A Speakers Bureau is a virtual "room" of people who are willing and able to speak to groups on a particular topic. By their participation in the bureau, they agree to speak to community groups, professional organizations and other entities on a particular topic, in this case, pedestrian environments and pedestrian facility design. The Bureau can consist of one to an infinite number of individuals who are willing to educate and inform others.
How Will a Speakers Bureau Help Improve Pedestrian Design in my Community?
A Speakers Bureau is an effective and cost efficient way to reach out to a community and communicate with it. Speakers, who may be individuals that have expertise in pedestrian facility design and pedestrian environments, community members or anyone else that is engaged in the topic can take a message or an idea directly to people who have expressed an interest by their willingness to listen.
Speakers for this topic are, in effect, ambassadors for enhancing the quality of the pedestrian environment in the community.
Speakers are a walking billboard. At each event, they interact with many individuals and can help to build a constituency for effective pedestrian design.
Speakers also are a great mechanism for bringing back issues and ideas from the community that can be incorporated into the effort.
Setting Up a Speakers Bureau
Decide on the purpose of the Speakers Bureau
Determine if the Speakers Bureau is intended to rally people to a cause, such as improving the pedestrian environment in a particular area or areas, raise awareness of pedestrian issues in general. For example, to get communities to be more vigilant about the quality of pedestrian design in their community, or to just get people thinking.
Identify and Recruit Speakers
Based on knowledge in this area, contact and identify people who are willing to speak about this topic. For most types of speaking, enthusiasm, personality and the ability to "read" and engage the audience are more important qualities than a deep down and exhaustive knowledge of the subject matter.2 Place announcements that the speakers bureau is looking for speakers in local trade and professional organization publications. Remember, by setting up the bureau and organizing it, many people benefit. Most professionals will see the speakers bureau as a way to softly advertise their line of work and meet potential clients.
