Providing Information and Enhancing Skills: Developing a Speaker's Bureau
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WHAT IS A SPEAKERS BUREAU?
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WHY DEVELOP A SPEAKERS BUREAU?
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WHO CAN YOU REACH WITH A SPEAKERS BUREAU?
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HOW DO YOU SET UP A SPEAKERS BUREAU?
One of the best ways to gain understanding of what it's like to experience something you yourself have never been through is to hear someone who has had that experience talk about it. You can tell teenagers that drunk driving is dangerous over and over, but you'll never have the same impact as someone who has survived a drunk driving accident. Hearing personal stories has a unique kind of impact; it's very effective in making the audience think, This could happen to me,or someone I know could be going through this.
By the same token, another very effective way of really getting the point across to somebody is to have an expert or an authority on the subject present the information. For example, a group of women hearing about breast cancer screening may be more interested in what a doctor has to say than they would be in the views of a layperson.
Speakers can narrow the gap between talking about something and fully understanding it. For this reason, speakers bureau programs are a very popular and effective means of promoting education and understanding.
WHAT IS A SPEAKERS BUREAU?
When an organization decides to start a speakers bureau, it puts together a list of potential speakers it feels are qualified to talk to the public about its area of interest or expertise is put together. These speakers may be people who have had life experiences related to the organization's mission, or they may be people who are particularly educated or knowledgeable about the subject. The organization lets the public know that these speakers are available to talk to different groups, and speaking engagements can be scheduled by contacting the sponsoring organization. Speakers bureaus educate and inform the public about the organization and its issues and are usually made up of volunteers.
Speakers bureaus can send a single speaker or an entire panel, depending on the focus and purpose of the organization and the occasion of the speaking engagement. Your organization can set up multiple bureaus made up of speakers qualified to speak on several very specific topics, or a single, more general one.
WHY DEVELOP A SPEAKERS BUREAU?
There are a variety of reasons to use a speakers bureau in your organization or initiative. Since they're usually made up of volunteers, the bureaus are generally inexpensive to run. They can be used for a variety of purposes, such as:
- Raising public awareness about your issues: Many issues that can be confusing, scary, or unclear to people can be explained best by those who have personal experience with them. For example, speakers bureaus have been very effective in educating the public about HIV and AIDS, because hearing about it from people who are living with HIV and AIDS or who have been close to someone who has can make the issue more understandable and real to the audience.
- Increasing your organization's visibility: Speakers bureaus can reach large numbers of people. For example, the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender student organization at the University of Kansas sends speakers to almost every freshman psychology course each semester, so the majority of students on campus are familiar with the organization's purpose and services. Many KU students say they first learned of the group's existence from speakers bureau panels in their classes.
- Increasing public understanding of your organization: If you find that the public doesn't seem to have a good understanding of what your group is and what you do, a speakers bureau can help clear up misconceptions and educate people about your purpose, services, and activities.
- Providing positive role models: People who have experienced a particular problem or condition can serve as an inspiration to others who hear them speak. Recovering drug addicts, for example, can show those struggling with addiction in a drug treatment center that a much better, drug-free life is possible for them.
- Recruiting new members or volunteers: Speaking to groups that include potential members or volunteers is a good way to spark their interest in getting involved with your efforts. For example, the local crisis counseling center in a college town might send small groups of its counseling volunteers out to speak to residential staff in campus student housing. The speakers bureau could not only explain the center's services and offer tips on how to handle students who may need counseling help, but also get people interested in volunteering for the center.
- Attracting press coverage: The local media are often looking for public interest or feature story topics, and your speakers bureau might make a great subject for a report. The idea can be made especially appealing to the press if one of your speaking engagements coincides with a current event that is in the news. For example, a panel of women who have survived domestic violence might be of more interest to the local paper when a high-profile court case involving domestic violence is in the news.
- Raising funds: You can have your speakers give out information about membership drives or upcoming benefit events, or simply describe how people can contribute to the organization. Some organizations even charge a fee for speaking engagements.
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