Entering Our "Reels" Era. Why Speaker Reels Are Important for Programming Events!
/In the fast-paced world of event planning, selecting the right speaker can set the tone for your event, engage your audience, and leave a lasting impression. But with so many speakers out there, how do you choose the right one? Just as we’re buying products through product demonstrations and user testimonial videos on social media posts, we are evermore reliant on speaker reels to make our programming decisions.
For those only planning an occasional event or new to the industry, a speaker reel is a short video that showcases the speaker's best on-stage moments, past client testimonials, and career highlights. It typically includes clips of the speaker delivering presentations, leading workshops, or participating in interviews.
Speaking reels are important for several reasons:
They give you a glimpse of the speaker's style and stage presence. It's one thing to read a speaker's bio, but it's another thing to see them in action. A highlight reel can help you assess whether the speaker's style is a good fit for your audience and event.
They show you the speaker's expertise and knowledge. A highlight reel can give you a taste of the speaker's content and how they deliver it. This can help you determine whether the speaker is an expert on the topic you're interested in and whether they can communicate their ideas effectively.
They help you compare different speakers. If you're considering multiple speakers, highlight reels can help you quickly compare their styles, content, and stage presence.
They can save you time. Watching a few highlight reels is a much faster way to assess a speaker than reading their bio or listening to a full presentation.
Word to the wise: Just because a speaker doesn’t have a highlight reel doesn’t mean they aren’t a great speaker or an expert in their topic. The emphasis on video content and the ability to post past speeches (in whole or in part) is a newer phenomenon for much of the industry (and still remains a concern over protecting confidentiality of the event host and IP of the speaker). If you can’t find a reel for someone, reach out to the agency or the speaker to see what content samples they might have to share privately. Don’t let it hold you back from booking someone amazing!
Be sure to seek out this valuable tool when planning your program. Reels can help you save time, make informed decisions, and choose the right speaker for your event. Check out some of our newest highlight reels for some of our speakers below.
Outspoken Agency is a women-owned speaking agency representing leaders, founders, public intellectuals, authors and entertainers for paid keynotes, workshops and panels at in-person and virtual events. Learn more about our female founders here.