Show Some Love: Why Feedback Questionnaires & Testimonials Matter!
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A standing ovation. Thunderous applause. A post-talk line that stretches out the door. It's easy to assume as the speaker—under the warm glow of such a reception—that you nailed it. But here's the secret: applause doesn't tell the whole story.
As an event host, your responsibility goes beyond booking a big name and watching the seats fill. To truly level up your events (and pay it forward to the next event host), you need deliver honest feedback to help improve and elevate their future speaking career.
Why feedback is an event planner’s love language:
It fuels speaker growth: Just like any performer, speakers need honest feedback to refine their craft. Your insights on audience engagement, content clarity, and overall impact can help them deliver even better talks in the future.
It elevates your event: Sharing constructive feedback opens a dialogue for improvement. Did the speaker align with your event's goals? Did their message resonate with your audience? Did you learn how you might better convey your programming goals in the future? By discussing these points, you can co-create a speaker experience that seamlessly integrates with your vision.
It strengthens your relationships with speakers and agents: Open communication builds trust and fosters long-term collaborations. When you show genuine interest in a speaker's growth, you're creating a valuable partnership that benefits all parties and ensures the agent you worked with will better align your goals with speaker ideas in the future.
It attracts better speaker ideas in the future: By demonstrating a commitment to programming development, you attract higher-caliber talents who know you invest in their success. This can lead to a wider pool of potential keynote speakers for your future events.
The key to our hearts is giving feedback effectively:
Focus on specifics: Instead of a generic "great job," point out specific elements that resonated with you or the audience. Highlight engaging stories, impactful quotes, or moments of audience interaction.
Balance the good with the constructive: Acknowledge what worked well, but don't shy away from areas for improvement. Frame your feedback as suggestions for future refinement, not personal attacks.
Keep it timely: Offer your feedback soon after the event, while memories are fresh. This allows the speaker and the agent to incorporate your insights into their next presentation and/or your next event’s speaker suggestions.
Be professional and respectful: Remember, feedback is a gift, not a weapon. Deliver it with kindness and respect, focusing on helping the speaker and agency grow.
If you’re feeling really positive about the experience, consider formalizing your feedback and giving permission to the speaker to allow them to use your feedback as a formalized testimonial that they may share with other clients. And don’t forget the agency too! Feedback on your experience with them ensures the next event and speaker experience will be even better.
You may also consider seeking feedback on your event as a host too. Maybe you were not able to as effectively communicate your goals with the speaker (and/or agent) as you thought. Perhaps your committee or boss had different goals that what resonated with the audience. It doesn’t hurt to create a full feedback loop for everyone involved.
It’s important for speakers to take this (sometimes) tough love in stride and understand that feedback will only improve their speaking careers in the long-run:
Establish an expectation: Make it clear to agents and event hosts that you value feedback and actively seek it after every event. Include this in your event agreement.
Offer different channels: Some event hosts and agents might prefer a phone call, others a detailed email or questionnaire to share with you. Give them options to share their thoughts in a way that feels comfortable for them.
Show you're listening: Acknowledge their feedback and explain how you plan to use it to improve future events or collaborations. This demonstrates your commitment to growth and strengthens your relationship.
By engaging in a meaningful feedback exchange, event hosts are not just helping the keynote speaker; you're creating a win-win scenario that elevates your events, builds trust, and fuels the growth of everyone involved. So, the next time the curtain closes or the webinar ends, get ready to write the next chapter in speaker excellence, one honest conversation at a time.
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.