“Webinar?” “Virtual Keynote?” “Zoom Keynote?” As  a leader, manager, business owner, or community organizer; you have likely taken part in many webinars, Zoom meetings, Google Hangouts, GoToMeetings, YouTube lives, and events on numerous other platforms. And for the foreseeable future, this trend will continue.

We are social creatures — and connection to our fellow humans is of profound importance. We do it for emotional connection, and intelligent collaboration. It’s not just a luxury it’s a necessity and in a 21st Century world, it’s now becoming a norm. 

As a speakers bureau, our business was up until recently, booking thousands of top keynote speakers a year for live, in-person conferences. Now, because of the coronavirus COVID-19, most meetings have been banned until the curve of infections has been flattened. 

Due to the virus, virtual keynote speakers and expert webinar  speakers are in huge demand. We are seeing renewed interest with organizations and people, who are desperately craving the inspiration and education these expert thought leaders and keynote speakers can offer.

Thus, if you found yourself here on this blog post, you are likely on the hunt for a guest speaker for a virtual meeting or conference to inspire, educate and wow your attendees. 

I highly recommend following these steps to locate someone:

1. Firstly, do a web search and ask your professional network for which keynote speakers they remember seeing in the past who were outstanding. A fantastic motivational speaker or business speaker at a previous live event can be counted on to be an energetic effective educator for a virtual meeting.

1. Contact speakers bureaus. Speaker bureaus are adapting quickly to offer their rosters of the world’s finest motivational keynote speakers, consultants, business experts, trainers, vanguard thought-leaders, world-class athletes, bestselling authors, award-winning entertainers, and global icons.

1. Look for free webinars that companies are offering to preview the talent and their abilities. Platforms like TED and YouTube have millions of hours of footage of professional presenters as a jumping off point.

Times of crisis awaken greatness within. I hope you and your people are staying strong and united during this unprecedented situation. Please feel free to contact me with any questions at all. Our team would love to be of service and support.

Barrett Cordero is the President of BigSpeak, a leading global speakers bureau representing business icons, bestselling authors, thought leaders and celebrities. He is a strategic leader with proven tactical success in challenging entrepreneurial environments.