How To Work With A Visiting Speaker – 9 tips

For a wee while now I’ve been helping churches run events and projects, which inevitably means getting outside help. This usually comes in the form of musicians and speakers – although can be in the form of giant chickens and chocolate eggs.

Visiting speakers are awesome! You can find someone who treats speaking as a spiritual gift and a vocation, and they bring an outside breath of newness to your group. I loving getting speakers in, and I sometimes get used as a visiting speaker.

Some churches have policies and budgets for speakers, but in youth work land, we sometimes neglect these in the wake of enthusiasm and last minute planning! So here’s a little checklist to help you get the most out of your speaker:

1. Do your homework

Don’t just go for the biggest names as it’ll cost you your whole budget, and they might not actually be the best voice for your groups. You may even end up compromising the ideal dates and venues to fit their busy schedules. You should look instead for what a speaker values; ask for feedback from people who have used them and – if you can – listen to some of their recordings. Match the speaker to the people they are speaking to, not the topic.

2. Show your working

When sending an invitation to a speaker, specifically point to why you have asked for them. Share what traits they have displayed, or topics they have spoken on which you think will find synergy with your group. This is not about flattery (although it couldn’t hurt, right?), it’s about starting a conversation on the right track.

3. Explain details

Many, if not most, visiting speakers are in some kind of full-time ministry, thus will have lots of sporadic events and dates to juggle. For me that means I really appreciate a few months notice (not weeks), and will want to know who I’m speaking to, and for how long.

4. Give value

If you’re getting in a speaker, use them for what they are good at and are passionate about. Don’t just pair them up with someone they don’t know, or randomly drop them into a space they wouldn’t normally work with. Servant-heartedness aside (that’s for them to work on), they shouldn’t feel like a spare part or just another volunteer. Make sure it’s worth their time.

5. Decide on remuneration

This should (at the very least) be expenses for travel and board, but you really should consider a financial gift for their time. If I’m speaking for 30 minutes, at a 2 hour event say, 15 miles away, then I’ll probably put 5-8 hours total work into it. This includes speaking and being at the event obviously, but also prayer and prep and maybe meetings. I broadly try to delegate 15-35% of an event budget for speakers. Some speakers actually do have suggested rates and payment details – it’s better to ask in a frank and clear way early on – but with the attitude of wanting to bless, not wanting to save.

Note: If you plan on recording their talk and selling material with it in afterwards, then you might want to figure that in somehow too. At very least, you need to get their permission to do so.

6. Be realistic with your expectations

If your event starts at 6pm, don’t ask your speaker to be there with the setup team at 4pm to ‘meet people.’ If you want them to meet people then put on a dinner beforehand. There’s nothing more awkward than wandering around a hall, trying to find ways to be useful (or just stay out of the way) for 90 minutes while it all gets set up. This is time your speaker would rather have been with their family! Also remember that your speaker doesn’t know your young people like you do, and isn’t their to do your job of relationship building, or the Holy Spirit’s job of saving!

7. Ask for their requirements

I don’t mean a rider – as that might be pushing it! What I mean is sound, projection, or helpers to hand things out. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve arrived somewhere that didn’t have a music stand for my notes. Also – ask them beforehand if you want to record it.

8. Say thank you

It’s important to value your speaker. You can give some helpful feedback, but mostly show your gratitude for their work. Visiting speakers are professionals so they can work with feedback and understand that people have different needs. I try and give the ‘triple whammy’ of thanks: 1st, say Thank You in the event publicly, which gives the whole group an opportunity to be a part of it. 2nd, say Thank You to them personally, as the event organiser, when walking them to their car or dropping them off at the train. 3rd, say Thank You a day or two later, over email, highlighting the specific ways you think it was useful to the audience.

9. Don’t let them be a diva

You should value your speaker, but if you have given clear expectations in a timely fashion, then you should expect them to work within those parameters. You can’t change the shape of your whole event to fit them, and you can’t throw out your theology play book to accommodate something their playing with at the moment. They also should expect to be with you for the whole session to gel in well and talk to people afterwards. They shouldn’t nip out the back when their bit is over. Be clear and upfront, and hold them to the expectations you have agreed on.