A Little More about Guest Speakers

I believe that we all receive more from a speaker when we feel a personal connection with her.

For instance, last year our guest speaker was a fairly well-known retreat speaker.  The whole circumstance of her being here was a miracle in many ways, because we, as a small church, normally couldn’t afford a more well-known speaker.  However, because she had been a personal friend of our late pastor’s wife, she offered to do this retreat, knowing that it would be our first without our beloved pastor’s wife at the helm.  The majority of our ladies had never met the speaker, but I believe that all of us felt a deeper connection to her and her message because we knew that she understood and had suffered the same loss.  In addition, as she shared some difficulties that her family had faced in the previous year, more connections were made with ladies in similar situations.

Yes, that was a very unique year.  However, the same holds true with every guest speaker.  If they share from their personal life or highlights of their testimony at the beginning of our retreat, often these moments will provide that personal connection for our ladies.  That connection will be a conduit for the message and application of the truths she shares.

A Speaker Speaks

I recently had an opportunity to sit down with a popular retreat speaker and ask her some frank questions. I believe her answers will help us serve our guest speakers.  I am going to bullet point her comments below. Remember, I am speaking from a small church perspective!

• Questions to ask prior to the event:
  •       What drink or snacks do you prefer?
  •       Do you have any allergies?
  •       What equipment do you need?
  •       Do you like to have breakfast served in your room so you can prepare for the day?
• Assign someone to be the speaker’s helper–someone she can call upon for any problem or need.  Give the speaker a number to text to get this person’s help.
• Do a sound check with the speaker, as well as confirming that she knows how to use any other equipment she needs (for instance, if she is using a pointer or projecting slides).  Microphones and other equipment differ from place to place.
• We don’t do this, but apparently some churches will decorate the speaker’s room, even to the point of leaving her a cozy robe. But the question arises: Do they mean for me to take these things home? If you do decorate her room, be sure she knows what is hers to take.
• Announcements directly after a speaker’s session can distract from what God is doing.  Give God time to work. A time of reflection after a teaching session can be helpful.
• Give the honorarium check discreetly, after the retreat, and enclose a specific thank-you written after the event.  Giving your women an opportunity to contribute their comments and thank-yous to this is an added blessing.
• If you leave a gift basket for your guest speaker in her room:
  • Remember: if she is flying, a basket may be difficult to carry on an airplane.
  • Hotel or camp water may not be to her liking; include bottled water if it is not provided.
  • Eating prior to a session may be hard for her; include some snacks in her gift basket (healthy protein snacks, trail mix, bananas).
  • Socks are nice.
• It is nice to have a coffee pot (or tea, if preferred) in the speaker’s room.