• Connecting Speakers with Audiences™

event planning

Book our speakers now for fall and winter events

Book our speakers now for fall and winter events 2560 1920 I Need A Speaker

Summer is in full swing, and it’s easy to get caught up in outdoor recreation and barbecues. We aren’t rushing you back from vacation, but we do want to remind you that this is the perfect time to book speakers for fall and winter.

Speakers need time to prepare their talks, as well as to customize presentations or plan travel when necessary.

We invite event planners to create a free account on I Need A Speaker (if you haven’t already done so) and contact speakers for your meeting facilitation, panel discussions, classroom guest lectures, keynote presentations, and more.

Whether planning for your vacation or planning for an event, it’s the advance work that makes all the difference.

 

Photo credit: Pexels / Jess Bailey Designs

Event planners: consider your topic and purpose when choosing speakers

Event planners: consider your topic and purpose when choosing speakers 1707 2560 I Need A Speaker

A Twitter user recently posted a message stating “yall my friend’s company held a diversity panel for AAPI Heritage Month and 2 out of the 6 panelists were wHITE MEN. they explicitly said they were on the panel bc theyre married to AAPI women and they bring pErSpEcTiVe, I CANT—”.

Too often, events don’t have the right speakers. They may have good speakers, but not relevant ones.

The takeaway here is to give serious thought to who is best suited for the event. If your event is about diversity, do you have diverse speakers? If your event is about disability, do you have speakers with a disability? If your event is about Black business owners, do you have speakers who are Black business owners?

It’s estimated that 65% of all conference speakers are white men. We don’t mind that white men are on the stage. We just want to make some space for more diverse speakers.

Event planners, we can help! Create your free account on I Need A Speaker and browse our global directory to match the right speaker(s) with your audience(s).

Speakers, join our searchable global directory today for $349 per year so event planners can easily locate you.

 

Photo credit: Pexels

Booking an international speaker? Here’s what you need to know.

Booking an international speaker? Here’s what you need to know. 2560 1696 I Need A Speaker

We are thrilled to welcome international speakers to our directory!

If you’re considering booking someone from another country, keep these tips in mind:

  • Plan around the time difference. A great meeting time in the United States might mean your speaker joins the event at midnight in his or her home country. Choose a time that’s most convenient for everyone in attendance.
  • Realize there may be additional fees for currency exchange, depending on your payment method. Compensate accordingly.
  • Know and maintain cultural practices from the speaker’s home country.
  • Avoid using slang. People who speak a non-native language well may not know current slang terminology from other places.
  • Don’t reference stereotypes about the speaker’s home country. These stereotypes may be hurtful.
  • Use active listening to ensure the proper messages are heard.
  • If you have a bilingual or multilingual presentation, use interpreters as needed.
  • Help your speaker be as comfortable as possible. Ensure that he or she has a clear understanding of the event, the talk, the audience, and your expectations.
  • Enjoy the experience of getting to know someone from another part of the world!

 

Photo credit: Pexels

What do you want to know about public speaking or event planning?

What do you want to know about public speaking or event planning? 2560 1550 I Need A Speaker

I Need A Speaker is here to serve! We want you to have your best possible speaker event or make the stage your happy place.

Help us help you! Tell us what you want to know. E-mail info@ineedaspeaker.com with your questions or comments about

  • event planning
  • how to choose the right speaker for your event
  • engaging with audiences
  • how to get started in speaking
  • what to consider when setting your price
  • building confidence
  • public presentation training

or anything else you’d like to know! We are happy to answer your questions.

Thanks for being part of I Need A Speaker’s international community!

 

Photo credit: Pexels

Fundraising collaboration with Rotary District 7410 underway

Fundraising collaboration with Rotary District 7410 underway 918 310 I Need A Speaker

We’re so happy to be working with Rotary District 7410 (North East Pennsylvania) to increase visibility for the organization, assist with recruiting members, and help raise funds for polio eradication!

Does your group desire greater visibility and fund development for grants, training, scholarship, community outreach, or corporate social responsibility initiatives? Talk to us about a collaboration! Here’s how it works:

  1. Agree to promote I Need A Speaker within your organization.
  2. Members and contacts of your organization join for a special promotional rate of $247* (regular annual fee is $349).
  3. For each person who completes a paid speaker registration with I Need A Speaker using your unique promo code, we’ll give your organization a promotional fee of $50!
  4. Event organizers can search the directory free and contact speakers directly, eliminating costs typically associated with traditional speakers’ bureaus.

There is absolutely no risk! If no one from your group registers, promoting I Need A Speaker won’t cost you a penny. When speakers join using the specific code we provide, everyone benefits! Consider this: if 100 of your members/contacts joined, your organization would net $5,000. If 250 of your members/contacts joined, you would receive a check for $12,500!

E-mail us at info@ineedaspeaker.com for more details. Know someone who would be interested? Pass this along!

Our most-requested topics for speaker events

Our most-requested topics for speaker events 2560 1707 I Need A Speaker

The team at I Need A Speaker is on a mission to connect speakers with audiences to share information and to amplify voices of marginalized groups.

We are proud to work with you to build a directory of credible, engaging speakers and assist event planners with developing events.

Currently, we have users in five countries, and we are excited by the potential to make a positive difference on a global level.

As we move into 2021, our most-requested topics were:

  • diversity and inclusion
  • event planning in a COVID-19 world
  • marketing
  • social media management.

What topics would you like to present or hear about in 2021? E-mail us at info@ineedaspeaker.com to let us know, and we’ll include information about that topic in an upcoming newsletter.

Academics, enhance your faculty activity report with speaker events

Academics, enhance your faculty activity report with speaker events 2560 1708 I Need A Speaker

Higher education faculty are tasked with documenting their teaching, scholarship, and service activities in an annual report.

If you’re in academia, you know that your faculty activity report is instrumental in determining rank and tenure decisions.

One way to enhance your activity report is to book yourself for more speaking events or assist in planning some.

Use our directory to promote yourself, increasing visibility for yourself and your college or university. Or use the I Need A Speaker directory to locate speakers on topics of interest to your audiences.

Zombies are for horror movies

Zombies are for horror movies 1707 2560 I Need A Speaker

What do zombies have to do with public speaking?

A zombie is my nickname for a speech that is resurrected over and over again, without changes. Using a zombie speech is the easiest way to ensure a dull, generic presentation with dated material.

Fight the zombies and bring life into your presentation by reviewing, customizing, and updating each time you speak on that topic. If you don’t, your audience may soon resemble zombies themselves.

Improve panel discussions with one advance step

Improve panel discussions with one advance step 2000 1333 I Need A Speaker

If you’re invited to be part of a panel discussion, take the time to coordinate with other speakers before the event.

Make a quick call or drop an e-mail to introduce yourself  and share your talking points. By doing so, you can coordinate your message and avoid redundancy.

This one step will impress your event planner, who wants to deliver the best possible product, and it will create a better audience experience.

Develop rapport and improve your presentation with this easy tactic

Develop rapport and improve your presentation with this easy tactic 2560 1707 I Need A Speaker

Good speakers will tell you that it’s important to know your audience. Great speakers will collect information prior to their speech, then use those details to shape their remarks.

How can you do that? Ask permission to reach out to a few audience members prior to the meeting, conference, or webinar. Prepare two or three questions that you can ask, collecting specific responses that are relevant to your subject matter.

Let me give you an example. Say you’ll be speaking to an audience about consumer behavior. Drop an e-mail to some attendees before you’ve finalized your remarks, and ask questions that can help you customize your presentation. You might want to ask about their most recent purchase or ask how they select from various brands.

When completing your remarks, include specific answers, which you can reference by saying things like, “One audience member reported that …” or “Based on what you’ve told me …”.

There are so many benefits to using this easy tactic. You’ll engage the audience immediately. You’ll delight the event planner for delivering such a customized, thoughtful presentation. And you’ll create a more memorable experience for everyone.

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