Booking a Speaker, Part One
Showcase interviews Bob Isbill
High Desert’s Bob Isbill has received the CWC Jack London Award recognizing outstanding service to his branch, as well as the rarely bestowed Ina Coolbrith Award for exceptional service to the statewide CWC. He consistently sets high standards for spearheading branch anthologies, competitions, seminars, and events. We recently asked him about booking speakers, particularly during Covid-19.
Showcase: For someone who never did it, how does a person go about finding a speaker?
Isbill: I first try to find out the needs of our branch members. Then I try to fulfill that need. I also try to do a variety of topics so that we are not having back-to-back presentations on marketing, or editing, or any one topic on the craft of writing. Our speaker, Jeffrey Somers, I got by reading an article he had written on the Internet. I found out he was a prolific short story writer. We had not done that topic before, and I contacted him. Zoom allowed us to have a speaker talking to us from Hoboken, New Jersey! I have also contacted other branch program chairs to pick their brains on who did outstanding presentations.
Showcase: What information should you provide when making first contact?
Isbill: I always mention the CWC and its 2,000 members. This gets their attention in a favorable way. I mention the stipend we can offer, and always that we can provide an enthusiastic and appreciative audience. I let them know how long their presentation should take, and the specific topic. I mention the type of audience, and what they are looking to learn from him/her. I always have at least two specific dates they can choose from. If they accept, right away I ask them for publicity information and let them know how we are going to publicize their event. I have a form letter I have devised that I use. I only have to change the obvious information of dates and topics and speakers to get off and running to request a presenter.
Showcase: Are there frequent mistakes and oversights to avoid?
Isbill: With Zoom meetings, not so much. In-person meetings to me are more complex. That is, I let them know we will be providing good audio in a nice venue. If they are doing PowerPoint, it is important to know if they have compatible equipment to go with the club projector, or if they are going to bring their own. Something so simple as the correct connector cable can be vital. I ask them to provide their cellphone and I give them my number in case there is any traffic problem or other reason they are delayed..
Cliffhanger alert!
We continue this interview on next month’s showcase.
Plenty more timely and invaluable ideas follow.