##Choosing the Right Speaker

Speakers can add immeasurably to a meeting by motivating, entertaining, enlightening or teaching a skill. An inappropriate speaker, on the other hand, can lead to disastrous results. Here's a look at how to find the right speaker for your event and how to work with speakers to make sure their presentation - and your event - are a success.
The key question is: How does an organization choose? How can you be sure that you'll get a speaker who is right for your organization? Start by asking yourself these questions:

• Why is this meeting being held?
• What do we want the attendees to know, think, or feel after this meeting?
• What issues or challenges are the attendees facing right now?

Your answers should help you narrow your search. And remember, much is at stake. A speaker can, and often will, set the tone for your meeting. Select poorly, and there's a strong chance your meeting will suffer. Attendees will long recall a speaker who bombed. There's a lot financially at stake, too; speakers do not come cheap, typically charging thousands of dollars for their services. Once again, the key is to know your organization, know your circumstances, and know your audience.USING A SPEAKERS BUREAU
A speakers bureau can help you narrow your search down to that one speaker who is perfect for your organization. Here's how:
Knowing who's hot. A speakers bureau is on the phone with meeting planners all day long, reviewing speakers, hearing from planners about what speakers they've used, who was good, who wasn't. Bureaus know the speaker's capabilities.
Wider Access. Speakers bureaus have access to thousands of professional speakers, industry experts, and celebrities. Occasionally, a big-name celebrity will have exclusive management with a particular bureau, but that does not mean other bureaus aren't able to book that celebrity. In such cases, the celebrity's bureau and the bureau representing the meeting planner "co-broker" the deal.
Negotiating Fees. In addition to selecting appropriate speaker within a group's budget, the speakers bureau will negotiate the speaker's fee on behalf of the client - that is, if the fee is open to negotiation. The meeting planner's organization does not pay extra for the services of a speakers bureau; the bureau receives a percentage of the speaker's fee, much as a travel agent is compensated for selling airline tickets.
Finding Replacements. One big advantage of using a speakers bureau is that if a speaker cancels, even at the last minute, the bureau will line up a replacement that meets the client's needs.
SIZING UP POTENTIAL SPEAKERS
The best way to assure that you're a quality speaker is to see the speaker in action - or at least the speaker's demo video and question meeting planners who have used the speaker. Do not rely solely on the demo video, since a five-minute snippet is not necessarily an indication of how well a speaker will perform. Another approach is to call at least three meeting executives familiar with the prospective speaker's work, and ask:

• Did the speaker skillfully customize the presentation?
• Did the speaker have a good presentation technique, i.e., use anecdotes, examples, humor?
• Was the speaker easy to work with, or did he/she make unreasonable requests?
• How did attendees rate the speaker?
• Would you use the speaker again?

Find out if the speaker holds the speaking industry's major designations: CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) or the CPAE (Council of Peers Award for Excellence). The National Speakers Association confers both. The CSP signifies achievement through a proven record of speaking experience; the recipients have made a minimum number of paid presentations and earned a minimum number of continuing education credits. The CPAE is awarded to up to five NSA members annually for demonstrated platform experience and professionalism.

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##Home Theater Setup

I will make the assumption that you have a surround sound or home theater receiver and start from there. There are 3 main home theater speaker setups which you will see termed 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 channel surround. You will also see mentioned the terms Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby Pro Logic. Let's dispense with the latter first: if your receiver is only Pro Logic (only older receivers at this point) you do not need to worry about 6.1 or 7.1 surround. There are some other formats such as Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro-logic IIx, Dolby TrueHD, DTS neo:6.1, DTS-ES, True-Surround XT, and undoubtedly more.
The two factors to consider are:
1. how many channels does your system permit, and
2. Do you want to buy that many speakers?
All the receivers that support more than 5.1 channels will also work fine with a 5.1 channel setup. Obviously, 7.1 will provide better surround sound than 5.1, but at the expense of two extra speakers. If you have a limited budget you will have to decide whether to buy 5.1 higher quality speakers, or go for cheaper speakers to allow for 7.1 channels. By the way, the .1 channel is the home theater sub-woofer. The sub-woofer is, in my opinion, really needed for home theater audio. A system will work without it, but I don't recommend going without for home theater. The center channel is also very important for home theater, serving to anchor the sound to the video screen. If you go to our site by the link at the bottom of this article you can see images for the descriptions following. These are the recommended placements according to Dolby Labs.
5.1 surround system:
A). Center speaker centered on video source
B). Sub-woofer(s) in arc with the main L & R speakers between speakers and video source
C). L & R front on a 22-30 degree angle from the sitting, on an equidistant arc connecting the center channel and subs
D). L & R surround equidistant and on a 90-110 degree angle from the sitting position
6.1 surround system:
A). Center speaker centered on video source
B). Sub-woofer(s) in arc with the main L & R speakers between speakers and video source
C). L & R front on a 22-30 degree angle from the sitting, on an equidistant arc connecting the center channel and subs
D). L & R surround equidistant and on a 90-110 degree angle from the sitting position
E). Rear center 180 degrees (directly behind) the sitting position
7.1 surround system:
A). Center speaker centered on video source
B). Sub-woofer(s) in arc with the main L & R speakers between speakers and video source
C). L & R front on a 22-30 degree angle from the sitting, on an equidistant arc connecting the center channel and subs
D). L & R surround equidistant and on a 90-110 degree angle from the sitting position
E). L & R rear equidistant and on a 135-150 degree angle from the listening position.
Sub-woofer Setup
Your sub-woofer may have a switch for Dolby Digital / Pro Logic. If you have a Dolby Digital capable receiver set it to that even if you are using Pro Logic. The same goes if you have multiple inputs on your sub. If your input is labeled LFE it is the equivalent of a Dolby Digital input. You want to use the input to the RCA style plug (or plugs) if you are using the sub-woofer in a surround system.
If you have speaker level binding post inputs, these are almost always for using the sub-woofer in a non surround sound speaker setup. Preset the sub-woofer level control to about halfway before running the white noise test tone to calibrate your receiver speaker levels. You absolutely must run the test and balance your speaker levels to have the surround system perform properly.
Don't worry about the crossover frequency control on the sub for Dolby Digital or better systems. For Pro Logic set it to the point where bass in your main speakers drops off, which will require looking at the documentation for your speakers.
If you are not using your sub in a surround system, you may, with advantage, use the speaker level inputs on the back of your sub. The advantage to this is if you have small speakers. The receiver left and right channels are connected directly to the sub-woofer, and the left and right speakers connect to the speaker out connectors on the sub-woofer. What this does is allow the sub to produce the low bass that the main speakers can not, which of course the other types of connections would do also. The advantage here is the fact that with the sub-woofer connected this way, it filters the bass out of the signal, so your main speakers never try to produce the bass that they can't handle. This results in clearer, cleaner sound and more volume capability from your main speakers.
Sub-woofer placement is generally as below for other speakers. It is true that bass is omnidirectional and so you should be able to place a sub-woofer anywhere, but as usual this depends on your situation. I play music loud, and can detect where the sub-woofer is located by the feel of the vibrations. I find it very distracting to have the bass seem to come from the front of the room, but the vibrations of the bass coming from another direction. I therefore always prefer a sub-woofer to the front of the room.
How to get the most out of your speakers (How to improve your sound quality for no extra money )
The first consideration with a new speaker system is placement, and the second is wiring, both of which deserve consideration. We will cover wiring first with some generalities that apply to all kinds of speakers. The placement part will cover in home speakers only.

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