The Speaker Selection & Assessment Guide: A Structured Framework for Choosing Event Speakers

This guide is designed to help event organizers make more informed, objective decisions about speakers for their programs. By standardizing the evaluation process, this framework ensures that speakers are selected based on their ability to align with the organization’s goals, deliver high-quality and relevant content, and engage audiences effectively.

The primary goal is to create a fair and consistent process for evaluating speaker candidates. This ensures that the selected speakers not only educate and inspire but also reflect the organization’s professional standards and values. By aligning speaker selection with organizational priorities and audience needs, this approach guarantees a higher-quality attendee experience.

Key Evaluation Questions and Criteria

1. Describe your expertise and how it aligns with our audience's needs.

Appropriate Response: The speaker demonstrates relevant expertise, understands the target audience (e.g., meetings and events professionals), and connects their insights to industry trends or challenges.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Clear articulation of expertise (3 points)
• Understanding of audience (3 points)
• Relevance to topic (4 points)

2. What are the key takeaways attendees will gain from your presentation?

Appropriate Response: Offers specific, actionable, and relevant insights that align with professional growth or innovative ideas.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Number of actionable takeaways (3 points)
• Relevance to attendee needs (4 points)
• Clarity of explanation (3 points)

3. Can you provide examples of similar presentations you’ve given and their outcomes?

Appropriate Response: Provides concrete examples with measurable outcomes, such as audience feedback or testimonials.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Number of relevant examples (3 points)
• Quality of outcomes (4 points)
• References/testimonials (3 points)

4. How do you ensure your presentations are engaging and interactive for the audience?

Appropriate Response: Highlights techniques like Q&A sessions, polls, storytelling, or workshops tailored to audience engagement.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Variety of engagement methods (4 points)
• Suitability for professional audiences (3 points)
• Examples of successful interaction (3 points)

5. What steps do you take to customize your content for different audiences?

Appropriate Response: Describes a clear process, such as pre-event surveys or conversations with organizers, for tailoring content.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Customization process (4 points)
• Depth of customization (3 points)
• Examples of past tailored presentations (3 points)

6. How do you handle challenges, such as technical issues or disengaged audiences, during a presentation?

Appropriate Response: Provides specific strategies for staying calm, adapting, and re-engaging the audience effectively.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Practicality of solutions (4 points)
• Adaptability (3 points)
• Professionalism (3 points)

7. Can you share how your presentation aligns with current trends or innovations in the industry?

Appropriate Response: Demonstrates awareness of emerging trends and connects them to their presentation content.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Knowledge of trends (4 points)
• Alignment with presentation goals (3 points)
• Innovation (3 points)

8. What is your experience with presenting virtually or in hybrid settings?

Appropriate Response: Highlights experience in virtual/hybrid settings, including specific tools and techniques for engagement.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Experience level (4 points)
• Use of tools/techniques (3 points)
• Effectiveness (3 points)

9. How do you measure the success of your presentations?

Appropriate Response: Outlines metrics like feedback forms, audience behavior, or post-event interactions.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Clarity of metrics (4 points)
• Alignment with organizer goals (3 points)
• Examples of success (3 points)

10. Why do you believe you’re a good fit for our organization’s events?

Appropriate Response: Expresses enthusiasm, familiarity with the mission, and specific ways they add value.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Enthusiasm (3 points)
• Alignment with organizational goals (3 points)
• Clarity of value (4 points)

Grading and Scoring

Each question uses a 10-point scale, with criteria weighted for relevance. Scores are categorized as follows:

• Poor (0-3 points): Lacks relevant information or fails to address the question.
• Average (4-6 points): Provides basic answers with limited specificity or depth.
• Excellent (7-10 points): Offers comprehensive, relevant, and well-supported responses.

Final Considerations

These questions can be asked by an individual interviewer or in a team interview setting, where each team member records their own score for each question based on the criteria. Afterwards, individual score ratings and score totals can be compared. Total scores can guide decisions, with a clear threshold for suitability (e.g., a minimum of 75 points).

You may find that not every question may be relevant for each event or need to be asked of each speaker candidate, but the response criteria and scoring rubric will certainly lend more objectivity to your deliberations.?

Consider creating a structured feedback form with space for scores and comments and train committee members on the rubric to minimize subjectivity.

A discussion phase is recommended to account for intangible factors like charisma or alignment with organizational culture that may not be captured in scoring.

Implementing this structured approach will ensure consistency and quality in choosing speakers who will inspire and educate your audiences while advancing the organization’s mission.

John Nawn is a seasoned event strategist and education content expert with extensive experience in speaker selection, program development, and experience design. With a background in aligning educational initiatives with organizational goals, John has successfully helped professional associations and event committees identify and engage speakers who deliver impactful, audience-centered presentations. His expertise in structured evaluation processes and outcome-driven programming ensures events that educate, inspire, and align with industry standards.