The basics for being a great guest speaker

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Being a guest speaker is a great marketing tool, as it can position you, or someone in your organisation as an expert or specialist in your field. 

Not everyone can be an outstanding guest speaker, but we firmly believe most people can be great guest speakers if they put in the time and effort to do a great job. But be warned if it’s not done well, it can be a negative marketing exercise. 

If you’re looking to leverage guest speaking skills, keep reading to find out how.  

Need a guest speaker for your networking event, conference or fundraiser?

Be prepared

I feel like some of you will think I am stating the obvious – but unfortunately, I’m not! 

I have been to far too many presentations where the guest speaker is clearly skilled in their area of expertise, but they haven’t prepared for the specific presentation. This can result in terms or concepts not being explained properly, fragmented delivery of content and repetitive information. 

By actually preparing your presentation to suit the audience, you will be able to more easily keep their attention and hopefully they will connect the dots from what you are saying, back to themselves, far more easily. 

Dress to impress

This does not necessarily mean corporate attire in every circumstance.  

Ask the event organisers what the dress code is and make sure you will be dressed appropriately. If you have a personal brand that differs from the dress code (i.e. you’re super casual and they’re in suits), make sure you find a middle ground.  

My key tip is that you need to be true to your personal brand, but you also need to respect your audience. 

Present what has been promoted

Any presentation, whether it is a public presentation at a networking group or an invitation to speak to an organisation – is promoted to attendees. You will have either given them the topic or they have provided it to you. Either way, make sure you stay on topic. 

There is nothing more frustrating than giving up time to attend a function and listen to a guest speaker, only for them to not cover the advertised topic. 

Unfortunately I have had this happen to me (as an event attendee) more times that I care to count. It just means that it is harder for the presenter to keep my attention on what they are talking about, as I keep waiting for them to deliver on what was promised. 

Keep your pace and volume steady

When you are presenting you want to ensure that you speak at an even speed – not too fast and not too slow. 

This is an area that I am constantly working on, as I often get excited by the subject matter I am delivering and start to speak quite quickly! But I am aware of this, so when it starts to happen, I give myself a talking to (in my head!) and try to slow back down again. 

You also want to keep your volume of delivery steady so that all attendees can hear you. If you have a microphone, that helps, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be aware of this point. In fact, sometimes when I attend an event the speaker obviously thinks that because they have a microphone, they don’t have to project their voice – this is not true!  It then means that despite the microphone I can’t hear everything they are saying. 

I would also recommend that you speak to the event organises prior, to understand what the audio situation is going to be. I like to know if there is going to be no audio, so I can suggest they arrange some, or if it is going to be a handheld or lapel microphone. 

Be a patient guest speaker

Remember that the audience doesn’t know what you are going to say next. So take a breath after delivering a key point. That way it will have time to sink in. This means you have to be patient, as a few seconds can feel like an eternity to a guest speaker! 

You can also repeat the point to really drive it home. We know the stats about how much people retain from a presentation, so don’t be scared to repeat yourself. 

Use a visual presentation wisely

One of my favourite business videos, which still stands the test of time, is Death by PowerPoint. If you are going to have some visual elements, make sure you have them professionally designed to align with your brand, and that only relevant content is included – and of course, don’t read from slides! 

Preparing your slides can also help you ensure your keep to time, as you should average around one slide at a minimum of each two minutes. 

Be smart about humour

Not all of us are comedians – and that’s ok! Don’t try to be a comedian if you’re not, but on the flip side don’t be afraid of enlisting a laugh. Obviously you don’t deliver a stand-up comedy routine but read the room and if appropriate you can make some funny references. 

Remember to keep it professional though and don’t be offensive. 

Need a guest speaker for your networking event, conference or fundraiser?

Holly has a real talent for providing insider insights into marketing strategies that work. Above all, she doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to getting the best return on your investment.

Stay positive

Don’t start with an apology! The audience doesn’t need to know that you’ve had a terrible day, or week – that your computer fried itself, or your kids are sick, or that you’ve got a lot of deadlines. 

You want to be upbeat yourself, and keep your audience in a positive frame of mind. But if you do need to speak about something negative, ensure that you think about when you deliver that section, so that you end on a high. 

Show up

This may seem obvious, but I am talking about this from two perspectives. Obviously, turn up to the event itself, but you need to ‘show up’. It doesn’t matter how tired or lethargic you feel, once you get up in front of that audience you need to be ‘on’. 

This might mean you need to do some jumping jacks off stage or in another room, or time your coffee or energy drink consumption to align, but when you get in front of that audience you want them to feel like there is no other place you’d rather be. 

Read the audience

If you sense your audience getting bored, change tack or volume etc. So really pay attention to what your audience is doing. 

It’s okay to go ‘off script’, as if you have prepared you will know how to work your way back to your original speech. 

Look at your audience

This should really not need to be said – but don’t read from notes! It’s ok to have notes to remind you of what you want to cover, but don’t read from them. 

A tip is to prepare the full notes to organise your thoughts and read over them in preparation, but do not use those as speech notes. Instead, pick out the major headings and use those as your notes. 

Then it will be impossible for you to read. This way you can actually look at your audience and understand when something is resonating with them. 

Tell a story

An anecdote or an example told via a story is a great way to draw the audience in. It needs to be relevant though, or the audience will be left feeling a bit confused. 

I like starting with a story, as it gets the audience in the frame of mind that I want. It gives them something to think about, gives me time to warm them up, and it feels a lot more natural than jumping straight into my topic area. 

Pose questions carefully

If you have read the room correctly you will know whether or not to attempt feedback and two-way interaction. You don’t want to pose a question only to be met by silence. Awkward! 

if you do ask a question, it’s good to also have some example answers ready. 

Allow for questions

Make sure you time your presentation to allow for questions at the end. This is often expected at events and people will generally hold their questions until the end. 

And if you get asked a curly question, remember to take a beat before you answer! It’s okay to formulate your thoughts. Remember that a few seconds might feel like forever, but the audience won’t even notice. 

Ask for feedback

The way this occurs depends on the type of guest speaker you were. Sometimes people won’t be comfortable providing constructive feedback directly to you, so you should enlist the help of someone else. 

There you have it! My 15 tips for being a great guest speaker.

But before you go – if you are looking for a guest speaker for your next event, please get in touch. I would be happy to have a chat about your needs and the topics I can speak on! 

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Holly Martin
Holly Martin
With over 17 years of hands-on experience in marketing, our Managing Director & Chief Marketer, Holly Martin, has worked with an amazing variety of businesses. Her strengths lie in her ability to see the entire playing field for our many diverse clients.
Holly Martin
Holly Martin
With over 17 years of hands-on experience in marketing, our Managing Director & Chief Marketer, Holly Martin, has worked with an amazing variety of businesses. Her strengths lie in her ability to see the entire playing field for our many diverse clients.
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