Module 2.15 – Speakers Bureaus

 

Module Introduction

            A organization speaker bureau is a direct link to the outside world. Every time the bureau supplies a organization employee or executive to speak to an organization—professional, fraternal, school, or community—the organization has a chance to “hand deliver” its message to a target audience.

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1.  Speaker Bureaus

            A organization speaker bureau is a direct link to the outside world. Every time the bureau supplies a organization employee or executive to speak to an organization—professional, fraternal, school, or community—the organization has a chance to “hand deliver” its message to a target audience.

            Even though speakers are seen as organization representatives, they are also seen as human beings—just like those in their audiences.

            Unlike the most expensive, creative, carefully designed, and professionally produced TV commercial, speakers are real. They are seen as representatives of “the organization” much more than any advertising campaign.

            Speaker bureau members tend to form relationships with the people they speak to, and often become the contact person when someone has a question, comment, or concern about the organization or its products. It doesn’t make any difference what department or division they might be in, or even what they do. When someone wants to get in touch with “the organization,” their natural tendency is to get in touch with someone they already have a relationship with, even if it is only a brief one. People prefer to deal with someone they know than a stranger.

            As a result, a organization that decides that it wants to have a speaker bureau needs to actively support it in terms of money, time, and training. The organization must also know that regardless of their duties, job classification, or position, speakers are also de facto members of the community relations or public affairs team.

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2.  The Subject of My Speech Is…

            Some organizations and organizations provide speakers to talk about what they actually do and how they do it. Others provide speakers to talk about issues that are relevant to what they do. At times, the broad range of topics that a organization is willing to “talk” about can be surprising.

            Various divisions of the Ford Motor organization around the world, for example, will provide employees and executives who will talk about topics such as automotive history, safety, and design. Ford employees, for example, who are involved in the organization’s various auto racing programs, or who are just racing fans and knowledgeable about the subject, might volunteer to talk about auto racing and how it has contributed to a general increase in automotive safety, design, and performance.

            The organization also provides speakers to talk about all other aspects of the auto sector of activity in general and Ford in particular—from engineering and assembly to stock performance and profitability. They will often provide speakers to talk to community groups about local concerns or issues stemming from organization operations. These can include facility construction and expansion, plant closings and layoffs, pollution, and traffic congestion.

            Ford GLOBE, the organization’s Gay, Lesbian Or Bisexual Employee organization, is an employee organization that provides Ford employees—both hourly and salaried—who talk about issues regarding diversity in the workplace.

            All of these speakers represent Ford, and receive organizational support.

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3.  Case Study: South Florida Water Management District

            The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), which provides water and services to more than a half million people in 120 communities in southern Florida, provides speakers to community groups, schools, and organizations . They have a number of set topics and programs. Most of them last for between 20-to-30 minutes. The speakers include time for a question-and-answer sessions after the formal presentation is over. Their programs include:

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4.  Case Study: Anheuser-Busch

            Anheuser-Busch is the world’s largest beer brewer. From its world headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, it sponsors speaker bureau programs in various locations around the world aimed at promoting responsible drinking and preventing underage drinking.


5.  Creating A Speaker Bureau

            There are Ph.D.s who could make the discovery of human-like life on other planets sound boring, and school dropouts who can hold a room spellbound simply by talking about their day. You cannot look at a person’s educational accomplishments, position, gender, race, size, religion, or heritage to determine if they have what it takes to be an effective public speaker.

            The key factor in identifying good—or those who could become good—public speakers are: Do they enjoy public speaking? Are they willing to try it?

            Relatively few people will say yes to either question. Most people hate and fear it. In fact, surveys show that it is the No. 1 fear of people in the United States.

            There are two approaches to organizing a speaker bureau:

1.      Tell certain key people that they will be speaking in public, regardless of their skills, attitudes, or fears.

2.      Ask for volunteers.

            The second approach is better. You will increase the number of volunteers you have, however, if you offer some inducements:

1.      Recognition, which could lead to faster and further advancement.

2.      The opportunity to speak about something they know and care about.

3.      Compensatory time off or some other reward for giving their time.

4.      A list of topics that they can talk about, and what to say about them.

5.      Help with researching, organizing, and preparing their speeches.

6.      Training to become an effective speaker.


6.  Creating a Speaker Bureau (Continued)

            Let’s look at the list in a bit more detail:

1)         Recognition

            Anyone who regularly speaks in public will become better known. There may even be media coverage, and the speaker could very likely develop into an expert, someone the media calls for comments or an explanation when something related to the speaker’s topic makes the news. They could even become “celebrities.” Speakers also become better known within the organization, which increases their opportunities for advancement.

2)         The opportunity to speak about something they know and care about.

            If you’re not interested in the subject you’re talking about, it’s highly unlikely that you can get and keep your audience interested in it. People will spend more time preparing, and put more passion into delivering, a speech about something that they really care about, or are interested in.

3)         Compensatory time off or some other reward for giving their time.

            No matter how interested a person is in public speaking and their topic, it does take a great deal of time and effort to prepare, practice, and present their speech. Preparing the speech takes even more time. If they are doing this for “the organization,” then the organization should do something in return. Otherwise, speakers could decide to stop speaking, or show their dissatisfaction or lack of preparation and practice times by the quality of the speeches they do deliver.

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7.  Creating a Speaker Bureau (Continued)

4)         Topics.

            It is perfectly natural for a brewery to have people speaking about dangers of underage drinking and drunk driving. It’s as natural for the South Florida Water Management District to talk about how water plants make water safe for drinking as it is about water conservation. What are the natural topics for your organization?

            Once you develop a list of topics, decide what should be said about them. What is the organization’s position on the issue? If the speaker is representing the organization, the speaker has an obligation to represent what the organization believes in. At times, however, there may be no clear consensus on a topic, which means that management has to agree on one before a speaker representing the organization talks about it.

5)         Help with researching, organizing, and preparing their speeches.

            Every organization is filled with information about what they do, and why they do it, as well as with experts in the various fields the organization deals with.

            Even those speakers who are experts in one area of the organization might still need help assembling information about those areas they are not as familiar with; those areas out of their field of expertise.

            If you are going to have a speaker’s bureau, you should also maintain a list of approved topics that can be talked about, what the organization’s position on the issue is, and enough background material—possibly including anecdotes, quotes, and statistics—to let someone use that as a basis for preparing a speech on the topic. You do not want to give your speakers prepared speeches. Instead, you give them what they need to let them prepare their own, so that their speech are perceived as personal and engaging by their audience, not simply reading of canned organization dogma.

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8.  Creating a Speaker Bureau (Continued)

6)         Speaker training.

            While speaker training will be treated in greater depth in another course, a brief look at it as it relates to speaker’s bureaus will be offered here.

            Some organizations run their own speaker-training classes. Others use outside consultants. Another—or additional—alternative is to send your employees to Toastmasters International, or start an in-house Toastmasters group.

            With groups in more than 70 countries, Toastmasters is the world’s largest, non-profit, public speaking organization. At Toastmasters, members learn how to speak in public by speaking in public; speaking within their group and working with others in their group in a supportive environment. Most Toastmasters clubs have 20 to 30 members who meet once a week for about an hour. At each meeting members learn how to:

  • Study the craft of public speaking, and speech preparation.
  • Conduct meetings. Meetings usually begin with a short project/programme purpose session which helps members learn basic meeting procedures.
  • Give impromptu speeches. Members present short, impromptu speeches—one or two minutes—on assigned topics.
  • Present prepared speeches. Three or more members will present longer, prepared speeches on specific topics that will help them focus on developing and improving various speaking skills. These include such as topics as speech organization, using their voices effectively, choosing appropriate language and gestures, and developing persuasive skills.
  • Receive constructive evaluation. Every prepared speaker is assigned an evaluator who points out speech strengths and offers suggestions for improvement.

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9.  10 Tips For Successful Public Speaking

            According to Toastmasters, some nervousness is natural and healthy. It shows you care about doing well. Here are 10 Toastmaster tips for giving better speeches:

  1. Know the room. Be familiar with the place in which you will speak. Arrive early, walk around and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
  2. Know the audience. Greet some of the audience as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.
  3. Know your material. If you’re uncomfortable or unfamiliar with your material, your nervousness will increase. Practice your speech and revise it if necessary.
  4. Relax. Ease your tension by doing some stretching or other exercises.
  5. Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking; loud, clear, and assured. When you visualize yourself as successful, you will be successful.
  6. Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative, and entertaining. They don’t want you to fail.
  7. Don’t apologize. If you mention or apologize for your nervousness or anything else, you may call the audience’s attention to something they hadn’t noticed.
  8. Concentrate on the message--not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties, and outwardly toward your message and your audience.
  9. Turn nervousness into positive energy. Harness your nervous energy and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm.
  10. Gain experience. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A Toastmasters club can help provide the experience you need.

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10.  Talking Time: One Opinion

“A sermon loses its power after 20 minutes.”

-- Mark Twain

 

            In a world conditioned by television shows in which we usually see a commercial every 13 minutes, some experts say that even 20 minutes can be too long for a speech.

            Regardless of the amount of time your speech will take, some experts, such as James Soto, of Boston College, advises breaking it into three distinct time blocks of 20, 70 and 10 percent. In a 15-minutes speech, which is a good length to shoot for, that works out to three minutes, 10.5 minutes, and 1.5 minutes (90 seconds).

            In an Internet article at (http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/fvp/ia/other/speak.html), Boston College’s John Soto showed how to use those blocks of time:

  1. 20 Percent – The Opening: That could include thanking the audience for coming and the person who invited you, telling a joke or two, letting them know what your topic is, and establishing some sort of rapport with your audience.
  2. 70 percent – The Body: Soto advises that you “Always split this segment into distinct parts (e.g. the problems, the recommendations). Put these parts into logical order and offer convincing support for each.” As a rule you have time for three to five different points. More than that would just confuse—and probably bore—your audience.
  3. 10 percent – The Closing:  “It should include a short summary that reinforces the central idea,” Soto says. “Some of the devices suggested in the discussion on introductions also work well here. Audiences remember best what they are told first and last, so don't miss the opportunity to end on a strong note.”~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Assignments

Matching the Columns

1.  The organization speaker bureau                                  A. Presents what the organization believes in

 

2.organization speakers                                                    B. Train and support the speaker bureau

3.The speakers’ obligation                                          C. Link to the outside world

4.  The organization’s obligation                                        D.  Members of the organization’s public affairs team

                                              

 

Answers:  1.) c, 2.) d, 3.) a, 4.) b,

 

Multiple Choice

1.         When someone wants to get in touch with “the organization” they will usually

    1. Call reception
    2. Call someone they know
    3. Call sales
    4. All of the above

2.         You will increase the number of volunteer speakers if you offer

a.         Recognition

b.         Compensation

c.         Training

d.         All of the above

 


3.         To identify a good public speaker, you should look at their

a.         Education

b.         Gender

c.         Willingness to try

d.         All of the above

4.         The best approach to finding speakers is to:

a.         Ask managers to assign someone

b.         Hire from outside

c.         Ask for volunteers

d.         All of the above

5.         One way to learn how to speak in public is through

a.         Karaoke

b.         Toastmasters

c.         Talk shows

d.         Watching TV

6.         Most people don’t like public speaking because they

a.         Hate and fear it

b.         Think its too much work

c.         Have no formal training

d.         All of the above

7.         You are most likely to speak well on a topic if you

a.         Memorize your speech

b.         Are interested in it

c.         Dress well

d.         All of the above

8.         To support an effective speaker bureau, you should

a.         Develop a list of topics

b.         Provide background

c.         Provide organization position on issues

d.         All of the above


Summary

            A speaker’s bureau is an effective way to communicate with external stakeholders at professional, fraternal, social, or educational groups, and schools.

Every time the organization supplies an employee or executive to speak, the organization has a chance to “hand deliver” its message to a target audience.

            While some organizations provide speakers to talk only about what they actually do and how they do it, others talk about issues that are relevant to what they do—or to the people doing them, or to the community as a whole. At times, the broad range of topics a organization is willing to “talk” about can be surprising.

            Few people are naturally good at public speaking. Most people don’t even want to try because they both hate and fear it.

            While it is possible to order people to speak in public, you cannot realistically order them to be effective speakers. As a rule, organizations have better luck with employees who like speaking in public, or who are at least willing to learn how.

            One way to learn how to speak in public is Toastmasters International, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people develop public speaking skills.

            While it is important to know how to speak effectively, it is even more important to have something to say. organizations should develop appropriate topics, and what should be said about them. What is the organization’s position on the issue? If the speaker is representing the organization, the speaker has an obligation to represent what the country believes in. Management has to come to develop a position on an issue before a speaker representing the organization talks about it.

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Module Test

 

1.)        Most people enjoy public speaking

                                               True                             False

 

2.)        You will encourage volunteer speakers by offering inducements

                                               True                           False

 

3.)        You cannot train effective public speakers; people are born with the skill

                                               True                             False

 

4.)        People prefer to speak to someone they know within an organization

                                               True                            False

 

5.)        To present a topic effectively, you must be interested in it

                                               True                            False

 

6.)        The speaker bureau should develop the organization’s position on issues

                                               True                             False

 

7.)        Ford Motor organization provides hourly and salaried employees to talk about issues

                                               True                            False

 

8.)        A big factor in identifying good public speakers is are they willing to try it

                                               True                            False

 

9.)                Only large organizations have speaker bureaus

True                           False

10.)            Experts in various fields within an organization can be effectively used as speakers

True                          False

 


Glossary

 

Speaker’s Bureau – A unit set up in an organization to provide speakers to groups outside the organization to explain.   These groups can be from any part of the community, including schools, professional associations, and volunteer organizations .   The organization’s speakers can explain the organization’s position to these groups.

 

Toastmasters – The world’s largest, non-profit, public speaking organization. Toastmasters gives members an opportunity to practice public speaking in a supportive environment.

 

Visualization –  Imagining yourself as speaking in a loud, clear, and assured manner.  Visualization allows you to see public speaking as a positive experience where you see yourself as successful.
Learning Objectives

 

·         A organization’s speaker bureau provides a direct link to the community, one where the organization has a chance to personally deliver its message to a target audience.

·         The key factors in identifying public speakers for a organization’s speakers bureau are: Do they enjoy public speaking? Are they willing to try it?

 

 


Bibliography

 

Esposito, Janet E. (2000). In the Spotlight: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Performing, Strong Books.

 

Brody, Margaret (1998).   Speaking Your Way to the Top: Making Powerful project/programme purpose Presentations, Allyn and Bacon.

 


Q&A

 

1.       What is a speaker bureau?

A organization speaker bureau is the organization’s direct link to the outside world and are members of the organization’s public affairs team. organization speakers are seen as organization representatives, delivering the organization’s message to the community.

 

2.      How can the organization organize the speaker bureau and select speakers?

Key people with the organization can be appointed as speakers, but  the best way to organize the speaker bureau is to ask for volunteers. The organization should provide support and training to the speakers within the bureau.

 

3.      How can the organization best assist in training speakers?

The organization can run their own speaker training classes, use outside consultants or send employees to outside training organizations .  Toastmasters is another avenue to help individuals practice and improve their public speaking skills.  The organization should also provide speakers with appropriate topics and the organization’s position on issues.

 

 

END OF MODULE

 

END OF COURSE