How to choose the right CME speaker | eMedEvents

 Are you having trouble finding speakers for your Continuing Medical Education conferences? Your audience is comprised of healthcare professionals, and they often have high expectations for speakers; after all, your speakers will be the ones representing and communicating your educational content to them, and for the sake of their careers and their patient's health-your audience expects the information to come from those who are both credible and trustworthy. However, on top of your other responsibilities regarding event organization, finding an AME speaker who meets the mark can be a daunting task.

Most CME events will not be able to make profound impressions on their audiences without the help of qualified and captivating speakers. A good CME speaker is capable of connecting with attendees in a meaningful way that leaves them empowered and ready to integrate the latest industry trends and techniques into their practices. Therefore, choosing the perfect speaker to complement your CME content is essential.

won't be able to achieve their objective of making a profound impression on audiences without a qualified, captivating CME speaker. A conference CME speaker will connect with all those in attendance, and leave them empowered by the latest industry trends and techniques. With this in mind, choosing the perfect CME Speakers to best complement your conference's core theme is essential.

By following these five tips, you will be able to recognize which speakers are capable of properly conveying your CME content.

1. Take a deep dive through various social media platforms:

CME speakers rely heavily on visibility and exposure as means of securing their next conference. Therefore, they must constantly establish and maintain different avenues through which they can promote themselves and what they do. Just like CME organizers and healthcare professionals, speakers can be easily found on one or more social media sites. Take some time to scroll through their profiles; you can discover vital information, such as how long they have been speaking and what other CME events they have participated in. Even better: you may find videos of them speaking, which can give you insight into how they might influence your event.

2. Look for speakers that have presented topics similar to yours:

The ideal speaker has already established a good reputation for interacting positively with attendees. This may seem like common sense, but remembering to select a speaker with a background in both CME and your chosen specialty can prove an immense help in narrowing down your options.

3. Review CME events they have done in the past:

The most detrimental mistake you can make as a CME event planner is hiring a speaker who does not know how to engage properly with your attendees. Despite the time and effort, you have put into researching and compiling information for your event, a poor speaker can invalidate all of your work by failing to adequately convey your content to the audience. When considering candidates, ensure they have a fundamental grasp of public speaking, at the very least. As mentioned above, watching recordings of speakers at work is invaluable when it comes to predicting how they will address your attendees. 

While prior experience is always nice, the success of your CME event does not hinge on whether or not you have a popular, well-known speaker. At times, it may even be more beneficial for you to hire someone new and offer your audience the opportunity to listen to a speaker that they have not already heard several times before.

4. Read reviews & testimonials:

Testimonials can be a lifesaver if you cannot find a video of a given candidate's speaking abilities. By reading the accounts of those who have experienced speakers' skills firsthand, you can form an idea of the type of impression they will leave on your audience. 

For CME speakers listed on eMedEvents, we always follow up with our clients regarding feedback on their speakers, which we then add to those speakers' on-site profiles. Taking the time to read the opinions of both CME organizers and event attendees is an invaluable way of determining which speaker will best complement your event.

5. Consider each speaker's payment expectations:

No two bookings cost the same, even when dealing with the same speaker; a variety of factors come into play when speaker determines their pay expectations, from the organizer's preferred speaking style to the length of their speech to the number of days they are expected to work. Due to this, most speakers choose not to advertise their prices, which can make it difficult for CME organizers to find options within their budget.

Do not be afraid to contact speakers who you might like to hire. If you reach out to someone and, after discussing your expectations with them, determine that their price is outside of your budget, always be honest and thank them for their time.

Parting Advice:

When it comes to choosing the right speaker for your CME event, you do not need to break the bank by hiring someone famous within your specialty. After all, popularity is not always an accurate indicator of skill, and there are a plethora of experts out there who are unknown and waiting to be discovered.

You want a speaker who will resonate profoundly with your audience, and that is not always possible if you rely on someone whom your audience has experienced time and again. Always choose the speaker who can align the closest with your vision and goals for your event; remember, you are hiring them for service and not vice-versa.