Speaker Ethics

Open up the National Speakers Association Directory and you'll see thousands of speakers, most eagerly awaiting the opportunity to work with you. Log onto any major search engine on the Internet, type in the word "speaker," and you'll get 100's of hits. It's not difficult to identify speakers on all topics, from all geographic locations, of either gender, in all shapes and sizes, and at varying prices.

Of the 11,500+ speakers in the profession today, however, how many have a well-developed, written ethics policy and operating procedures that succinctly define their working relationship with bureaus? The answer: less than one in ten.

A Working Model

The following 19 provisions, drawn from my own Code of Ethics and Operating Procedures can serve as a working model. You can use it to determine what to look for when adding another speaker to your line-up of speaking professionals, whom you feel confident in recommending to clients:

1. We will not take on any speaking engagement if we have any doubt that Jeff Davidson is less than the best speaker that the client could retain for the engagement. When we say yes to a lead that you provide, you can be assured that Jeff is qualified and capable, and intends to give a presentation that exceeds the client's specific needs.

Fees and Expenses
2. Our fees are consistent with what you would pay if you booked Jeff directly. We never raise client fees for bureau-generated engagements.

3. If you pre-arrange a quantity purchase of our products, we agree to offer you a 20% commission on the gross amount of products sold. We follow your directions regarding any product sales.

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