13 ways to get new speakers for your user group meetings

These thirteen ideas will help you find new speakers for your user group meetings.

1. Book authors

Book authors are typically keen to spread the word about their books, and hence, might be willing to help out, by speaking at various avenues. It might be a challenge to get older prominent authors. However, newbie authors would be more interested. Another thought here is to hook up with other group leaders, and offer the author the chance to do a session not just at your user group, but a tour around three to four user groups. That would be more attractive to them. Some good sources of new books being published are:

• Microsoft Press: http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/hop/
• New book author listing on O’Reilly: http://oreilly.com/store/newreleases.html

2. Virtual Speakers

Sometimes it’s tough to get speakers to travel to your location, a good alternative that will work with most speakers, is to have them do a virtual session for your user group. Tip: Microsoft UGSS offers a free Live Meeting account to groups focused on Microsoft technologies, which enables you to easily setup a virtual meeting.

3. User Group Associations

INETA, GITCA, PASS and Microsoft UGSS all have a speaker bureau/registry, some of them even sponsor the speakers travel. This is a good option to explore.

4. Influencers

 Microsoft has a number of influencer programs. Experts who are a part of these programs are very open to speaking and helping communities. Find a MVP or RD who might be willing to speak. On another note, figure out if possible who the local RD / MVP managers are and they would be able to help you hook up with potential speakers.

5. Invite local company CEO’s

Provide them an opportunity to give an industry related talk. They would love it.

6. Vendors Speakers

There are a number of companies who build products around the base platform your group is working on. E.g. if you’re on the Microsoft platform, there are a huge number of product and service companies. Quite a few of them are very understanding of the user group community and know that when they are invited, the community is looking for a technology talk and not a sales presentation. They love to speak at UG meetings.

7. Encourage local speakers among your membership

I can’t over stress how super important this is to ensure the group thrives. Here are some suggestions:

• Encourage short 15 min intro round of sessions – this helps breaks the fear most people have and encourages them to speak, one hour presentations are scary for those who haven’t spoken before.
• Encourage potential speakers to join or participate at a local Toastmasters club. You can read about their offer to help user groups out here ->Toastmasters club, and can find their general tips and tricks for speakers out here.

8. Ask your members for speakers they can recommend.

• Make a list of speakers, ask your members to vote, send the top rated speakers an email letting him/her know that x number of your members would like it if the speaker could do a session on y topic. Usually a mail drafted like that would at least  prompt a response if not get the speaker to your meeting. In your mail make sure to ask the speaker for a recommendation to another speaker in case they can’t make it.

9. Other user group leaders

Speak to other group leaders, they would be able to provide great insights on which speakers are available regularly and also provide insights on how good bad the experience has been.

10. Training companies

They might send their top speakers in exchange for a slide or two about their training services.

11. Look up speakers of large events

Events such as TechEd, PDC, MIX, TechDays have a huge pool of great speakers, look them up, drop them a mail mentioning how you found out about them via x conference website, and invite them give a session either in person or virtually.

12. Local Microsoft DPE team Technical evangelists

One of the DPE team focus areas is to encourage the community. INETA, GITCA, PASS and Microsoft UGSS could help you connect with them.

13. Ask your prior speakers for recommendations

Ask each presenter at your meetings to suggest atleast one potential new speaker you could reach out to.

I hope you find this list of ideas on how to get speakers useful. If you find it useful, please share it with other leaders who you feel might need them. You never know they might provide a tip or two or even recommend other speakers. Lastly, if you have an idea which has worked for you, please share it via posting a comment below.