TSG Speakers Bureau Reference Guide: Public Speakers

Who are public speakers? How can public speakers contribute to my event? Who are some of the most popular public speakers? This installment of The Speakers Group speakers bureau's reference guide serves to answer these questions and help meeting professionals better understand how public speakers can be partners in creating dynamic, successful meetings and conferences.

Who are public speakers?

According to Wikipedia, public speakers address "a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners. " Some public speakers are amateurs, speaking only occasionally outside the boundaries of their professional career. Meeting professionals, however, depend on professional public speakers to deliver keynote presentations at meetings, conferences, conventions and other special events. These speakers may address a variety of topics, from motivation to sales to leadership to politics to education and beyond.

What makes a great public speaker?

The objectives of a public speaker's presentation can range from simply transmitting information, to motivating people to act, to simply telling a story. Good speakers should be able to not only inform their listeners, but change the emotions of their listeners. Professional public speakers have committed themselves to continuing training and education to refine their craft. This includes seeking out guidance to improve their speaking skills -- such as learning better storytelling techniques, for example, or learning how to effectively use humor as a communication tool -- as well as continuous research in their topic area of focus.

A professional, public keynote speaker is considered to be "great" when audience members consistently rate the speaker highly for both substance and style. These leading speakers are able to tailor their message to be relevant to each audience, and they present their material in a fashion that is inviting, engaging, easy to understand, and easy to put into practice.

Meeting and event planners appreciate a great public speaker because he/she understands that he/she is a partner to a greater cause, not the "star of the show." These professional keynote speakers set out to secure kudos for the meeting planner and/or meeting owner first, and him- or herself second.

Who are some of the most popular public speakers?

There are a number of outstanding professional public speakers available to enrich a meeting, conference or convention. Some of the most popular and most requested professional speakers include Chip Eichelberger, Zig Ziglar, Tony Alessandra, Karyn Buxman, Danny Cox and Amanda Gore. All of these speakers have proven very effective in connecting with meeting objectives and delivering a relevant message to the audience. To search for additional public speaker candidates for your meeting, visit The Speakers Group's speaker search page and explore speakers who match your desired topic and budget.