Write the outcome before the shortlist
Start with the audience, the occasion and the change in thinking you want. A specific brief makes it easier to compare speakers fairly. Include whether participants will watch individually, in groups or across several time zones.
Choose a primary outcome, such as helping managers explain a new direction or giving a team a shared language for collaboration. Keep the desired outcome separate from the event theme or slogan.
Ask to see virtual delivery
An on-stage showreel can help you understand a speaker’s style, but it does not answer every question about remote delivery. Ask for a relevant virtual sample, with permission to view it, and look for clarity, pacing, legible visuals and how the speaker connects with people through the camera.
A sample does not have to reveal a client’s confidential event. A demonstration or appropriately cleared excerpt can still help assess the format.
Compare proposals consistently
| Criterion | What to establish |
|---|---|
| Audience fit | Experience and examples relevant to the people attending. |
| Content | One clear central message and realistic takeaways. |
| Remote delivery | An approach that works for your platform and audience setup. |
| Interaction | What happens, who moderates it and what attendees need to do. |
| Production | Rehearsal, technical requirements and a contingency plan. |
| Commercial terms | Scope, fee, recording rights, cancellation and any follow-up. |
Weight the criteria according to your event. Avoid letting a familiar name substitute for evidence of fit.
Ask for references with context
A testimonial is more useful when it relates to a comparable audience and delivery format. Ask what the organiser wanted, what the speaker delivered and how the organiser assessed the result. Do not assume an in-person testimonial describes a virtual event.
For a new virtual format, ask how the speaker plans to adapt rather than expecting past examples of an identical event.
Confirm the scope in writing
- Date, time zone, live contribution length and rehearsal arrangements.
- Audience profile, expected attendance and viewing setup.
- Briefing, tailoring, Q&A, facilitation and follow-up included in the fee.
- Recording, replay, editing and promotional permissions.
- Technical responsibilities and what happens if a connection fails.
Use the event brief template to bring these decisions together before requesting a proposal.
Where to look, and what each source can establish
| Source | Useful for | Still verify |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker’s own virtual page | Understanding the proposed approach and seeing samples. | Independent references and the current offer. |
| Agency virtual roster | Discovering names across subjects and budgets. | Why this particular speaker fits; listing is not a comparative test. |
| Recent association programmes | Finding expertise relevant to your profession. | Whether the person offers external virtual keynotes. |
| Previous event organisers | Hearing about preparation and delivery in context. | How similar their audience and format were to yours. |
The BigSpeak virtual roster illustrates topic-led discovery, while Great British Speakers offers a broad virtual category. Use directories to find possibilities; evaluate the contribution separately. A category can contain hosts, entertainers and keynote speakers with different roles.
A 20-minute evidence conversation
Use a short conversation to investigate one realistic audience problem. Spend the opening minutes explaining who will attend and what is difficult for them. Ask the speaker to describe an example they might use and why it fits. If they offer a familiar story, ask what a listener in your audience would do with it.
Next, discuss the remote delivery. How do they notice confusion if audience cameras are off? What happens if nobody submits a question? How would a connected room participate? Ask for a specific approach rather than accepting “interactive” as the answer.
Finish with scope and unresolved questions. Confirm who will follow up with the sample, fee and proposed structure. You are assessing clarity and fit, not trying to obtain a bespoke keynote for free during the call.
Use evidence notes rather than a beauty contest
| Test | Stronger evidence | Needs clarification |
|---|---|---|
| Relevant expertise | A concrete example, method or body of work addressing the question. | A prestigious title with no link to the brief. |
| Virtual communication | A sustained remote sample with explanation and transitions. | Only a stage highlights reel. |
| Tailoring | A proposed change to an example, argument or discussion. | Your logo on the opening slide. |
| Audience response | A clear question route and a plan for silence or disagreement. | An undefined promise to make it engaging. |
| Working relationship | Clear answers, named contacts and agreed preparation. | Important assumptions remain unacknowledged. |
Record observations before comparing candidates together. “Explained the trade-off clearly in the sample” is more useful than “good energy”. If two reviewers disagree, identify which part of the brief each is prioritising. Avoid giving unknown information an average score: it remains unknown.
Two contrasting shortlist decisions
Illustration: a technical AI audience. A recognisable business personality may attract attention, but a practitioner able to explain a failed deployment could better answer the audience’s question. Request a sample at the right technical level and ask how limitations will be handled. A promotional demonstration is not enough evidence.
Illustration: a global company gathering. A specialist researcher may have strong depth but assume knowledge that a mixed workforce lacks. A speaker who explains the same idea through accessible examples may be the stronger fit. Test the language, examples and viewing arrangement, not simply the seniority of the biography.
Neither scenario identifies a universally better type of speaker. It shows why the shortlist must follow the audience brief.
Check testimonials in their context
Read what a testimonial actually supports. Praise for a gala appearance says little about an interactive virtual keynote. A quote about being easy to work with supports preparation, but does not establish learning outcomes. Ask a previous organiser, where possible, what the audience was, what the speaker adapted and what they would do differently.
The Motivational Speakers Agency’s virtual-event guide includes attributed client feedback alongside named speakers. This is a useful example of contextual evidence, though agency-published testimonials remain selected material rather than an independent comparison.