The Right Speaker Makes a BIG DIFFERENCE

MORE and more corporations in Malaysia have awoken to the necessity of training and developing their people these days. Hence, many local speakers have emerged in recent years just as many foreign ones have already been flocking to Malaysia as far back as two decades ago. With so many speakers available in the market, the success of your event lies in selecting the right speaker who would make a big difference in your conference or seminar.

Here are some tips.

First, discard the "white is superior" mindset. Although there are some really good foreign speakers from the West, there are also many who are unable to deliver. To select a speaker to grace your conference or engage one to run an in-house seminar primarily on the basis of skin color alone could end in disappointment.

Selection of a speaker should be based on the desired content appropriate to your conference theme or meeting your training needs, and the competence of the speaker to deliver. If you care to look around our own backyard ? Malaysia ? you may find some local speakers who are really good in their respective specialization.

The next thing to consider is: Can you afford the really good ones?

There are many people representing cash-rich corporations and yet could become quite niggardly when it comes to paying for good speakers.

Just as luxury cars and branded time pieces don't come cheap, don't expect the top speakers to work for peanuts. And don't try the "while we won't pay you much but think of the exposure we can give you if you were to speak in our conference" approach. The really top speakers would just walk away even if they are too polite to laugh in your face.

On average, you should expect to fork out anything between USD5,000 to USD15,000 for any of the internationally-acclaimed speakers, even for just an hour's presentation as in a conference. Although some people had made some noises when I gave them the same quotation for an hour's presentation just as I had quoted for a day's work, they had overlooked that whether a professional speaker spoke for an hour or a day, that very day could no longer be offered to another client. This is especially so when some traveling is involved. For an example, to speak in another city, say Beijing, a day before the event and a day after the event would be spent in traveling.

In Malaysia, good local speakers are available for RM7,000 to RM10,000 for up to a day's presentation although for RM3,000 to RM6,000, you may still be able to get some who are relatively quite good albeit they may not be in the "internationally-acclaimed" league.

Speaking of "internationally-acclaimed" speakers, don't be fooled by those who claimed to be "internationally-acclaimed" speakers from having spoken abroad. Find out who they have spoken for. If they spoke for multinationals that are household names like Cisco Systems, Citibank, GE, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, etc., then you could take their word for it. Just be aware that there are many event organizers who pay peanuts to local speakers to speak at overseas events, and such speakers would subsequently pose themselves off as "internationally-acclaimed" ones.

As I have mentioned, getting a good speaker makes a big difference. An inexperienced or incompetent one would either send the delegates to sleep or fail to get the key learning points across.

Last but not least, you ought to keep up with the times. Make use of the Internet in your search for the right speaker. There are many websites, e.g. www.eventclicks.com, www.cityspeakersinternational.co.uk, www.malaysiahronline.com, etc., where you can browse through a panel of speakers and peruse their resumes.

And just as you are in keeping with the times, make sure your selected speaker is also technically-inclined. As a self-respecting speaker will ask for an LCD projector since he or she will bring along a personal computer loaded with presentations on PowerPoint, you should discard the one who still uses transparencies on overhead projector.

Khoo Kheng-Hor, a best-selling author of several books on the application of Sun Tzu's Art of War in contemporary business management is a sought-after speaker in conferences and seminars throughout Asia. He can be reached at http://www.webpoint.com.sg/suntzu or suntzu333@yahoo.com

For more tips and tricks resources, log on to http://www.tips.com.my

---

How to Chair a Meeting

You don't have to be on a stage to be... Read More

Lecturing from the Lectern

Most people love to hide behind the lectern.. It makes... Read More

How To Run Your Greatest Conference Ever

Like most good achievements, a magnificent meeting depends on planning... Read More

Death by PowerPoint!

The most critical job of a manager, when you boil... Read More

Polishing Your Sales Presentation

Summer is here! It's time to bring out your summer... Read More

Tips to Temper Speaking Anxiety

People take it for granted that leaders have achieved some... Read More

The Upside to an Auditory Rehearsal

Many experienced trainers feel that there is something lacking in... Read More

Cell Phone Dos And Dont During A Meeting

What would we do without our cell phones? Wow, there's... Read More

Story Telling As a Business Tool

Long long ago, it was the time when time itself... Read More

How to Teach: Lecture vs. Discussion

WHEN ONLY A LECTURE WILL DO: Under certain circumstances, of... Read More

Planning a Group Meeting

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE FACILITATOR: As chairperson, focus on the... Read More

Audience-Friendly Presentation Style Habits in Three Easy Steps

You have presentation style habits that automatically appear when you... Read More

Present Your Message with Power and Pizzazz

If you're ready to kick your career or business up... Read More

Ten Fun Ways to Liven up Any Presentation

Most of us would agree that having humor in our... Read More

Present Statistics In Context

"I didn't have 3000 pairs of shoes. I had only... Read More

Networking: How to Network Within Your Organisation

Although there are any number of different networking groups and... Read More

10 Tips For Bringing Your Event To Life

Your job as an event planner doesn't stop with the... Read More

How to Convert PowerPoint to Flash Manually

Converting PowerPoint to Flash would be absolutely a good choice... Read More

Powerpoint Sales Presentations Are Boring - Stop It!

As the meeting began, the project manager of the buying... Read More

Total Recall: How to Remember Your Speech Without Memorizing

We all fear that moment. You look out on a... Read More

Top 6 Reasons Why You Need a Remote for PowerPoint Presentations

A top complaint from audience members is that many presenters... Read More

Conducting Successful Training Activities

Whether you are training preschoolers in the classroom or executives... Read More

Nonverbal Communication in Business

There are five key elements that can make... Read More

Problems with the Lecture Format

ALTERNATIVES TO THE LECTURE FORMAT: How often do you use... Read More

Show the World Your Wares Easily and Inexpensively

You've spent a lot of time preparing your PowerPoint presentations... Read More

Fading into Sameness: How Too Many Slides Can Ruin Your Presentation

"I have a love/hate relationship with PowerPoint. In the right... Read More

Quick and Easy Rehearsal Tips

Never rehearse at the last minute. This creates undue tension... Read More

Presentation Pitfalls Series: Top 10 Content Mangement Mistakes

Here, David Letterman style, are what I consider to be... Read More

Close Deals in Record Time!

Remember back when the ability to create a slide show... Read More

I Love the Smell of PowerPoint in the Morning: The 5 Sensory Approach to Business Presentations

You're in a conference room. You're giving a PowerPoint presentation... Read More

Let Me Tell You a Little Story

Once upon a time there was a businessperson who had... Read More

Just Say No to PowerPoint: Enough is Enough!

Have you ever been slideswiped? You walk into a meeting... Read More

Sharpening Your Presentation Skills

Regardless of the nature of our job or social standing,... Read More