4 Reasons to Hire a Professional Speaker for Your Business Holiday Party

With the holidays approaching, holding a get-together for your employees is a fun way to reward them for a year of hard work. It’s also a perfect time to discuss the goals your company has accomplished over the past year, as well as what the future may hold for the business. Whether you hold your holiday party during the day or after business hours, consider hiring a professional speaker to attend this year. A speaker can give the party coherent direction while engaging and entertaining the office.

The End of the Year Is Ideal for Review

The end of a year is a great time to evaluatethe goals accomplished during the year. With anexpert’s guidance, you’ll do more than casually mention a few topics over champagne. You’ll take a good hard look at the year and make a list of what everyone in the company accomplished.

4 Reasons to Hire a Professional Speaker for Your Business Holiday Party

You may think you already know what you’ve accomplished so there’s no point in writing it down, but that’s not the case. Seeing on paper what you’ve done and having that record to consult in the new year is more effective than holding information in your memory. A professional speaker has the skills to teach you what to put on that list and to make the experience of going over your successes and failures fun, which is ideal for a holiday party.

Everyone’s in a Cooperative Mood

The festivities will put everyone in a cooperative mood for team-building exercises your professional speaker may propose during her speaking engagement. Some speakers will tailor the exercises not only to your company needs but also to the festivities. For example, you might participate in holiday-themed trivia competitions or in various festive brain games. You may promote a game in which each team proposes a fictional holiday toy for “Santa Claus” to make the same way they’d propose an innovative product or service for your company to produce. There are few better times for your employees to build rapport than during a party, where they’re relaxed and unafraid of being evaluated.

New Strategies for the New Year

Individuals decide on New Year’s resolutions for improving themselves, so why can’t your company set its own goals for the New Year? A professional speaker can give a presentation on new strategies for business goals in the coming year.

The feeling of beginning a term with new goals energizes people more effectively than introducing new goals in the middle of the year. Present the new goals during the holiday party, and let the idea simmer in your employees’ minds while they unwind. By the time they’re back to work after the holidays, they’ll have thought about how they can apply the speaker’s teachings to their tasks at the company.

A Variety of Holiday-Related Topics

You don’t need the speaker focus on teamwork, end-of-the-year reviews and goal-setting for the new year if you want to give your employees a complete break from work at the party. A professional speaker can touch on a variety of topics relevant to the holidays, such as:

  • Charitable giving
  • Holiday celebrations around the world
  • Smart shopping
  • Impact of holiday shopping on businesses
  • Overcoming obstacles and being thankful for what you do have

Ask all employees to sit down for the speaker’s presentation during the party all at once or in groups; employees can drop in and out of a room where the speaker is leading group activities and answering questions on the chosen topics. Selling tickets to the speaker’s presentation to interested employees can raise money benefitting a charitable cause. Give your employees the chance to network with an expert speaker in the midst of music, dancing and other celebrations, or make it a central focus of the gathering.

According to World at Work, 96 percent of companies plan to hold a holiday party in 2013 or early 2014. Invest not only in food and presents for your employees but in nourishment for their minds. A professional speaker who can give a casual presentation suited for the occasion is a welcome addition to the festivities.

About the Author:Glenn Richardson has worked as a manager for over a decade. He recommends visiting LeadingAuthorities.com to book professional speakers for business parties and seminars.