10 tips for speakers: things to ask, think about, and do when invited to speak at an event

This article follows the sister-piece of advice aimed event organizers, which you can find here.

Whether you’ve been invited to speak at an event for the first time, or 200 times, there’s standard things you’ll want to check with the event organizers and prepare in terms of logistics so you can focus on perfecting and practicing your talk. In this article we discuss things to do and prepare before, during an after the event, including trying to overcome the fraud complex (also known as imposter syndrome), how to know what to charge as a speaking fee, and there’s a list questions you can copy/paste to the event organizers.

BEFORE THE EVENT

1. Try to overcome the fraud complex

If you’ve been invited to present at a conference, that means the organizers:

• Value and admire your work
• Believe you’re likely to draw a crowd
• Think you’ll make them look great by including you as part of their program
• All of the above

Being invited to speak at an event is a huge compliment but sadly, fraud complex/imposter syndrome means that for some presenters, it holds them back from being asked to reimbursed properly. Here’s some tips on overcoming the imposter syndrome if you feel like you’re going through it.

2. You have a right to ask to be paid for your time

Please, please believe your time and knowledge is worth money. This is the biggest issue I’ve come across with other speakers who don’t think they should ask to be paid, and not only do they end up spending hundreds of dollars on going to conferences but are even more out-of-pocket for the fact that they’ve not been in the office to earn money. It’s crazy how much people will put themselves out because they’re worried about being turned down if they ask for money!

If you’ve been invited to speak at an event it’s because people think they will make money out of having you there; through delegate engagement, through drawing a bigger crowd, even through the social media content that your talk might produce during the event. If you tell the event organizer your fee and they turn you down, then more fool them. You are not a charity. You are in the business of making money and your years of hard work/knowledge/research should be recognised if people want you to share it. So how do you know what to charge, or if to charge at all?

Some things you can do to calculate your speaking fee:

• Look at the ticket prices for the event and the estimated quantity of delegates. The event organizers should know how many people to expect, and you’re allowed to ask. If delegates are paying 2000 USD each and there’s 1,000 people attending, you could demand more than an event selling $10 tickets to 50 people.
• What do others like you typically charge? Research what other people like you (in terms of experience and ‘fame’) might charge and use that as a point of comparison. Are you charging too little? Are you charging too much? (Chances are you’re charging too little).
• Consider what your time is worth. Do you make the equivalent of £10k an hour in the office? If you’re not in the office and travelling to an event instead, does this impact earned revenue that needs to be covered?
• Different fee’s for different durations and services: You might want to set different fee’s for different speaking durations i.e. a 15 min presentation, 30 minute presentation, a 1 hour workshop etc.).
• Deciding not to charge: If you’ve decided you don’t want be paid for speaking at an event, that’s fine. Perhaps the prestige and/or potential sales are that good, or the event is being held in a country you’ve been dying to visit, so are happy to forgo a speaking fee. BUT you should always be reimbursed for your travel and accommodation so you’re not out of pocket.

3. Prepare Speaking Engagement Terms and Conditions

This might sound overly formal but you’d be surprised at the amount of things that could go wrong when trying to get to a conference or what could happen when you’re there. What should happen if the event get’s cancelled or rescheduled? Who should the event organizers contact in case of an emergency? What do the organizers concretely expect from you in terms of presentation duration etc.? A simple set of T’s and C’s (which should also outline financial remuniration and payment conditions) shouldn’t take too long to make.

4. Practice your presentation

For obvious reasons. You’d be surprised at how many veteran speakers don’t practice, and it shows. Practicing your presentation won’t just make it better, but it’ll make you feel more confident and help you overcome the imposter syndrome. Also, it’ll prevent you going over-time which is a big bug-bear for event organisers, and for the next speaker waiting to go on stage.

5. Copy and paste these questions to event organisers

There’s a lot you’ll want to know! Side-notes are in italics.

Dear (event organizer name)

Preparation

1. Do you require a headshot in a specific size, and is there a word-count limit on my biography? (Note: Biographies are typically 150–250 words. You should prepare a press kit that includes your standard biography and a headshot in a few different sizes)
2. What’s the word count on the presentation synopsis, and when do you need it by?
3. Please send me a link to the event website.

Slides/Presentation

4. What’s the duration of my presentation?

5. Do you need the presentation slides in advance of the event? If so, can you let me know the date that you need the slides by?

6. What format and size do you need the slides? (PDF, PowerPoint, Keynote, in different ratios etc.)

7. If you’re happy for me to bring the slides on the day, can the slides be loaded from a USB or is a cloud-based folder preferable (like Dropbox)? Or do you want me to load slides direct from my machine? (Note: If using a Mac, bring a Mac adapter).

Getting there and scheduling

8. (If the event is outside of your country) Do I need a VISA or similar to enter or exit the country? If so, can you point me to a website/phone number where I arrange this? (PS. Organizers should reimburse you for VISA fees)

9. What’s the full address of the venue?

10. What’s the nearest airport/train station/bus station/parking area?

11. In the venue, what floor/room number do I go to for my talk?

12. What time would my presentation begin in local time?

13. Before the presentation, do I need to speak with a tech team to get mic’d up and/or test my slides? Or will there be a mic at the lectern (if there is one?) or will it be a handheld mic?

14. Will the slides be in front of me on the stage, so I can see what slide is being shown to the audience, and what slides are coming next?

15. Is there a countdown timer on the stage for speakers, or will a member of the event organization team give me a signal regarding how much time I have left?

16. Am I required to hang around after the presentation for a Q&A or panel discussion with other speakers? If so, how long will that be and what time will that begin?

17. What’s the seating style of the audience? (You will want to ask this if you’re making your talk interactive with activities etc.)

Other important things

18. Who are the speakers before and after me? (If you’re the only speaker, try to find out who has presented their previous events).

19. What are the proportions of the audience in terms of people from x or y industries?

20. What are the main themes of the session, and the broader event?

21. How many people can be expected to attend the event on the whole, and at my presentation specifically?

22. Is my presentation being recorded? If so, where can I find the recording after the event?

23. Is there a hashtag for this event? If so, what is it?

24. Presentation style: If you like walking around the stage and want your hands free, you will want a ‘Modanna vogue’ style mic. Ask the event organizers if they have this — not all of them do. But a note for the ladies: if you’re wearing a dress you might want to bring a spare belt for the mic set to have something to hook onto.

25: Seating style: If there’s a panel discussion after the presentation and you’re required to sit, ask what the seating arrangement will be — i.e. sat on a stool or a chair. For women wearing skirts and dresses, organizers need to consider that you might not want to be sat up higher than the audiences eye level where people might see…ahem…stuff. This article discusses this in more detail.

DURING THE EVENT

6. Join in

If you’re really busy, a ‘fly in/fly out’ presentation might be necessary, but if you have time, try to hang around and connect with other speakers and the audience. They’d probably love to speak to you and it’s another opportunity for people to ask you questions especially if felt shy about asking a question publicly while you were on stage.

7. If joining in face-to-face isn’t your style…

then get on Twitter — engage in the wider conversations about the topics discussed at the event. Again this gives people another opportunity to connect with you and ask questions.

AFTER THE EVENT

8. Get feedback

Most events I’ve spoken at have delegate feedback forms but if not, ask the organizers for feedback anyway. Ask if what worked well about your presentation, and what could have been better? Would the organizers consider you for future events? It’s always useful to see how you can improve your presentation style, slides etc.

9. Money matters

Ask the event organizers: who the invoice should be emailed to, and where the invoiced should be addressed? Note: do you need the full fee paid upon commission? Or 50% paid upon commision and 50% after the event? My advice would be to never agree to go to a paid speaking engagement (especially if it’s abroad) without a financial and non-refundable deposit. If the event gets cancelled, at least you’ve got the deposit which covers the time you spent preparing/researching/practising your talk.

10. Check out social media

Where people talking about your presentation? If so, what the kinds of comments that were made or questions asked? Try to respond to people where possible.

Do you have any advice for new and veteran speakers? Have any questions? Leave a comment!

Photo used with thanks. Credit Teemu Paananen on Unsplash.

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