--- title: "Tuesday Buzz: Speaker Advice From the Pros" id: "42538" type: "post" slug: "tuesday-buzz-speaker-advice-from-the-pros" published_at: "2018-05-08T21:29:56+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:04:50+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/05/08/tuesday-buzz-speaker-advice-from-the-pros/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/05/08/tuesday-buzz-speaker-advice-from-the-pros.md" excerpt: "Meetings Today shares lessons event pros learned the hard way for finding and managing speakers. Also: In an interview, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s psychologist mom touts the power of associations." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "conferences" - "event planning" - "Meetings" - "Speakers" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Tuesday Buzz: Speaker Advice From the Pros Finding a good speaker for an event doesn’t sound too difficult, but more can go wrong than you might think. Contracts, expenses, travel, and messaging are just a few of the areas where problems can arise. “Be sure your major meeting stakeholder(s) fully supports and embraces the speaker’s message,” writes Lynne Wellish in a new [post from Meetings Today (opens in a new tab)](https://www.meetingstoday.com/Blog/PostId/325/14-helpful-speaker-tips-that-are-worth-saving) . “If this doesn’t happen, the experience, information shared and expense will bring little return (if any).” If you have the resources, assigning a speaker ambassador can alleviate a lot of potential hiccups. “This person will meet and greet the speaker on the day of the event, assist him or her with AV, presentation requirements, last minute requests, etc. This will make your speaker feel welcome and better their odds of success.” Wellish goes on to make recommendations for handling speaker merchandise, encouraging audience interaction, and creating clear contract expectations. ### Work From Within **Last week**, *Hamilton* creator Lin-Manuel Miranda did a Facebook Live interview with his mom, psychologist Luz Towns-Miranda, to raise money for Planned Parenthood. They [spoke about her personal history (opens in a new tab)](https://www.facebook.com/156195014444203/videos/1843193175744370/) , including a battle with thyroid cancer and her passion for working with underserved communities. It’s a long interview, so if you’re in a rush, skip to about the 22:30 mark, where she discusses the challenges women and minorities face entering the medical field. Towns-Miranda recommends that women join a specialty organization, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, and work within the group to “heighten the visibility of women.” ### Other Links of Note **Is your organization suffering from too much turnover?** The *Capterra Nonprofit Technology Blog* shares a career ladder that could [keep more fundraising staff on board (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.capterra.com/shape-nonprofit-development-careers/) . **Storytelling is one of a nonprofit’s most powerful tools.** Here’s how to turn a complex issue[into a compelling story (opens in a new tab)](https://ssir.org/articles/entry/how_to_tell_stories_about_complex_issues#When:16:15:00Z) from the *Stanford Social Innovation Review*. **Bad managers share a lot of the same traits.** *Forbes* shares a few ways to [change derailing behaviors (opens in a new tab)](https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecomaford/2018/05/05/stop-leadership-derailment-in-its-tracks-with-3-brain-based-tools/#51bf85f014cd) . (ipopba/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#conferences](https://associationsnow.com/tag/conferences/) [#event planning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/event-planning/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#Speakers](https://associationsnow.com/tag/speakers/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [Video2025 ASAE Annual Meeting Keynote SpeakersApril 23, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/04/23/2025-asae-annual-meeting-keynote-speakers/) - [TemplateMembers onlySpeaker AgreementJuly 20, 2018](https://associationsnow.com/2018/07/20/speaker-agreement/) - [VideoAshley Cobb Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/ashley-cobb-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoJenny Teeson, CHSE Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/jenny-teeson-chse-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2018%2F05%2F08%2Ftuesday-buzz-speaker-advice-from-the-pros%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !