For a lot of meeting planners, regardless of whether it’s their full-time job or a temporary assignment, choosing a professional Canadian speaker for a business meeting or association event is a little bit of a mixed bag. If they get it right, they’ll look good to peers and supervisors; bring in a dud, and they may not be trusted with such a big decision for a long time in the future.

For that reason, a lot of men and women I talk to about keynote presentations and breakout sessions want to find someone who’s informative and dynamic… but also want to play it a little bit safe and be sure they don’t choose the wrong person. That’s completely understandable, and I can promise you that it is entirely possible to do both.

To make it easier, here are three things to look for in a Canadian professional speaker, no matter what kind of event you’re planning for:

The right topic. All the charisma in the world won’t help you if you choose someone who doesn’t have a topic that’s interesting to your audience. When in doubt, try to stick with universal themes, like better business management, or cutting-edge marketing techniques. These are topics that almost everyone is interested in, meaning that your speaker will have wide appeal.

Membership in the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS). While booking someone with CAPS membership doesn’t guarantee that you’ll find the exact right fit, it does allow you to have confidence that you aren’t going with someone who hasn’t given lots of presentations before, or will struggle to make their point effectively. Because CAPS has some fairly rigorous standards in place, you can feel comfortable knowing you’re going to get a professional presentation.

Humor and energy. Depending on what kind of time you have your speaker slotted for, your attendees may be tired, distracted, jet-lagged, excited to see colleagues for the first time in several months, or all of the above. It takes a special kind of stage presence to overcome these factors, meaning that your speaker’s style is as important as their topics are. Remember that, and choose wisely.

When it comes to choosing a keynote or breakout presentation speaker for a company or industry event, it doesn’t take long for the average executive or meeting planner to find out that there are many options to choose from… in fact, there may be too many in some cases. There are motivators, management specialists, marketing gurus, and a lot more.

But, if you’re looking for something that will be valuable to your attendees and make you look like a hero at the same time, then your best option might be to go with the technology speaker. Here are four quick reasons why:

It’s something different. Let’s face it, unless it’s one of their first few meetings or conferences, your attendees have already heard enough motivational and management presentations to fill a lifetime. I’m constantly amazed, though, at how many different groups have never had someone come and speak about the Internet, online marketing, and so on.

The Internet is a hot topic. The web has been a popular presentation topic for more than a decade, and it’s only getting stronger. Why? Because it’s still becoming a more and more important part of the business landscape. If your attendees aren’t getting online marketing right, then they are probably seeing parts of their business become less profitable than they used to be.

Your attendees probably have technology questions. In the same way, few managers or business owners understand concepts like search engine optimization, pay per click advertising, or social media marketing nearly as well as they would like. Having the opportunity to ask an expert specific questions about these parts of their business can be invaluable.

A technology presentation could have the biggest bottom-line impact. Even the best motivational speaker is unlikely to inspire lasting change in most people’s behavior, but attendees of a technology presentation can leave with a set of notes or a tip sheet that they can use right away to make more money. The more profitable your group can be as a result of the speaker you booked, the more highly they’re going to think of you and your decision.

I attended Troy White’s full day seminar yesterday, The Wild West Wealth Christmas. Troy hosted the session and brought together a power-house of speakers. The topic was, of course, marketing.

I ended up with four pages of notes. Of which I have distilled half a dozen measurable actions for my company to investigate and test as we move into 2008. I am not going to get into a long diatribe of what my notes contain here, but I will tell you that I feel I got great value from my day with Troy.

Guests included author & publisher Mary Halpen, who nearly brought the room to tears with her heartfelt business and life lessons, Brandon Roe, who spoke to increasing prices without objections, and Doug White, the reported Grandfather of direct marketing.

Troy is planning the 2008 Wild Wealth Summit for early summer. If you own a business or have a direct stake in it’s success through marketing, then keep youe eyes open and watch Wild West Wealth Summit for updates.

Troy – Thank you for a great program.

Cheers,
David A. West