How To Pick A Rockin’ Youth Speaker
Do you want to find the right youth motivational speaker for your event? Here is a foolproof way to choose the best keynote speaker for teenagers who will ‘wow’ your audience and make you look like a hero for booking them.
Youth motivational speakers should be entertaining, informative, and, of course, inspiring. A speaker is the often the most essential element of teen conferences. No matter how good your facilities or how great your sound system and food offered, the event could fail if your speaker is not able to deliver. This is why choosing a youth speaker is BIG chore and a BIG responsibility. Fear not, however, as this article contains all the best tricks, tips, and techniques to reliably choose a great presenter.
Rather than going for the dangerous ‘trial and error’ method that so many meeting planners utilize when selecting teen speakers, here is an effective and proven method:
Youth Speaker Selection Tip #1: Ask for recommendations from trusted sources
The wonderful thing about student councils and CTSOs is that it’s a small world. That means that somebody has probably already hired the speaker you’re considering bringing in. If you have nobody in mind, you can get solid recommendations from people in similar positions as you from other states and organizations. So ask! Email, call, text… whatever you have to do to get in touch, do it! You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to network and grow your resource base by making a few quick connections by asking this question.
Youth Speaker Selection Tip #2: Know your event’s purpose
You wouldn’t bring in Pavarati to an auditorium full of metal heads, would you? Even though he’s a great musician, he’s not the right fit for the audience. The same principle applies for choosing a speaker; you’ve got to find the right match for your audience and what you want them to take from the event.
When you’re confident about who your audience is and what you want them to learn, you can use this as a ‘filter’ for the speakers who you’re considering. If they don’t match your purpose, they’re not right for your event!
Youth Speaker Selection Tip #3: Determine your budget and stick with it
The purpose of a speaker is not to stress you out about your finances. Yes, speakers can be expensive, and generally, the more you pay for a speaker, the better they are. However, you should set your budget before you start the research process. Consider the money already invested, and use this number to help you weed out the speakers who are too expensive for you.
Like cars, however, most speakers don’t ‘sell’ for their sticker price. Meaning, if they’re listed at $5,000 dollars, for example, they will likely be willing to negotiate for a lower price, so don’t count out your speakers until you’ve been in touch.
Youth Speaker Selection Tip #4: See their presentation
Seeing a speaker’s actual presentation is clearly the best way to see what they’re going to be like at your event. You can do this either by seeing them speak at another event or by watching a video of them.
To find their speaking schedule, look on their websites or contact them directly to see if they have any speeches near you anytime soon. Usually, this isn’t an option, however, so you’ll have to settle for a video. In this case, do everything you can to watch an UN-edited video of their speech. Anybody can take the best 10 second clips filmed across 20 events and make a hi-lights reel. In fact, poor speakers will usually hide behind these types of videos! This is why you should watch the whole speech.
Youth Speaker Selection Tip #5: Don’t let them annoy you!
Trust your gut. If there’s anything about a speaker’s promotional materials, marketing approach, presentation, or videos that bugs you… don’t hire them! It’s really that simple. Life is short and there’s no reason to put up with a speaker, or anybody for that matter, who makes your skin crawl. Find speakers who are fun, friendly, and easy to work with.
Using these techniques, you can easily find an amazing youth motivational speaker to present at your next event.
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