Organizing meetings to keep them on track, informative and short is a tough job. Having a guest speaker at your meetings can help with the informative part. It can also help keep members interested and help your attendance. Of course, if you don’t get the right speakers, it can also hurt your attendance. Some have a tendency to run long and might not stay on track. Here are some ideas that may help you in choosing your guest speakers, and keeping them on track.
Step 1 — Understand needs. You must have a good understanding of where your organization is going, and more importantly, where you want it to go. If your association is looking to branch out, move up to a higher level or stay where you are, you need to know that before looking for speakers. The chances of getting a good speaker increases with your understanding.
Step 2 — Collect data. Check with the other officers in your organization. Find out where they think the organization is going. Ask them what the current “hot” topics within your group are, and find out from them what areas they think are the most important areas to correct or upgrade. You can also find out what areas are important to the general membership by listening to their questions and concerns during your organization’s meetings.
Step 3 — Do your homework. Find out which guest speakers other organizations in your area have used. Learn from them which speakers have the right experience, knowledge and presentation for your purposes. Just because other organizations may not have liked the speaker, that doesn’t mean the speaker won’t be a fit for your group. The other organization may have wanted the speaker for different purposes than you. Remember, there is no reason to re-invent the wheel. Use as much information as possible from other sources. Find people who may have retired from your organization or those that left your organization because they moved up. Those people could be excellent speakers and have the necessary experience and knowledge that could help other members possibly move up as well.
Step 4 — Planning and follow up are very critical to getting the right speaker at the right time. If the speaker you choose is as valuable as you hope they are, it is very important to plan well in advance. Give the speaker as much notice as you can. That will give the speaker time to make sure the calendar is free and engagement can be met. Then make every effort to have your entire organization attend that meeting. Nothing is more embarrassing then getting your speaker and having a much smaller group than you were expecting. Follow up with the speaker once you have agreed to a date. That will ensure the speaker shows up. Keeping contact with the individual by phone or email should be adequate to ensure you aren’t embarrassed in front of your organization by the speaker showing up late or not at all.
Step 5 — Take a chance. Sometimes there just isn’t enough information on a particular speaker. The speaker may be relatively new to your area and may give you every indication he or she would be good for the organization. Sometimes you have to say, “What the heck?” A brief interview or visit with the speaker may help give you the necessary impression to make your decision.
Step 6 — Evaluate the past. If you or your board members have been arranging guest speakers in the past and have been doing a good job, trust your instincts and continue with what you have done. If your choices have not been as effective as you would like them to be, evaluate what you have done and make the necessary changes to correct and improve.
Step 7 — Analyze. Find out from your board and general members what they thought of the guest speaker. Ask them specifics like currency of topic, knowledge of subject and delivery of topic. Find out if the speaker held their attention, if the speaker was too long-winded or too short. Get their opinions on whether or not they liked the idea of having a guest speaker versus someone in the organization. Remember what the main objectives of having a guest speaker are and determine if the speaker met most or all of the objectives.
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