Pulling staff from their duties at any time is a tough call, much less in a challenging economy as we have today.However, successful senior managers know that it can be quite beneficial to improving workplace communication.  They are providing a brief intermission from the hectic day to day for their employees by providing speech presentations on a wide array of topics related and unrelated to their job.

Many speakers are available to provide presentations that will inspire and encourage your employees to commit to strong communication in the workplace.Don’t worry about finding someone directly related to your company’s field.  Many speakers speak on subjects that can enhance your function.Employees can grow creatively and sales will be positively affected upon hearing new ideas that can be applied to their everyday jobs. 

Here is a checklist of things to discuss with a potential speaker:

1.Nuts and Bolts. 

Communicate the exact date, time, and location up front when talking with potential speakers.  In addition, make sure to communicate from the start how long you would like the presentation to be.  This may all sound simplistic, but so often a manager gets well into the planning only to find out that the speaker is not available when needed, or can’t stay as long as required. 

  It will also help if you can give the speaker an estimate of attendees and details about the group they will be talking to.With this information, they are able to mold their speech to suit the audience, which gives a much more enjoyable event. 

2.Publicity Buzz.

Ask the speaker for a summary of their presentation in advance so that you can start building excitement among your employees.  Do this through email teasers, flyers and other forms of promotion.  Make it fun to attend by offering snacks. In any event, make sure your staff sees the event as a bonus for them rather than something they have to attend. 

3.         Compensation. 

If you have a budget available to pay a speaker you will be working with a larger selection.Speakers typically charge a set rate for in area and out of area speeches.  Many also request travel reimbursement, or extra compensation for a longer presentation. 

Don’t worry if cost is a factor.Speaking fees are all over the board, and if you can offer other forms of compensation a speaker is often willing to negotiate.For many, the objective is less about the speaking income and more about gaining possible customers. 

Two typical forms of payment on a low budget are promoting the speaker’s products to the audience, or, even better, buying a copy of their book or product for each attendee. 

There are other ways to compensate a speaker on a low budget.You might consider inviting your customers or those in your office complex to create a larger group for the speaker.  Provide the speaker a list of all attendees with contact information and allow them to follow up individually.You might even consider referring the speaker to other organizations or groups like yours with a great testimonial. 

It takes some effort and time to set up a speaker session your employees will enjoy and get value from, but it is a great way to build positive energy and increase commitment among your staff.  Always emphasize the value to your employees and your dedication to their personal development.Your final reward will be the positive impact on the company’s bottom line.     

Marty Dickinson moved beyond his techno-fear of the Internet more than 14 years ago and has since launched more than 100 of his own websites while helping more than 300 clients to use the Internet to grow their businesses. Internet Marketing Speaker, business owner, and co-author of “Web Marketing All-in-One for Dummies” (Wiley 2009), he enjoys inspiring other techno-phobic business owners, authors and speakers to move beyond their fear of the Internet to embrace its full potential.

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