Speakers are our best friends and our worst nightmares. They are a crucial part of events, but there is very little guidance for best practices.
They can make or break an event. Sometimes a speaker that comes highly recommended ends up being a disaster, and we’re stuck trying to salvage the experience in real-time. My personal pet peeves? Speakers who read their slides, cram them with text, go over time, and ramble without a clear point.
For years, I approached speakers all wrong—and I didn’t even know it.
In my first year as Director of Education for ILEA, I was handed a speaker name for an upcoming meeting. When I asked about her background and topic, I learned she’d been chosen because “she was well-liked” and given a topic. During my pre-event call, I discovered she was didn’t feel comfortable with that topic. We worked out a topic that she felt passionate and confident about and went with that.
That’s when it hit me: I’d been doing this backwards my entire career. I was selecting speakers based on personality, then letting them pick topics—instead of identifying what my audience needed to learn and finding the best fit. Being outgoing and pleasant doesn’t guarantee presentation skills, and it certainly doesn’t guarantee expertise.
Of course, I put on my “geek” hat and started to research how to work with speakers; I love the chance to research. Not only was this information valuable for my volunteer responsibilities, it was also valuable on a personal level. My job requires me to talk for 15-20 hours per week, and I was starting to do speaking engagements for industry. The information I found, combined with my experiences, taught me what speakers need from organizers, and what organizers should be asking.
Choosing Speakers: The Questions That Matter
Vet their experience, not their charm. How many presentations have they given? What topics? What size audiences? Ask about the types of events (corporate conferences versus association meetings feel very different) and formats they’ve handled—keynotes, breakouts, panels, workshops.
Understand their style before they take the stage. Do they lecture or facilitate discussion? Are they interactive, and get examples of this? Do they prefer questions throughout or hold them until the end? Do they sit, stand behind a podium, or roam the room? These aren’t trivial details—they determine whether your speaker matches your event’s energy and your audience’s expectations.
Get specific about technical needs early. Can they use a handheld or lavalier mic? What presentation platform do they use—PowerPoint, Canva? Do they have embedded video or audio? Are they bringing their own laptop? Do they need a clicker? What’s their preferred room setup? I learned this the hard way (more on that later).
Preparing Speakers: Setting Them Up for Success
The best speakers in the world will underperform if you don’t give them context. Here’s what they need to know:
Your audience. Share demographics, experience levels, and expectations. A room full of seasoned pros needs different content than emerging professionals.
Your event. How many times has this event happened? What’s worked before? What bombed? Where does this session fit in the program, and what’s the exact timing?
Your expectations. Be explicit. When you say “interactive”, do you mean two quick poll questions or full table discussions? Define the key takeaways you need them to cover. Explain if they need to be flexible—can they cut content if the schedule runs long?
The environment. Available technology, room size and setup, whether there’s food and beverage service during their session, parking logistics, room location. These practical details prevent day-of disasters.
My Personal War Stories
I speak primarily about risk management—it’s my jam. So, it’s ironic that I have presentation mishaps. These aren’t just funny stories; they’re examples of what happens when organizers don’t communicate with their speakers.
The Lunch Presentation Disaster
I was invited to give a 90-minute presentation and arrived to find my preferred setup: rounds. Perfect. Except the tables were fully set for lunch—salad course already plated. That’s when I learned lunch would be served during my presentation. This was a problem. My presentation is interactive from the start, with people talking to each other and me. This is very difficult when they have food in their mouths. This is material that I am very familiar with, so I quickly switched to the lecture portion, adding the interactive when the meal was almost over.
Then there was the collision course. I walk when I present—I’m more comfortable moving, it helps me think, gives me a better read of the energy and allows more interaction. This is normally not a problem; however, this was a plated meal, with servers circulating. There were several times we nearly crashed into each.
Organizer Prep – Telling me the session was during a plated lunch service. Ask specifics about the type of interaction. Expressing whether they want me on a stage, or if it’s okay to move around the room.
The Triple Tech Meltdown
Technology hates me. If something can go wrong, it will, and it’ll be something the tech team has never seen before, I like to be unique.
At one event, the venue computer wouldn’t turn on. We got it working before start time. This is why I arrive 30 minutes early: to troubleshoot, test tech, and meet attendees.
Then my presentation file went missing. I’d sent it three days prior, but organizers couldn’t locate it on their drive. I offered my USB backup, but they insisted on finding the original. As my start time hit, I began presenting from my printed slides; remember, technology hates me.
Ten minutes in, they gave up and asked for the USB. So, while presenting to the audience, I was walking the tech team through accessing my files.
The final glitch? The ultra-efficient venue staff started clearing the interactive props I’d placed around the room. I noticed before the session and explained the items were part of the presentation.
Organizer Prep – Ask what my interactive entails and do I need anything. Ask if I can present without technology. Tell me what time to arrive. Tell me to bring a backup.
The Bottom Line
These are the essentials for in-person events. Virtual and hybrid meetings bring their own complications—I’ll tackle those in future posts.
The principle remains the same: Great speakers aren’t born, they’re prepared. The clarity you provide upfront—about your audience, your expectations, and your environment—directly determines the quality of your session.
So, before your next event, ask yourself: Am I choosing this speaker because they’re an expert in what my audience needs, or because they’re charming? Have I told them everything they need to know to succeed?
Your speakers want to deliver. Give them the information to make it happen.
The Barefoot Event Professor 