Conference Organisers
One-on-one tailor made coaching for your speakers, to help them increase their impact and help your firm position itself as thought leader in the marketplace.
Are you organizing a client facing conference to show case your firm’s thought leadership?
Do your speakers lack sufficient time to prepare, due to other work commitments?
In the past, have some of your speakers been so technical in what they say that the audience just hasn’t seemed to get it?
Your upcoming conference is an excellent opportunity to position your firm and your home-grown talent as thought leaders in the field … but only if your speakers are well prepared and come across as credible to the audience.
Imagine the difference it would make if your speakers received fully customized support as they prepare for the event, to help them maximize the impact on the big day.
Depending on your unique situation and objectives, you might expect the following results:
Strong and compelling content that resonates with the audience, and leads to work opportunities for the firm.
Well prepared speakers, and coherence in the messaging of the conference.
More visibility for both your speakers, and your firm, in the market place.
Invitations for your speakers to talk at other events, thereby further increasing the credibility of the firm’s thought leadership in the industry.
Higher quality conferences and a better experience for the audience, thereby further solidifying your firm’s reputation.
How It Works
Kick off with the sponsor and/ or organization team
First, I will sit down with you, the event sponsor and/ or organization team, to get a feel for the overall event. We will talk about:
• The overriding objectives for the conference;
• The overall themes and messaging you would like to put across; and
• The audience who will attend, including their level of knowledge about the subject and why they should be interested in what your speakers have to say.
We will also discuss the different speakers and their respective subjects, and we will agree on which speakers I will work with, together with the logistics for doing so.
Rehearsal time with the speakers
Timing for the rehearsals
The rehearsal time generally takes place within the last week before the actual conference. By that time, the speakers should have already prepared their talk, together with any slides or other visual aids that they will use.
I suggest between two and three hours per speaker of rehearsal time, but this may vary from speaker to speaker, depending on their availability and their particular requirements.
In the case of co-speakers – where two or more speakers will come together to co-present on the same topic – I offer the speakers the possibility to decide whether to rehearse together from the outset, or to work separately in a first instance before coming together to rehearse in a second stage.
Preparation
I expect each of the speakers to have prepared in advance of the rehearsal session: both the content of their talk, and the visual aids that they will use.
Please note that the objective of this focused rehearsal session is not to prepare the talk from scratch. If one of your speakers needs this kind of assistance, please refer to the fast track page for more details about how I can assist in this context.
During the rehearsal
We will kick off the rehearsal session by covering the speaker’s personal and professional objectives for the talk, the key messages they want to convey, and why the audience should be interested in their particular talk. Then we will agree on one or two specific goals for the rest of the rehearsal time.
We might choose to work on:
• finessing their introduction and conclusion to grab the audience’s attention right from the start, and hold it until the very end;
• clarifying the structure of the talk;
• elaborating the story-telling aspects of the talk;
• increasing the speaker’s stage presence; or
• managing stress before and during the talk.
What’s Included
• A kick-off meeting with the event sponsor and event organization teams to discuss the overall event, themes and objectives.
• A “pot” of hours of rehearsal time, to be allocated per talk – typically two to three hours per talk.
Who It’s For
Specifically this is a great fit if:
- You want to use the conference to access your ideal clients, and want your speakers to make a real connection with their audience so that they work with you
- Your speakers have limited time to rehearse, and are looking for focused and practical help in the rehearsal time
- In the past your speakers have struggled to explain their ideas in an accessible, non-technical way
- Your speakers have already prepared the content and are ready to finesse the messages and delivery
This programme is not a good fit if:
- Your speakers do not want to be coached: it is never a good idea to impose rehearsals on anyone, as this just reduces all impact of the rehearsal.
- Your speakers have not done any preparation in advance: in two to three hours we do not have time to prepare the talk from scratch.
- You are looking for someone to organize the logistics of the event. I am not an events organizer, I am a public speaking coach ☺