I have just returned from my first big conference of the year in which a guest speaker was used, I have heard this speaker a few times before so knew he was going to work with this audience and really benefit them.
Having been to many events where there have been guest speakers I have seen the full range of audience responses to a guest speaker. Some can lift an audience to new heights of motivation and set them up for the rest of the day or week; others can completely miss the point of the event and send the audience off into never never land.
On the whole I like guest speakers, I think there are real benefits to using them, but get it wrong with a guest speaker it can have a serious impact on the audience for the remainder of the conference or even worse be the their lasting impression of the event.
Having a motivational talk can really help your employees, especially in these tough times. They can really boost the morale and create an overall feeling of job satisfaction. The one thing that I find all motivational speakers have is a positive outlook; they always look on the bright side of life and show you the silver lining. Even when the most awful or calamitous situations befall them – motivational speakers have an ability to show that by overcoming these obstacles it’s possible to make it through anything. A good motivational speaker will always be a phenomenal story teller.
Guest speakers can work for several reasons, firstly they provide variety. Conferences can be lengthy occasions at the best of times and delegates easily become jaded with reliving the past year. A guest speaker provides a revitalizing change of scenery and subject. A guest speaker shouldn’t be used simply to fill; their message and delivery should always be relevant to your overall theme.
A guest speaker can deliver a wealth of information and education your delegates may not find within their daily working lives. You can be confident they will provide an expert opinion on their topic. Their expertise is power, they will be 100% clear on their subject matter and the audience will trust without hesitation the information they receive. This trust enables and promotes discussion within the workforce long after your delegates have returned to work.
In summary I think if you’ve got a great theme for your conference, a guest speaker that represents this theme and will support it with knowledge, stories and charisma will be a real benefit to your audience and will leave them with a lasting impression of the event that they will take forward into the next year.
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