In my post on selecting and booking a speaker, I mentioned the survey 90 Christian speakers completed.

In addition to asking about their speaking fees, I also asked them to share any advice they might have for you.

What follows is a list of those tips, coupled with my personal experience as an event planner and as a speaker.

How to Be a Blessing to Your Speaker

This post contains affiliate links.

I’ve broken these tips down into 4 categories:

1. Before the event
2. At the event
3. After the event
4. If things did not go well.

Blessing Your Speaker Before the Event:

• Pray for them. Ask if they have specific prayer requests.
• Trust them to prepare well. Sharing your theme or scripture focus is great, but let their time in the Word and the Holy Spirit drive the content of their message.
• Pay them well. You’ll find a list of typical speaking fees in the Speaker Selection Guide here.
• Don’t add sessions of any kind to their schedule after the fee has been finalized.
• Send them the schedule and other logistics as soon as you are able – definitely not the day before.
• Add them to the event registration so they receive the same emails the attendees will receive.
• Connect with them 1 week before your event to go over the last-minute details and to pray for them.
• It’s better to ask than assume.
• Check their speaking agreement for details before the event. It may list their microphone preference and stage set up or dietary restrictions.
• Remember they are your speaker. Your job is to plan the event. It’s okay to ask their opinion on something, but don’t ask them to plan your entire event. (That’s what I’m here for!)
• Keep in mind they are likely working with multiple women’s ministry leaders at the same time. Extend grace if email or text responses are slower than you’d prefer.
• Be gracious if you have to send a follow-up or reminder email. Most speakers are self-employed without an assistant. It probably wasn’t intentional.

Blessing Your Speaker At the Event:

• Put them up in a nice hotel in a private room with interior doors. If it’s a multi-day event, give them the opportunity to retire early if they desire so they can be well-rested for the next day.
• Take great photos and send them to them.
• Record a video of their session if you can and give it to them.
• Place their book or resource table in a high-traffic, visible area and encourage your women to visit it. The book/resource table is a great thing to mention in your email right before the event so women can bring some spending money with them.
• Pray for them privately before they take the stage.
• Honor the time and length of their speaking sessions. That may mean asking the worship team to remove a song or the icebreaker leader to wrap things up.
• Speaker gifts aren’t necessary. A small bag with a couple bottles water and a healthy snack are almost always appreciated. If your speaker is flying, keep in mind that she may not have room in her luggage for extra items.

Blessing Your Speaker After the Event:

• If she was great, send her a testimonial she can post online.
• If she was great, tell other leaders you know about her.
• Reimburse them promptly for any unpaid expenses.

If things did not go well…

• If necessary, apologize if something did not go well on your end.
• If the speaker was not good, please do NOT recommend them to others.
• Be honest if anyone calls you to ask about them.
• If they ask for a testimony, decline, don’t lie.
• Prayerfully consider sharing your concerns with the speaker.

If no one speaks up, there’s a good chance the issue will remain – whether it’s a misunderstanding in scripture or a failure to serve your women well. Yes, there’s grace and people can have a bad day, but the Lord may also guide you to speak truth in love. Priscilla and Aquilla’s gentle, private correction of Apollos in Acts 18:24-28 is a great example.

Speaking may seem glamorous, but it’s not as easy as many speakers make it look. Spiritual warfare in the days (and sometimes weeks) leading up to an event can really take a toll on speakers too.

As best you can, receive them warmly and love them well.

You may never know the sacrifices they’ve made to be present with you.

Today’s Toolbox Tasks:

1. Share this list with your team the next time you have a speaker.
2. Discuss which items on the lists you should implement.

I hope you found these ideas as helpful as I did.

The next post in this event planning series will equip and encourage your emcee. Be sure to subscribe to my email list here so you don’t miss it.

You may also want to read:
How to Select and Book the Best Speaker for Your Women’s Event
Series: Planning Purposeful Events for Your Ministry
Rethinking Fellowship: How to Host Meaningful Women’s Ministry Events
Everything You Need to Know About Planning a Retreat
Women’s Ministry Essentials: How to Build and Sustain a Thriving Christian Community
Crafting Event Schedules That Inspire Connection and Spiritual Growth
How to Pick the Perfect Time and Place for Your Women’s Ministry Event
Pricing Your Women’s Ministry Event: A Step-by-Step Solution
How to Plan, Track, and Tweak Your Women’s Ministry Event Budget
The Ultimate Women’s Ministry Event Timeline: When to Book, Plan, and Prepare
Building an Effective Event Planning Team
Building Prayer into Every Step of Your Women’s Ministry Event
Seven Benefits of Hosting Big Events in Your Women’s Ministry