At high-profile corporate, industry, and association events, the quality of the speakers can make or break the experience. Even accomplished speakers often go over time, dive into unnecessary detail, or lose track of their audience. That’s where coaching can make a difference.
The Challenge
Many of our clients who direct large events find their speakers, while professionals in their fields, are still learning how to be influential on a stage. They can be unprepared, unfocused, and long-winded. Their content often lacks clarity and relevance, making it harder for audiences to stay engaged. For event organizers, this creates unnecessary stress and risk.
One event director reflected: “Our speakers are smart, but without support, they lose focus—and we can’t afford that at a high-profile event.”
Why Outside Coaching?
Internal teams struggle to give candid feedback—it’s hard to critique senior leaders without risking relationships. An external coach brings neutrality, authority, and the freedom to deliver tough but necessary feedback.
Our Approach
We start working with speakers 6-8 weeks before the event through a series of 4–5 coaching calls. The process covers:
- Clarifying key takeaways and goals.
- Structuring a strong storyline.
- Guiding effective use of stories and visuals.
- Iterative practice with direct feedback on pacing, filler words, stress responses, and delivery.
The Results
- Speakers: Clearer, more confident, consistently within time limits.
- Audiences: Higher satisfaction scores and comments praising focus and clarity.
- Events: Smoother execution, less stress for organizers, stronger overall reputation.
One of our favorite proof points: we’re hired back year after year supporting keynote and breakout session speakers, and lead pre-conference workshops. Many speakers even request coaching again, knowing it elevates every talk they give.
After two years of working with us, one event organizer reflected: “We won’t host our event again without supporting our speakers in this way. Our audiences have noticed and our event has leveled up.”
So who have we done this for? Our list includes but is not limited to:
- A Fortune 10 Company’s quarterly town halls for over 10 years.
- A Big Ten university’s high-stakes donor and development events for 9 years.
- A global tech company’s international user conference–coaching 100 speakers a year for 5 years.
- Events where startup cohorts pitch to investors 3 times a year for 4 years.
- Five years of an annual tech conference with 25+ speakers.
- A global plenary session with 6 speakers in front of 5,000 attendees.
Across every speaking genre and event type, our process produces results that elevate both speakers and events.
Takeaway
Strong speaker coaching doesn’t just improve presentations—it transforms the entire event. Prepared speakers create engaged audiences, smoother rehearsals, and less stress for event teams. For organizers, that means peace of mind and a stronger return on investment.
*** Please contact us at info@articulationinc.com to discuss how we can provide greater confidence that your event will be successful with prepared speakers.***