Before You Hire Your After Dinner Speaker...

Regardless of the sort of event or occasion that you are working on, an after dinner speaker will almost certainly be able to bring something to the table. Any event organiser will tell you that a good quality after dinner speaker is weapon of choice in their organisational arsenal thanks to their ability to round off an event in a really positive way, resulting in truly unforgettbale events.

Events at which an after dinner speaker often features vary greatly in genre from charity fundraisers to sports dinners to corporate gatherings but in all of these cases the aim of the speaker is more or less the same. An after dinner speaker will always try to make an event unforgettable. Of course, they have varying degrees of success. There are some tell tale signs of a good after dinner speaker and it is a good idea to consider these when hiring one.

Even in circumstances where the event might have an informational or educational tone, the after dinner speaker will avoid lecturing their audience and making them bored. Rather, an experienced speaker will call upon their sense of humour and light-hearted manner to inform their audience. Often, the presentation will be inspirational or thought-provoking but an audience should never feel bored. Good after dinner speakers with plenty of experience behind them will understand how to make the most out of the layout and acoustics of the room in which they'll be presenting. For example, an audience will feel more involved in a speech if they are able to see the speaker. As a result, many event organisers opt for cabaret-style seating.

Catching and keeping the audience's attention and interest is vital to any good after dinner speaker. They may choose to use visual aids or humorous anecdotes to help with this. It is also helpful if the audience feels as though the speech has been written specifically for them. It is always important that the after dinner speaker keeps his or her presentation up to date by linking in their topic with recent news stories or issues faced by the audience.

Perhaps the most vital skill of an after dinner speaker is their ability to end presentations always on a positive note. Even very serious or sad presentations should end on a positive. Allowing the audience to leave on a positive note is what will help them remember your event in a positive way, making the difference between a success and a flop.