Ask These Questions to Prepare for a Speaking Engagement
By Mariela Azcuy
Published July 20, 2023
You or a colleague get booked for a speaking engagement. The next thing most people start doing is working on the presentation.
Instead, the next step should be: ask questions. Ask the event organizer questions to get you to a presentation more focused on the audience and opportunity at hand. Then start creating (or adapting). Without the answers, you might face a missed opportunity in your executive communications strategy to connect, build momentum, or influence.
Pro tip: You can and should have one or a few thematic stump presentations that you repurpose. However, rare is that situation where the stump should go unchanged from stage to stage. That would mean you’re not keeping the specific audience in mind.
Some questions should focus on content, and others on the logistical aspects of an event. Both are important. Let’s go through them to make sure you have what you need.
Preparing for a Speaking Engagement
Content Questions:
Is there an overall event theme? Event organizers love cohesion. That’s one of the reasons they choose themes that tie the day(s) together. If they have a theme, you get a clue about what they’re looking for and some keywords you should include in your presentation. You want the audience to feel like you were meant to be there and a critical part of the conference agenda vs. an afterthought.
What is the makeup of the audience? Here, dig into things like mindset, behaviors, job titles, and industry representation. It’s a very different conversation if you’re talking to a room full of cross-functional pharma VPs versus a room that includes pharma, auto, movie studio, restaurant, and toy VPs of Marketing.
You should know if it’s an internal company event or an external event open to the public. If you represent a new technology, you want to understand what level of expertise they have with that tech.
Jeremy Grant, founder and CEO of Knocked-up Money, a personal finance blog for parents and parents-to-be, agreed and shared his top question: "What are the top needs of the audience and what do you hope they walk away with?"
Can you give an example of a presentation that received excellent feedback from the audience? “It's helpful to look at what has landed for audiences in the past, and to see if they have any tips for what types of presentations tend to hit hardest,” shared Joel Kletkke, founder at CaseStudyBuddy.com.
You can uncover nuances like “this audience craves practical advice and real-world examples” or “that audience likes to live in the theoretical.” At the very least, know if you’re there to inform, educate, inspire, or cause people to question their thinking or beliefs. Those goals can intertwine, but there’s usually one that overrides the others.
On the flip side, Grace Townsley, copywriter at Townster Creative Services, likes to ask: “Any bad past experiences you want to avoid? Just be ready for some pretty cringe stories when you ask this!”
Who is speaking before/after you and what are their topic areas? This is one of the biggest mistakes I see speakers make. We’re midway through the first afternoon of an event and the speaker is taking us through the 101 stats and “why we’re here’s” covered during the morning session. It makes the speaker seem out of touch. And it’s exactly the moment when people start checking their Slack.
Repetition can be good to make a point, but make it clear if you’re intentionally repeating something. It works best when you’re building off of what someone else said – or teasing what someone will say – versus acting like what you’re delivering is brand new.
How much should I or can I work in my company? Most cases call for non-promotional presentations. There are, of course, exceptions to that rule. For example, we often help our founder clients prepare for investor general meetings and those are obviously linked to their organizations and lessons learned. Consider how much company-level setting should be included to give credibility or context to your overall presentation.
How much time do I have and what does that time include? Though this question seems technical, the time you have on stage directly correlates to what you present. You may choose to cut out a few case studies or charts, you may need to add some personal anecdotes or a video example. Ask if the time includes Q&A or not…or if that’s counted separately.
Logistical Questions:
How many people will be in the audience? How will the audience be set up? The size of the room impacts everything from what sorts of interactive elements you might consider, if you need a mic or not, and how the Q&A session will run. You may not even need to project slides if it's a roundtable presentation. Printouts are better so that presenting doesn’t become awkward in a small room with some people’s backs to the screen.
Also, make sure you understand the setup of the in-person or virtual room – even if to mentally prepare for what you’re walking into. In a virtual setting, will they see your face and the slides? Will you be able to see the faces of all attendees?
Speaking of mics, what sort of equipment will I need/will you be using?
If it’s virtual, you may need to download a specific hosting software that will be running the event and you don’t want to wait until go time to start downloading that. If using a lavalier mic, you don’t want to wear a top that’s too frilly that may cause noise against the mic.
Pro tip: A friend or personal connection may have booked you. That’s great. But realize they may also not be your best point of contact moving forward. Ask your connection whose job responsibility it is to coordinate with speakers. That’s the only way to be in the know about all the specifics.
What format do you want assets delivered in and by when? I’ve been the agenda planner for events and can tell you that organizers tend to use aggressive presentation deadlines to have enough padding to provide feedback, make changes, or account for missed deadlines. On the flip side, as a speaker or speaker partner, I have never not gotten an extension I’ve asked for.
Buy yourself as much time as you need to make something great but leave some time to get feedback from the organizers. They’ll know the audience best and can provide thoughtful direction if they get the chance. If you get the technical questions out of the way early – IE, send videos in MP4 format separate from the Google Slides – you’ll avoid a mini freak out at the end.
Are there sponsors of the panel and/or the event as a whole and, if so, what role do they play in the session? Snappy’s Head of Communications Colleen Schwartz has smart advice on this topic. First, it can be risky if the sponsors don’t align with your brand’s values and/or are competitive.
Sponsors can also be a positive influence. Colleen adds: “From a vetting perspective, strong sponsors give an event more legitimacy plus make it likely that it will be high quality and well executed (because there are sponsors to answer to!). Taking part in an event with the right sponsors in your industry could also be great for overall networking and lead gen.”
How will your session be promoted? Do you have materials to promote it separately? Make sure you benefit from any marketing engine the organizers are running on behalf of the event. Get them your updated bio, headshot, key links, and speaker topic quickly. Position the topic from the POV of the audience – why is it worth their time to be there? What will they get out of the session?
Use the event’s marketing materials and hashtags in your personal marketing efforts. This will help you build community with other speakers or event attendees before the date.
Pro tip: Instead of just an image and quick heads up that you’ll be speaking at an event on your LinkedIn feed, pull out a takeaway or thought-provoking question that’ll get some engagement. This is an opportunity to show how you can help others think or do differently, or learn something new. You’re teasing what’s to come and also proving that what you have to offer is valuable.
Can I get a copy of the recording? Rare is the event that isn’t recorded these days. Ask upfront about getting a copy of that recording. Otherwise, it tends to get lost in the post-event haze. Proof of successful past speaking engagements is critical to securing future speaking engagements as part of your executive communications strategy.
While you’re at it, ask for a speaker testimonial. These are all much harder to secure eight months down the line when you’re on the cusp of booking something new and your potential booker wants to see a video to make a final decision.
Is there press in the room? If so, can I get a press list? Ask this question tied to bigger industry conferences. If there will be press, use it as an opportunity to build a relationship, talk about trends, or lay the groundwork for an upcoming announcement.
If your executive communications strategy and PR efforts are thorough, you’ll take advantage of these sorts of low-hanging fruit.
These are more questions than you’ll ever need, and at the same time, not enough. No matter how prepared you are, there’s always a possibility you’ll be surprised by something.
Pro tip: If they’re not already planning a prep session, suggest one. You can tackle a lot of these topics at once instead of overwhelming someone with a long list of questions via email. Many times prep sessions include a review of the run-of-show and a tech walk-through, too.
As public speaking coach and author of Pitching Naked Martin Luxton told me: “It's the obvious questions you don't ask that can catch you. I was once invited to a university that asked me to talk about how to use the internet to teach their students. When I arrived at the venue, I discovered there was no internet there – it was a new building and it hadn't been connected.”
His live demo didn’t work out, so he pivoted to pre-recorded videos. Lessons? Have a backup plan but also just know your stuff. No amount of technology – or questions – can substitute for comfort with the material you’re going to present and being sure it’s right for your audience.
