Planner Exit Interview
Exit Interview With James F. Koval, MDiv, MPA
Event Organizer Shares Feedback On Receiving Speaker Proposals Through The SpeakerMatch Job Board
About This Interview Series
Many of the speakers in our community
have expressed interest in learning more about the speaker selection process. These
exit interviews will share feedback and insights from meeting planners
utilizing The SpeakerMatch Job Board. Enjoy!
Q1: Overall, how was your experience utilizing the SpeakerMatch Job Board to find a speaker?
A: Overall, I was very pleased with SpeakerMatch. I appreciated the way the system was laid out, the reminders and the available support as I was learning my way around the system.
Q2: How was the quality of the applicants who applied to your listing? Overall, did you feel the applicants met the criteria you outlined in your listing?
A: The overall quality of the speakers ranged from nationally known presenters to more localized personalities. All seemed knowledgeable in their respective fields. A few of the applicants understood well what I was looking for. The majority applied the term of community resilience to the individual; whereas, I was looking for a speaker to address how communities develop relationships that make them more resilient in the event of an emergency or disaster. Part of the reason for this is the way I worded my request. On the other hand, making the individual citizen more resilient will make the community more resilient; so, this is a legitimate tactic. It just was not what I wanted in this particular presentation.
Q3: Of the applications you received, what kinds of things in the teaser/headline of the application drove you to want to open the full letter of application? What kinds of things in the teaser/headline of the application made you skip over reading a full letter of application?
A: The kinds of things that made me open the full letter of application were: 1) did the headline/teaser come close to what I was looking for? 2) did the presenter come from a public health background (or related discipline)?
Q4: Of the applications you received, what kinds of things in the letter of application stood out in a positive way? In a negative way?
A: All the applications had positive initial statements; I cannot think of anything that I found a negative.
Q5: Would you use SpeakerMatch again to help you find a speaker?
A: Yes. I intend to use SpeakerMatch for this same conference in 2018. The topic will be different for next year. Thank you for providing such a great service.