Enlisting a speaker for your women’s ministry group is a serious responsibility.  It is a good idea for the Women’s Ministry leadership team to have input about the person to invite, as recommended in Proverbs 11:14b, “in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”  Has your team agreed about who the speaker should be? What do you know about your speaker? It is appropriate to ask a speaker for personal references, a tape of her speaking, and/or a statement of faith.

Once you have settled upon the person you want to invite, the following recommendations will facilitate clear communication with your chosen person. (Remember that the more information you provide will help your speaker respond favorably and feel secure about preparations she makes before coming.)

An initial phone conversation may sound like this:

“Hello, Ms. Jones. I am Mary Smith from First Baptist Church, Smalltown, Texas. Our women’s ministry leadership team has planned a  [topic, description of event] on [date].  We would like to invite you to come as our primary speaker. Is this a possibility?

[Allow time for a response.  If she is unable to be with you, thank her and wish her well. If she responds favorably, continue the conversation by reviewing the following information.]

The initial contact with a potential guest speaker should include the following essential information:

• A description of the event, or its purpose.  Is your event a retreat? Bible study? Training? Be ready to offer this information. If you have a title or theme, this is the time to share this with the speaker.  
  
• The date and time schedule.  Do you plan to send a map or driving directions? If you have the agenda for the meeting, it would be great to offer this to the speaker.  It will enable her to work within your proposed schedule. [If your group does not have the exact time schedule worked out, at least be able to tell her the number of times to speak and the time constraints for each session.]
  
• Location. Before you contact the speaker, ask yourself:  Will the speaker drive herself and be with you only part of one day? If your invitation requires her to stay overnight, be ready to provide safe, clean accommodations, including appropriate meals. It is especially nice to go early to a hotel and leave a small welcome gift or thoughtful basket of snacks. 
  

ONCE THE SPEAKER ACCEPTS YOUR INVITATION:

• Explain who the people are who will attend the event. You will want to tell the speaker if the group has had similar trainings, topics, or teachings. You might also include a brief description of your group – ages and group size - along with your goals for the event. Guest speakers want to provide encouragement and something of value for your people and should welcome your help in doing this.
  
  If you are asking someone to speak on a specific topic, great. Perhaps this speaker “has” topics, and you ask her because of her expertise in this area.  Many speakers have a list of topics they are already prepared to address.

• Initiate a conversation about expenses, fees, or honorariums. The best etiquette is to offer reimbursement for expenses incurred by the speaker.  Inform her of the amount you will reimburse as a per-mile expense.  Offer an honorarium or love offering.

Some speakers have no set fees; some desire a specific honorarium. Be aware that many speakers hesitate to “quote a price” for accepting your invitation. [A love gift is always appropriate, and cash is welcomed! Remember, the speaker has made an investment in you too.]

• Include your contact information so the speaker can stay in touch with you.  Be sure to supply her with your name, address, phone, and/or email address so she can follow up. She may desire to contact you as the event approaches.

In addition, yes – there is still more to communicate with invited guests. It is a good idea to have all this information available at the time of your first contact. If that is not possible, be sure to tell the speaker you will get the following information to her. Set a date for your next contact.

Information for the second contact - or included in the first contact:

• Describe what you want the speaker to do, or what information you want presented. When you engage a speaker, know what YOU want from her. It is acceptable to tell speakers what you do NOT want, but realize that the more specific you can be, the better prepared the speaker will be to do her best job for you and your group. 
  
• Furnish the speaker an overall schedule of the event and specify what the speaker's part of the program is.
  
• Discuss handouts or listening guides. Do you want the speaker to supply handouts or listening guides for her presentation? If the answer is yes, communicate this early in your planning together. Tell the speaker of your printing deadline so she has plenty of time to prepare and send you the forms.  
  
• Consider follow-up with a review of your conversation and plans. It might even be good to follow up with a letter reviewing the above information, sent "snail-mail." 
  

A concluding thought about speakers:  speakers want to know if they accomplished the task you invited them to do. If the speaker reached the women of your group, let her know this. Did you conduct an evaluation of the event?  If yes, consider sharing the evaluation results with your speaker.  Evaluations are valuable resources and feedback - - everyone wins from positive, constructive suggestions

May God bless you for the time you have invested to take care of the details!