Speaker Coordination Guidelines

In the last eight years I have spoken at over thirty conferences across Europe. Here's what I wish organizers would do more often. 1. Give the speakers all the necessary information in advance. We need to know the date, time, and place of the event and of our presentation. This may seem obvious, but there have been events where I didn't know where and when I was going until the last moment. 2. Let speakers know who they are presenting to and how they should present. Who will be in the audience? In what language should I present? How long will the presentation be? In what format should I send you the presentation file? What aspect ratio should I use? Will the presentation be streamed? Will it be recorded? How will audience interactions work technology-wise? 3. If you need information from the speakers, tell them exactly what you need. If you need my bio, how long should it be? If you need an image, what is your preferred resolution? What background do you prefer for the picture? When you receive these things, confirm that you received them so I know all is good. 4. Provide speakers with a single point of contact. I often communicate with multiple organizers and it's not clear who is responsible for what. If you're going to hand me off to someone else, make it clear to whom I now "belong" and who I can contact. 5. Provide a safe place for belongings. It's not always practical or comfortable to carry all my stuff on my back all day. Provide a guarded place for speakers to leave their belongings. This is also important right before the presentation when I need to empty my pockets. 6. Be strict about timing. Provide the speakers with a timer and ask the hosts to make sure the speakers finish on time. This is good for the audience, who aren't forced to listen to speakers longer than expected, and for the speakers, since everyone's time is respected and the time allocation remains fair. 7. Provide speakers with a screen where they can see their presentation without turning around. This makes presentations look smoother and more professional. 8. Allow speakers to present to the organizers in advance and get feedback. Provide guidance to speakers who need it. Many poor presentations could be prevented if someone else saw the presentation beforehand and was able to give the speaker feedback. While it may feel awkward at first to comment on a speaker's content, you are ultimately responsible for the audience's experience at the event. Fellow speakers, what else would you like to tell conference organizers? Conference oranizers, what would you like to tell speakers? #conferences #speaking #eventmanagement

My son was recently on a panel at a conference, presenting to an audience of families about his life as a person with Down syndrome. From that experience, here are my top tips about supporting any panelist at an event or conference. Note: using the universal design approach, if you support speakers like my son who have an intellectual disability, you will also support EVERYONE, including people who have PhDs. The principles are the same. BEFORE the event: 1. Ask the panelists about their preference for approach and logistics. Some folks would like to deliver remarks before launching into answering questions. Share upfront if they are being compensated (or not). 2. Arrange a prep meeting so all the panelists can meet - at least virtually on a video call. Have the panelists introduce themselves and their perspectives, so each person understands where they fit on the panel. 3. Give direction about the theme, the three key messages and the take-away action. Please don't just say 'have a conversation,' or 'share your story.' This is too broad and every speaker is entitled to direction based on the audience's needs. 4. Send the questions for the panel out beforehand so the panelists have time to think about their answers. 4. Identify the order of the speakers. Please don't leave the patient/family speaker until last! (Unless they want to go last). 5. Be clear about the logistics - what are the directions to the vanue? Where is the parking? Who is in the audience? Do you require slides? What is the stage like? Will there be comfortable chairs? (Don't make me tell my horror story about sitting on a bar stool in the TIFF Centre in a skirt please). AT the event: 1. Ask the panelists to get there early and facilitate introductions so they can meet each other. 2. Test the mics and clickers if there are slides. 3. Please please don't make changes last minute - like adding other speakers to the stage or changing the order of the questions - particularly for new panelists or folks who have intellectual disabilities. It is hard to pivot on-stage, although I have to say at this conference my son did it a lot better than I would have! 4. The moderator must ensure the audience is respectful and gently keep track of the time. 5. Questioners should always use a microphone and the moderator should repeat the question for the panelists. AFTER the event: 1. Check in with the panelists afterwards to see how they are feeling - both in person and consider booking a debrief call. 2. Share event feedback as appropriate. Easy peasy, right? It is my humble opinion that all speakers should be supported by conference organizers. If you haven't engaged patient speakers before, lean on best practice in engagement. This wisdom comes from other patient speakers! For more information, you can download my Giving a Talk infographic here: https://lnkd.in/guc-b--c

Myth I’m Correcting Today: Speakers Are Not Just Names. They Are Projects. ➡️Here’s a truth most event organizers get wrong: 🟡Human beings are projects. 🟡Therefore, speakers are projects too. That insight is how I merged my Project Management expertise into building Heard in Africa. ↳ Speaker management is project management. ✅ Every professional speaker needs: - clear timelines - defined scope - budget alignment - technical checks - measurable outcomes And the result they must deliver is simple: ✨an exceptional presentation on stage that elevates the entire program. ✨ At Heard in Africa, we don’t treat speaker coordination as admin work. ✅We treat it as an operations system. ↳ To deliver consistently, we deploy a structured framework that separates well-run events from chaotic ones. ➡️THE SPEAKER MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK 1️⃣ Phase 1 – Speaker Strategy & Selection ↳ Objective: Ensure every speaker serves the program goal—not just the lineup aesthetic. 2️⃣ Phase 2 – Speaker Onboarding & Alignment ↳ Objective: Remove assumptions early through formal briefs and written confirmations. 3️⃣Phase 3 – Content & Program Governance ↳ Objective: Protect agenda integrity with deadlines and clear session rules. 4️⃣Phase 4 – Logistics & Experience Management ↳ Objective: Enable speakers to perform at their best with calm confidence. 5️⃣Phase 5 – Performance, Feedback & Close-Out ↳ Objective: Turn one event into a long-term relationship. ➡️This framework solves real pain points: 🔴Last-minute speaker drama 🔴Program instability 🔴AV and stage stress 🔴Speaker dissatisfaction 🔴Burnt-out teams It treats speaker management as a discipline, not a series of WhatsApp messages. The best events feel smooth because someone did the operations work early. And that is leadership. What assumption about your work are you correcting this year? #events #speakermanagement #eventspeakermanagement #speakers #projectmanagment #riskmanagement #timelines #scopes #budget ——————————————————————— 👋 Hi, I’m Chimfumnanya (or Nana for short). I’m the founder of Heard in Africa, a speaker directory and event speaker management agency amplifying professional African voices. I’m passionate about public speaking, building speaker brands, and staying ahead of trends in the speaking and event industry. If this resonates with you, let’s connect!

“Hey Harshit, I won’t be able to speak at the conference. I’ve got a board meeting that I need to attend.” If you’ve ever managed speakers for a big event, you know this is part of the reality. These are senior leaders with thousands of priorities, and your event is one of many important commitments on their calendar. Conflicts happen. As field marketers, our job is to make it easy for them and seamless for attendees. Here are some principles I’ve learned for effective speaker management: 🔑 Don’t expect speakers to do all the heavy lifting: From session title to presentation design, don’t put it all on them. After your intro call, suggest a few strong titles. Provide templates for structure. Share a branded presentation template. Then, let them focus only on the content. Have your design team polish the final deck so they can just show up and deliver. 🔑 Always have a backup plan: Identify alternates or backup formats early. Could a panel work? Could a customer or internal leader step in? Scenario planning upfront avoids last-minute panic. 🔑 Spread the weight across the agenda: Don’t let one speaker carry the entire event. A balanced lineup makes you less vulnerable to cancellations. 🔑 Over-communicate timelines: Prep calls, reminders, and clear deadlines reduce surprises and keep things on track. 🔑 Prioritize relationships: When speakers know you value their time and make the process effortless, they’ll prioritize your event, even in the middle of busy calendars. At the end of the day, attendees won’t see the fire drills behind the scenes. What they’ll remember is the experience and the insights they walked away with. How do you handle speaker management and last-minute dropouts at your events?