Why Speech Isn’t Always Free

by Chris Clarke-Epstein
Professional Member

So, you need a speaker. It’s not a big meeting. In fact, you only need someone for 45 minutes and they could do their regular stuff – not much preparation needed. In fact, people in the audience are likely to be looking for speakers in the future. A showcase, that’s what it would be. Any speaker would jump at the chance for exposure like this. Finding a speaker should be a quick on/off your to-do list.

You go to the NSA WI website, pick a few names and start calling. After an engaging conversation, it hits you. This speaker is reluctant to say yes to this wonderful opportunity. Maybe you haven’t explained the situation well. You’ll do better on the next call – really stress the preview opportunity. You dial and it happens again. What’s the matter, you think? I thought speakers wanted to speak. Maybe the following four insights will help you understand what’s happening from the speaker’s point of view.

Exposure at a free presentation tends to lead to opportunities to give more free speeches. When participants discover that the speaker agreed to speak at your meeting without a fee, there is an expectation that they’ll be willing to do the same for their group.

Like Doctors, Lawyers, and Accountants, Speakers sell their expertise by blocks of time on their calendar. When they agree to do a presentation for you, they have eliminated that time from their inventory and can’t do any other revenue producing activities. When they say yes to you they’re putting themselves in the position of having to say no to someone else who may be looking for their expertise and is willing to pay for it.

Free presentations take the same amount of preparation as paid presentations. As professionals, most NSA members don’t differentiate the kind of homework they do before a speech. For each presentation they need to learn about the audience and their particular challenges and then integrate this information into their speech.

Think of your request as asking for a donation. Just as you might build a business case when you ask a hotel to donate a portion of your meeting costs, consider asking the speaker to donate their speech to your group. If you can explain why this would be a meaningful donation from the speaker’s point of view, you’ll be doing two things. First, you’re telling the speaker that you understand they’re running a business and that you’re aware of what you’re really asking. Second, you’re recognizing that the food for thought provided by the speaker is as valuable, if not more valuable than the meal, for the people attending your meeting.

Speakers love to speak and are often willing to help out meeting planners who finds themselves budget challenged. Don’t be reluctant to call one of us with your request. Just keep in mind that the unspoken dialogue going on in our heads might be different than the one in yours!

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Copyright © 2007 Chris Clarke-Epstein
Chris Clarke-Epstein, CSP is a speaker, consultant, and author who challenges leaders who want to lead more than they manage and coaches teams who want to have fun while they’re learning to be more effective. Learn more about Chris at www.ChrisClarke-Epstein.com or contact her at Chris@ChrisClarke-Epstein.com.