Keynote Speaker and Comedian Jan McInnis offers up some tips on selecting the perfect keynote speaker for your next event. She notes that she once received a review in which the client wrote "Selecting a keynote speaker is a leap of faith. You might have recommendations and watch videos, but you really never know what you're getting until that moment on the podium."

"This is true" quips McInnis, "but if you're looking for a great keynote speaker, you can narrow down the field if you pay attention to a few other things."

She notes that recommendations from your colleagues in the industry are good, and if you're currently working with a speakers bureau or agency, then certainly sue them. But if you want to wade into the speaker booking waters yourself, then she offers a few not so obvious things to look for to make sure you get the perfect keynote speaker.

1. Get recent client quotes. References are great, but who's going to give out a bad reference? Nobody. So go with a client quote. Quotes are harder for a speaker to get because conference planners are busy. Even if they love you, they are busy. So if they stop to give you a quote, it holds a LOT more weight.

2. Watch their video – the video doesn't have to be long, but it does have to showcase the speaker. Do they do what they say they will do? If the speaker says they're funny, there should be humor in the video. If they say they'll be sharing business tips on how to, for example, become a millionaire, then there should be at least 1 tip in there that is solid and could make you millions. I've seen speakers use the video as one long bio highlighting the groups they've spoken to IN THE PAST or the things they WILL do in the future. You want to make sure that the video shows them actually doing it!

3. Have they done this before? You do not want to be their first, second, or even tenth "rodeo" – that's what volunteer organizations are for - so the speaker can work out their keynote before a paying event. Make sure they give you a solid list of organizations they've been paid to speak to.

4. Get recent ATTENDEE quotes. These are the people who actually listened to the speaker, so make sure the attendees are saying more than "he was great!" Instead, you want to read specifics about what the attendee got from the message or how they're going to use the information at work or in their personal life.

5. Does the speaker have support? There are MANY fantastic speakers who are 1-person offices, but if they have an assistant, then it's a big plus. An assistant means you won't have to wait for the speaker's free day off the road to get you what you need. It may also mean that the speaker is so busy that they need a second or third set of hands to get things done.

These are just a couple of ideas that can get overlooked when looking for that perfect match for your event.  

And if you want to read the rest of the quote that Jan received, it's in the above graphic. .