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). “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), 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).

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) 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).

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