It takes a tremendous amount of your energy to obtain speaking engagements the first time. Why not capitalize on a post-event meeting with the event planner?

Studies have shown it takes seven to ten times your effort (which usually means seven to ten times your time) to obtain a new speaking engagement.

Do you have post-event meetings with each speaking event planner? If so, great! If not, why not?

Below, I explore three agenda items for your post-event meetings to ensure a steady flow of speaking engagements in your speaking business pipeline.

Show Audience Feedback to the Event Planner

There is nothing more powerful to convince an event planner to have you back to speak as feedback from the audience from the event at which you just spoke. How do you get this feedback to the event planner?

Paper evaluation forms have been around for quite a while. However, it is sometimes hard to collect all the forms, and even what you collect is feedback, which usually has a few worthwhile details you can use to improve your speaking performance.

What if I told you there was a way to collect audience feedback, collect full names and e-mail addresses of audience members with permission, and send audience members a lead generator as a reward for providing their feedback with no paper involved?

Here is where Talkadot (www.talkadot.com) comes in. Talkadot is the best way to get instant testimonials & data, making it a no-brainer for new clients to book and rebook you — because the data says so.

Talkadot produces a QR code on a slide you can put in your presentation. Using the cameras on their phones lets your audience focus on the QR code, leading to an evaluation form that gives you audience feedback. As mentioned above, you can reward your audience members who participate by allowing them to download a lead generator.

Most importantly, Talkadot also produces a professional feedback report you can share with the event planner for your recent presentation and with event planners of future speaking events.

Discussing audience feedback with the event planner at the post-event meeting is critical to show the event planner your presentation was well received.

Showing audience feedback to the event planner increases your chances of being asked to speak again to the same organization.

Another item not to miss in the post-event meeting with the event planner is asking for feedback—what you did right, what you need to improve, and how to improve it.

Ask the Event Planner for Feedback

Most people don’t like to hear feedback. It is human nature not to want to hear other people’s opinions of your speaking. But feedback is “pure gold” for improving your speaking.

Ken Blanchard of One Minute Manager fame says, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”

Your ability to act against your human nature regarding feedback is critical to your maturity as a speaker.

Audience feedback is crucial to your speaking maturity. Your post-event meeting with the event planner is also vital to your maturity as a speaker. You should ask the event planner a few questions during the meeting. They are:

• Did I meet your expectations?

• What do you think I did well?

• Is there anything I can do differently to improve my future presentations?

So, the post-event meeting with the event planner is a unique opportunity to gather valuable feedback. Don’t miss this golden opportunity to improve your future speaking.

The post-event meeting with the event planner is also an opportunity to ask for other opportunities to speak.

Ask for Other Speaking Opportunities

In the post-event meeting, ask for opportunities with other events in the same organization.

The leads the event planner gives you about other events in their organization are the best ones because the event planner can recommend you to their organization.

The second-best place to ask for opportunities from the event planner is in the event planner’s national organization.

A recommendation to speak to the national organization from a lower level is valuable and will likely be fruitful.

The third best place to ask for opportunities from the event planner is with other event planners your event planners know in different organizations.

The bottom line is a recommendation from the event planner to someone they know always has a better chance of being fruitful than making a cold call or sending a cold e-mail.

So, the three agenda items for the post-event meeting with the event planner are (1) showing audience feedback, (2) asking for feedback, and (3) asking for other speaking opportunities.

Always hold a post-event meeting with the event planner. Holding this meeting is like mining in a vein of “pure gold” for your speaking business.

Don’t miss holding the post-event meeting with the event planner!

Call to Action

• Show them the event audience feedback

• Ask for feedback from the event planner customer

• Ask for other speaking opportunities

Frank DiBartolomeo is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and award-winning speaker, presentation and interview skills coach, and Professional Member of the National Speakers Association. He was awarded Toastmasters International’s highest individual award, Distinguished Toastmaster because of his outstanding work in public speaking and leadership.

Frank formed DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC (www.speakleadandsucceed.com) in 2007. The mission of DCI is to help technical professionals to inspire, motivate, and influence their colleagues and other technical professionals by improving their presentation skills, communication, and personal presence. Reach Frank at frank@speakleadandsucceed.com and (703) 509-4424.

Don’t miss Frank DiBartolomeo’s latest book!

“Speak Well and Prosper: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Better Presentations”

Available now at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com