Archive for July, 2010

An experienced and successful after dinner speaker will have many skills. When compared to an inexperienced after dinner speaker, these skills will shine through. This is because a new speaker has not yet had the chance to hone the skills required for great presentations.

Of course, given the massive variety of different messages an after dinner speaker might be asked to get across throughout their career, communication skills are a must. However, humour is a vital string to the speaker’s bow if he or she is to keep the audience from becoming bored. Because the after dinner speech takes place during a natural lull in the proceedings, they must keep the audience entertained to prevent post-dinner lethargy taking over. Aside from humour, brevity is another string to the after dinner speaker’s bow. The ability to get a message across succinctly is always important.

In-depth knowledge is also vital to the after dinner speaker. It is also very important that the after dinner speaker can demonstrate good, solid knowledge of the topic about which they are speaking. Without a good grounding in the relevant subject matter the audience is unlikely to take them, or their message, seriously. As far as knowledge is concerned, some responsibility lies with the person booking the after dinner speaker. Hiring a reality show star to talk about implementing new sales techniques is an unwise decision. All the same, even respected and knowledgeable speakers should be given some basic grounding in the company at which they will be speaking.

Another major skill that any good after dinner speaker will be able to demonstrate is their ability to understand an audience and its needs. Of course, this does not mean that audiences should neglect to provide background information. In the past, many an after dinner speaker has made faux-pas through failing to be aware of the audience’s needs.