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SEMINARS CAN BE A USEFUL CORPORATE PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOL

Written by: Nick Renton

Article Overview: A well-designed seminar with good quality guest speakers can be a winning PR event for both the host company and the audience. This article discusses some practical aspects.

SEMINARS CAN BE A USEFUL CORPORATE PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOL

Enterprising companies often put on seminars on subjects related to their activities. They invite their present and potential customers to these. The primary aim is to enhance the image of the company and to create goodwill among a target audience.

But there is often also an important secondary consideration - namely, a well-founded belief that a customer who is educated is much more likely to spend money to acquire goods or services from the company.

Typically, the panel of presenters at such seminars will include both experts from the company's own staff and prominent outsiders. The former will no doubt regard public speaking as part of the duties of their employment, but the question arises: should the outside guest speakers be remunerated?

In practice many persons are willing to act as guest speakers without any fee, especially where one or more of the following apply:

(1) The speakers have an established association with the company concerned.

(2) The company likes to benefit the community and accordingly no charge is being levied on those attending.

(3) The speakers are:

(a) enthusiastic lobbyists for some pet cause, possibly as active members of some appropriate voluntary organisation; or
(b) in full-time paid employment in some private or public sector position where their express or implied duties include public speaking engagements of this type; or
(c) in business and able to treat their appearance as the quid pro quo for some commercial advantage; or
(d) in politics and thus out to impress voters.

However, notwithstanding such generosity on the part of some guest speakers, it should be realised that generally labourers are worthy of their hire and that people in some situations may legitimately look to fees for lecturing engagements as a legitimate part of their overall earnings.

It does indeed seem anomalous that companies that readily meet, on normal commercial terms, all the other costs of putting on a function - postage, telephones, printing, stationery, catering, room hire, advertising and so on - should somehow regard payments to a guest speaker as being less warranted.

Such an attitude seems particularly unreasonable in the case of a speaker whose performance makes the activity possible and whose name and reputation act as the main drawcard.

On the other hand, not all speakers are mercenary and some make a practice of donating lecturing fees to some favourite charity.

On a different tack, some companies might feel embarrassed in regard to offering money where it may not be expected. They may thus prefer to present a speaker with a valuable gift instead; if this is to happen then some discreet inquiries beforehand may be appropriate, in order to avoid giving, say, a non-smoker a box of cigars.

Irrespective of the size or existence of a fee any person who accepts an invitation to address a function or meeting has a moral obligation to do so to the best of his or her ability and to do whatever preparation may be necessary to make the exercise a success.

Every seminar should be adequately publicised in order to ensure that the size of the audience is in line with expectations and also in line with the indications previously given to the guest speaker. It is very unfair to a speaker who has gone to a lot of trouble to prepare material and/or who has come a long way to then present him or her with a pathetically small number of attendees.

Many speakers appreciate receiving copies of any circulars dealing with their visit which are sent out to customers, and also copies of any relevant press releases and advertisements.

The person chairing the event should obtain suitable background information so that the speaker can be introduced to the audience in a proper manner. In some cases the necessary data can best be obtained by contacting the speaker's secretary some time before the seminar.

The introduction should be made in a dignified manner and should include some personal background, as well as the speaker's qualifications to discuss the subject to be addressed. Such an introduction should not be too brief (unless the speaker is very well known indeed), and should concentrate on those parts of the speaker's background which are most important or which are most relevant to the speaker's subject.

Great care should be taken to quote accurately the names of the speaker and of any books, appointments, honours, academic qualifications, organisations, and so on, mentioned in the introductory remarks.

If the company desires to obtain a written version of the guest speaker's remarks or a formal paper then it should give the speaker plenty of notice. Such requests should not be lightly made, as they involve a great deal of additional time and effort on the part of the speaker.

Guest speakers are usually prepared to answer questions at the conclusion of their remarks.

Arrangements can also be made for such questions to be submitted in written form. This can assist attendees who may be too shy to ask questions orally. It also helps to cut down on speeches made in the form of questions.

This method furthermore allows interested persons who are unable to attend the function to participate to a limited extent.

In addition, this approach allows questions to be arranged in a logical sequence before being answered and it enables similar or overlapping questions to be grouped together in order to speed up the replies. However, oral follow-up questions have a place even if most questions are put forward in writing.

Persons asking questions, even if known to many people in the audience, should be requested to identify themselves by name and affiliation at the commencement of their remarks. This is a usual courtesy to guest speakers and may help them to formulate replies which have regard to each questioner's background.

A guest speaker's remarks should never be recorded or broadcast without consent. Any transcript or summary based on such a recording which is prepared should, of course, be cleared for accuracy with the speaker before it is distributed.

If the company maintains a web site (as these days indeed it should) then it may also wish to obtain the speaker's permission to put the full text of the paper on that site.

It is also customary for the organisers of such events to send a guest speaker a letter of thanks afterwards.

If the guest speaker's remarks have been reported in a newspaper, then it would be a desirable courtesy to send the speaker a copy of the press cutting. This applies particularly if publication occurred either in a local paper or in a journal published by the company itself, as the speaker might not have ready access to (or even knowledge of) the medium concerned.

A well-designed seminar can be a win-win event for the host company and the audience.

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Article Tags: aim, belief that, commercial advantage, earnings, enterprising companies, full time, generosity, goodwill, guest speakers, lobbyists, no doubt, outsiders, pet cause, public sector, secondary consideration, seminars, speaking engagements, target audience, telephones, voluntary organisation



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