November 2007
Outreach Corner
What to Consider when Selecting a Guest Speaker
You're thinking outside the box and planning an outreach event for your community to attend. Maybe you want to host an Men's Night Out or a Sportman's Banquet or a Super Bowl Half-Time party, and you are looking for a speaker. What things do you need to consider?
We recommend you find someone that fits the following criteria:
- Has integrity and projects a Christ-centered life - You want your guest speaker to be a person that "walks the talk", is a man of character and is biblically-based. Make sure you have done enough checking around about your speaker's reputation to feel comfortable inviting him to represent your church
- Is aligned with your church culture - Since your keynote speaker will likely have most of the upfront time, you want your guest's experience of this person to feel similar to what they might experience in your church if they came to visit after attending your event
- Is entertaining, relevant and friendly - Experience shows that an effective speaker first earns the right to share his faith while building friendship bridges to the audience. Providing some humor, how-to tips and professional expertise on the activity being featured is critical to developing a good rapport with the listeners.
- Can relate to your community - Know your audience! Consider the economic, political, and social climate of your area and make sure your speaker has experience that he can draw from to build connections with your likely attendees.
Make sure someone on your event team serves as the speaker "liaison" and ensures all communication happens in both directions about goals, program flow, A/V needs, etc. With the proper selection and care of your speaker, your outreach event is on its way to bringing more people in touch with Jesus!
Read the other articles in this issue:
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