The Speaker Industry
We all know that the world of work has changed dramatically over the past few years. And one of the best places to see specific evidence of those changes is by looking at upcoming conferences and the topics that speakers are being asked to address. After all, when thousands of leaders and professionals gather, there's a wealth of insight we can glean about the shifting mindsets of the companies sponsoring those events. I recently spoke to several experts in the industry to gain a deeper understanding of what companies care about in 2022.
The Need For Safety, Hope And Positivity
Betty Garrett, CMP, is the CEO of Garrett Speakers International, a boutique speaker bureau. As a leader in the events industry for more than three decades, she notes that, "Companies are increasingly prioritizing the emotional well-being of their people. They want their keynote speakers to offer safety, hope, positivity so attendees will feel motivated to take action. There's so much confusion out there that companies have to be more aware of and sensitive to needs of their attendees. Many people have lost their self-confidence due to the pandemic, so now they're looking for hope. They're looking for a message that's energizing and inspiring."
A similar thought was offered by Mark Castel, president and founder of AEI Speakers Bureau. With 40 years of experience as a lecture agent and bureau owner, he shared that, "With all of the uncertainty out there, companies and events are looking for speakers who can really bring the group together, someone who's upbeat, can coalesce a group, and inject some fun. Companies may want to handle the business-specific parts of the meeting internally (like strategy, marketing, etc.), but they want an outside speaker to provide a memorable experience, to bring the group together."
Karen Harris, the CEO of cmi, a management agency that represents a roster of speakers internationally, added that "We're also seeing demand for softer leadership skills, like emotional intelligence. This is especially important given the prevalence of hybrid work environments. We now have to lead, inspire and retain all of our people, even though some are in the office and others are virtual. One of my speakers, Stacey Hanke, noted that as people go back to in-person work, we're seeing people feeling more vulnerable. After two years of having the screen in front of them, people are feeling vulnerable and uncertain about how to be in relation to customers, colleagues, having difficult conversations, delivering a sales pitch, etc."
Alec Melman, CEO of Gotham Artists, a leading speakers bureau and talent agency, tells me that "Whether you call it the great resignation, the great restoration, or equalizing the balance of power between employee and employer, this is a major priority for organizations right now. We're seeing a big demand for experts in talent retention, workforce issues, employee engagement, keeping your employees happy, etc."
And Michelle Joyce, founder and president of Michelle Joyce Speakers, an exclusive speaker management agency, noted, "The way we work has changed, so we're seeing a need for helping leaders engage their employees right now and create a positive, safe, and effective workplace culture. We're hearing requests for topics like psychological safety and new employee expectations and preferences. It's leadership, but it's different right now. There are several generations in the workplace. How do you engage each of those generations where they are and inspire, motivate and communicate with them in the way that they need? There's also a big need for tactical strategies for avoiding burnout, setting better boundaries with regard to time management, work-life balance when you're working from home, etc."
The Increasing Importance Of Diversity And Inclusion
"One topic that has greatly increased in importance in 2022 is equity and inclusion," notes Garrett. Harris echoed that sentiment, saying, "Social justice issues loom large, of course, as do diversity and inclusion." Melman added that "Employee resource groups are very active now, and diversity-related topics are being prioritized."
"Given the divisiveness permeating the world right now, people want speakers who can demonstrate, inspire and teach empathy," noted Castel. "If you have empathy for people different than you, many problems become fixable because you can understand who they are and see the world through their eyes. Events and executives don't want more divisiveness; they want empathy and togetherness."
Greg Friedlander, president of All American Entertainment, a full-service talent booking agency, notes that not all of the changes we're seeing are pandemic-related. "Prior to 2020," he says, "we saw fewer speaker requests for 'awareness events' (e.g., Hispanic Heritage Month, Juneteenth, Pride Month, etc.) from our event organizer clients, and when we did book these types of events, they were most frequently for colleges and universities. Now, we're seeing awareness event bookings from all kinds of clients these days—universities, organizations, and corporations—regardless of industry or sector. The death of George Floyd, followed by both the Black Lives Matter movement and then later by 'End Asian Hate' drew immense focus onto the challenges that we face as a nation around diversity, equity, and inclusion. Over the past two years, these events brought DEI conversations into the mainstream and into corporations where previously these had typically happened mostly at universities or with associations."
Companies Trying Different Approaches To Inspire Employees
In addition to the shift in ideas that companies are prioritizing, some organizations are stepping outside-the-box in the way they're trying to engage audiences and employees. As Melman says, "Right now, the best speakers sometimes aren't speakers. They are giving audience members an experience because that's something that people are really lacking right now. We've had great success with speakers who play drums and painters that get off the stage to deliver an interactive experience."
And Harris notes that "we see people wanting more discussion about the metaverse, AI, digital selves, virtual reality. And we're even seeing greater requests for less traditional speakers like social influencers from Instagram and TikTok."
While company priorities have certainly changed, Castel notes that one thing remains the same: "Working from home is not going away, but getting people together is something that most organizations want to do."
