Blessing Your Guest Speaker
In addition to making sure the guest speaker is fully informed before the event, and providing a hostess to care for her needs during the event, we like to give our guest speaker a welcome gift. This is not in place of an honorarium. Instead, this is a gift to welcome her and show our appreciation. Often this gift takes the form of a hospitality basket which is waiting for her in her room. The basket is filled with small consumable supplies that she might need or enjoy during her stay. This may include: bottled water or beverage of her choice, snacks, throat lozenges and/or small gifts. If possible, we contact her church or a personal friend to find out her special preferences. For instance, the guest speaker may love dark chocolate, and that would be included in the hospitality basket. If we have a gift for her (for instance, a gift associated with the retreat theme), we keep in mind that she will have to transport the item home, and try to avoid large, bulky items, especially is they are traveling by air.
We have also made cards available for our ladies to write a note to our guest speaker toward the end of the event. Not every woman will write a note, but often there are women who especially identify with the speaker or were particularly ministered to by her, and they are given the opportunity to express this in a card. These cards are given to the guest speaker upon her departure.
We are big fans of including a skit during every event we can, especially during retreats. The best skits are funny and entertaining while at the same time being meaningful and applicational. Skits can add a dimension to your retreat where learning is taking place–yet under the guise of entertainment. Skits should highlight the essence of the retreat’s theme. While skits provide a break from the serious, they can still be an integral part of the message that is being conveyed throughout the retreat.