Looking for a Speaker? Look for Website Video
Posted by Catie Foertsch on Mon, Feb 22, 2010 @ 11:20 AM
Recently, I had a conversation with a friend who's involved in running a regional professional organization. His organization hired a speaker based on that speaker's impressive-looking website, testimonial text quotes, and lengthy list of organizations to which he'd presented. Sounds like a good vetting practice - except that the reason this organization was looking for a speaker was not because he had spoken to other organizations, or because those organizations liked him, or because he had a great-looking website.
All they wanted was an excellent speaker. Unfortunately, said my friend, "You cannot believe how bad he was."
So how is an organization supposed to know if a speaker will be as good as he or she promises? Take a look at this video, of sales expert Peter Dennis of PMD Sales Training and Consulting. If you were looking to hire someone to speak about sales to your organization, Peter's video would give you very good idea of what you'd get if you brought him in.
The speaker's website will help you understand if his or her material is what you're looking for. But that's not enough information. You also need to see the person in action, so you can tell if the presentation is dynamic or a snore, and if the tone is appropriate for your organization. Video allows you to see exactly what you're buying before you buy it. Without video, you're taking a risk that all your assumptions about the speaker may very well be nothing more than marketing hype.
So - if you're looking to book a speaker, look for video on your candidates' websites, and hire only after you've seen what you're buying.
If you're a speaker or presenter, videotape your next presentation and place some good, representative clips on your website. (And make them very easy to find.) Those clips will help you book engagements with groups that are a good match for what you do. Your audiences will be more enthusiastic and receptive, and you'll avoid unhappy audiences who thought they were getting something else.