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For event planners, the importance of an after dinner speaker cannot be overstated.  Typically the after dinner speaker is the cornerstone of the evening’s festivities and guests are expecting a very good speaker.

What makes someone a good after dinner speaker?  The right person is able to entertain, inspire and engage the audience.  The after dinner speaker should be interactive, keeping the audience and making them part of the entire evening.

Far too many events flop because the event planner chooses a boring, or uninspiring after dinner speaker.  With the Internet at our fingertips there is no reason for that to happen.   If an after dinner speaker is serious about their industry they will offer video clips highlighting their skills.

You want to find someone that you believe can capture your audience’s attention immediately and keep it.  The inability of a speaker to do that will result in you losing your audience intellectually and possibly even physically as they get up and walk out of the room.

Experienced event planners know that the measure of success is how the evening ends.  You want to end on a high note.  If the audience becomes bored, or is not engaged in the after dinner presentation then you failed to plan a good event, you merely planned a dinner party.

When choosing the after dinner speaker make sure you understand their planned presentation as well.  You will want to ensure it is aligned with the goals and objectives of the evening.  You should tell them which topics are off limits and who can and who should not be mentioned by name or called out to participate.

It is up to the event planner to prepare the after dinner speaker with this important information.  Some executives are good sports and enjoy being part of a presentation while others do not.  Also, there may be some hot button topics for the audience that the after dinner speaker will not be aware of so it is essential that you make them aware of those topics.

The more homework you do upfront and the more information you provide the after dinner speaker the greater the chances for success.  Remember, your goal is to plan a complete event and that means choosing the right after dinner speaker.

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As an event planner for over 15 years, I know the importance of finding a good motivational speaker for a conference.  The performance of that speaker can make or break an event and weigh heavily on whether or not the client thinks the event was successful or not.

Over the years there have been motivational speakers who were only able to motivate the audience to nap, and others that thought yelling equated to motivating.  There were those that were funny but not overly motivational and those that were serious, dry and left the audience wanting some excitement.

Fortunately, you learn from your mistakes and you start to realize that taking a little extra time to research and learn about a motivational speaker will help things go much more smoothly.

Fifteen years ago when I started in this business there was no Internet to speak of.  Or at least if there was, I was not aware of it.  You relied on word of mouth and hoped for the best.  As the Internet gained in popularity my industry changed.  We are now able to see photos, videos, reviews and commentary.  There is no excuse for not doing our homework.

When I am considering a motivational speaker for an event the first thing I do is consider my audience and what type of person will they respond most to.  Typically people respond best to someone who is engaging, polished, funny, and entertaining.  It may sound like a tall order, but it is not.

I typically go to YouTube and search for motivational speakers and watch video clips.  When I find the names of speakers I go to their websites and try to find more information, photos and video clips.  While I watch the video clips I try to notice what the audience is doing.  If I see an audience that is engaged then I know I have found a good motivational speaker.

From there I do some more homework and try to find out what organizations the speaker has worked with, ask for referrals and do Google and Yahoo searches for there name to find out more information.  I do my homework so I can be confident that I am choosing the right motivational speaker.

An after dinner speaker must combine charisma, humor, intelligence and entertainment into a single presentation. An after dinner speaker must be able to capture the attention of the audience within seconds and maintain their attention throughout the presentation.

Your after dinner speaker must have charisma. If they lack this essential quality they will fail to engage your audience. At most dinner events there are many distractions. The speaker you choose must be able to use his or her charm to capture attention immediately and maintain it for the remainder of their presentation.

Humor goes a long way towards maintaining the attention of the audience. You want to make sure the after dinner speaker you choose has a sense of humor and understands that their humor must be appropriate for the venue and the audience. This is something you should discuss prior to signing a contract with any after dinner speaker.

Intelligence is also very important. The audience has to feel that the presentation has value to them. The speaker must convey intelligence to be considered credible by the audience. Watching video clips of potential after dinner speakers can help you determine if the speaker is able to convey their intelligence during a presentation.

An after dinner speaker must be entertaining. No one likes to be lectured to. Your audience must be entertained if their attention is needed for more than 15 minutes. A good after dinner speaker will be entertaining, informative and motivating. Again, it is important to view video clips of the potential speaker to confirm if they have this ability.

Everyone judges entertainment differently. You are the best judge of what will and will not work for your target audience. Watching video clips of the potential after dinner speaker can help you know whether or not they are a good fit for your organization.

The epitome of an after dinner speaker is the person who can immediately capture the attention of your audience, maintain their attention and use that time to inspire, motivate and enrich the audience. When you find this you have found the right after dinner speaker for your organization.

Last week as I prepared to give a speech to about 1400 attendees from the information transport systems industry in Las Vegas, I had to reflect on an encounter that occurred approximately 16 hours before stage time. I incorporate tuned percussion tubes as an essential part of my program, and the night before I learned I was going to have a serious delivery problem. Needless to say the entire day was spent tracking and attempting to re-route a delivery in time for my event. We were successful in our re-route, which now required they be picked up from a UPS center. UPS had graciously pulled the order off the truck for the intercept. The good news is that the 4 huge cartons of tubes had arrived to the UPS depot. The bad news is that there was no way to fit the boxes in to 1 vehicle. As we were attempting to stuff the boxes a young man named Fernando asked if we needed help and where we were going. My friend responded that we were headed to the MGM Grand. The delivery was not going to make show time so we had to intercept it. He offered to help and starting rearranging his car also. I hopped in Fernando’s car and learned a lot about a kind young man that saved the day. It was a great presentation, thanks to Fernando.