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Find the Right Motivational Speaker or Entertainer for Your Event

funny motivational speaker

Entertainment plays a huge part in the success of your event. What is the best entertainment style for your event? 

On his podcast, The Savvy Event Planner, Tom Crowl talks about how to hire the right motivational speaker or entertainer.

Tom talks about how a lousy show can kill everything you have done to make a meeting a success. A really bad guest speaker will leave a bad impression and potentially cause attrition at future events.

One of the best ways to understand what kind of entertainment or speaker your guest would like is to send out a survey. Using tools like Survey Monkey, you can better understand what audiences want to learn and how they want to be entertained.

Having feedback on what your audience wants will set you in the right direction to create an event that matters

Tom reminds us that there is a lot of sub-variety within a field. For instance, if you are hiring a stand-up comedian, there are comedians who use a lot of more vulgar humor( caution here) and some who only use clean comedy, some are Impersonators, ventriloquists, magicians, jugglers, dueling pianos and more. Thus, get a good idea of what type of speaker or entertainer you are looking for to efficiently narrow down your search.


Consider your space. If you have a small space, some acts that require a lot of equipment will naturally not fit.

How to Hire a Motivational Speaker or Entertainer:


Search Google. This is a great way to start your search for a motivational speaker. You will be instantly overwhelmed by your options but remember a larger percentage of them will not be a good fit for your goals and audience. Pick out a few you like and dig deeper into their website and content. Do they have a blog? Make sure they like to keep their content current.

Use a Speakers Bureau. Bureaus charge a commision to the speaker and they have lots of options to chose from. 


Should you hire a female motivational speakers?

Use a Listing Site. Sites like GigMaster, for a fee, will list different speaker and entertainers. None are guaranteed to work for your audience but they are a starting point.

Ask for references from others. Consider calling meeting planners from similar events and find out who they have successfully hired.

Once you narrow down a couple of options, consider, does this person look right for your audience? Will they be right for your event?

Remember the price does not matter if the person does not fit your event. Check out their speaking style,  and assess how it would fit with your group. Also, assess the style and professionalism of their website. A dull website could mean a dull presentation. 

Look at the kinds of events they have performed at in the past.

Ask for references and make sure to check them. Ask the reference what the speaker's core message was and how they went over with the audience.

Look at videos. Insist on videos that aren't just full of testimonials but show actual speaking skill, style, and content. 

Next, talk to the speaker or entertainer. The speaker should ask questions about your audience, the venue, and your goals. Ask them about how their message or presentation fits with your theme or audience.


Make sure the speaker will take the time to get to know the audience. An event is about the guests, so the speaker needs to get to know the audience.


Find out the speaker fees. Does it include travel and expenses?

Once you determine what motivational speaker you want to hire, have them send you a contract. A good article on creating an inspirational speakers contract is here

After an event, do a post-event survey to solicit feedback on the presentation and ask for suggestion to Hire Next Years Motivational Speaker.

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