on her recent blog post it was titled, 14 Ways to NOT Suck as a Guest Speaker, so as you can guest there were tips about being a great guest speaket, Barbara is a communication teacher at Georgia Southern University and Southeastern University. I found it difficult, very difficult, to just provide a short comments to her, in fact, she inspired me to write a whole lot more. So, with Barbara's help, (and her permission of course ) today's article is the first part of a three-part series about how to be a great guest speaker. But first, this episode of Public Speaker is sponsored by GoToMeeting, you can save time and money by hosting meetings online. GoToMeeting is the easiest most secure way to hold an online meeting. Everyone attending simply logs on GoToMeeting.com and then they can see whatever is on your desktop on their computer screen. You can walk people throught power point deck or a product demostrations. The service also includes phones and voice over IP conferencing and the Public Speaker listeners can try GoToMeeting free for 45 days, that's more than $50 in savings, by going to GoToMeeting.com/podcast and signing up for a free trail. Again visit GoToMeeting.com/podcast and sign up for a free trail.

When you've been invited to be a guest speaker for an organization's luncheon or other meeting, you don't want to be that speaker. And it can be terribly easy to be that speaker: You know, the high-maintenance one, or worse, the boring or irrelevant one.

By the way, usually a guest speaker is not closely connected with the event or the organizers. Generally, guest speakers add to the event by sharing an outside perspective, they also can give support, or sometimes they provide entertainment (or all three)! The key to being a successful guest speaker is to deliver a message that resonates with the audience AND be easy to work with.

In this three part series I'll cover 17 quick and dirty tips to help you be an enjoyable, memorable, and easy-to-work-with guest speaker. A guest speaker's success is often based on how closely their message matches the event. So it's critical for you to learn as much as you can about your audience before you speak. It's perhaps is the most important step, yet many times it's overlooked. If you skip this step you're  guaranteed to be that speaker  (the boring irrelevant one).! And by the way that's why I wrote the other article about how to do an effective audience analysis. It's best to talk directly to a few audience members ahead of time --don't rely on one person or your contact only. You need to gain the perspective of several people so that you can understand exactly what it is that they want to hear from you. You want to be able to know, what it is what they want to know, what they want to say, or do differently as a result of hearing you speak. (People usually don't agree exactly as to what they want to gain from a presentation.) and that's why you need to talk to a few people, Your goal is to meet the needs of a majority of your audience. Don't assume, don't guess. Even if you think you already know the answer, just ask. Even if you don't have a lot of time, you can still learn a lot just before or during the event. If possible, always attend a meal with the participants. Listen more than you talk. If there is no meal, then be sure to arrive so early that you can to talk directly to people as they arrive. When you present, make sure to weave in examples you know are relevant to this group. Audience members will definitely appreciate that you've made the talk specific to them. Next, from your contact try to find out what the normals for their speaking engagements. Will the audience members expect handouts or access to the slides? or they will be tweeting during your presentation? How much time to they want you to speak? How interactive do they want the presentation? Is there usually Q&A; session? What's the best way for you to share your contact information and bio with every audience member? Find out who and what was presented in the past. Find out what has worked and what hasn't. Ask what would be considered an ideal outcome. Ask about the room set up and if necessary, request a set up that works you, that works best for you and your topic. Don't assume anything. Again you need to Ask.

Send an email CONFIRMING all the final details: your time slot, the amount of interactivity, parking lot, building, room, floor, start time, end time. Everything, in writing, because it prevents problems.

The next step is to let your contact know what your A/V needs are, and do that in as far in advance as possible, and request only what you think is necessary. Definetely you want to avoid last minute surprises, because often they can't be accommodated--and more importantly they turn you into that speaker. Always use a microphone. Request a wireless microphone as your first choice; that way you won't be tied to lectern and it will save your voice. (Just be aware that a wireless microphone is not always available.) If you need an Internet connection, request a direct connection, because the connection speed is generally faster than a wireless connection. Finally, bring your own slide advancer. I recommend one with the vibrating timer. That way you will be comfortable advancing the slides and you'll have an external reminder of when you need to wrap up. I like to be re-confirm the A/V the day before. If possible, I prefer to communicate directly with the A/V person--especially if you have requested anything unusual in your set up; because many times special requests do not get communicated properly, but can be accommodated if given proper advance notice.

Next allow extra time in travel to arrive at the meeting location, especially if you have never been there before. Some things to keep in mind: Is there construction along your route? When is rush hour and how much more time will it likely add to your trip? Do you know how to get in and out of the parking lot? How far is it from the exterior doors to your meeting room? Never trust your GPS 100% to get you to a new location. Oh, and try to pick a flight that has at least one more flight after the one you're booked on. We'll pick up from here in the next installment. However, in the meantime, I started a discussion on the Facebook Fan Page. I'd love to hear your tips for being an effective guest speaker. If you add something I don't already have in the final 12 tips, I'll add your tip to the upcoming articles (and of course, I'll giving you credit)! This is The Public Speaker, Lisa B. Marshall. Passionate about communication, your success is my business.

This podcast edition of this tip was sponsored by Go To Meeting. Save time and money by hosting your meetings online. Visit GoToMeeting.com/podcast and sign up for a free 45 day trial of their web conferencing solution.

If you have a question about how to communicate better at work, leave a voicemail at 206-350-7970. Or email publicspeaker@quickanddirtytips.com. Sign up for Lisa news letter or get information about speeches or workshops by visiting lisabmarshall.com. You can find the transcript of this show and links to connect with Lisa at publicspeaker@quickanddirtytips.com