Selecting the right speaker

Sooner or later, most training officers who operate in the management and supervisory fields are faced with the problem of selecting or recommending a guest speaker for an in‐company course or conference. Very often, such presentations are regarded as the highlight of the course and can exert a make or break influence upon its success or failure. All too frequently, however, speakers are selected haphazardly and are thrust into the arena with only the flimsiest of briefings. As a result, their contributions lack both relevance and impact and, in the atmosphere of recrimination which invariably follows such setbacks, management's confidence in the training officer's judgment can be seriously impaired. As in all training activities, success in this area requires a systematic approach, based upon a penetrating analysis of the key performance needs. This article will therefore discuss such an approach, using as a framework a practical five‐step plan.