When you are trying to choose one of many motivational speakers, there are five elements of public speaking that you should keep in mind as you make your list.

Speaker
Many conference coordinators are willing to book a speaker based completely on who they are. Whether they are an expert in a certain field of study, a successful athlete, a coveted comedian or a famous celebrity, heroes do have a tendency to attract attention and audiences. Reputation is not the only thing that makes a good motivational speaker though.

Message
The most important part of public speaking is the message itself; not the person who delivers it. The most obscure individual can still accomplish the things you need them to if they have the ability to speak well. This means that a good motivational speaker does more than simply inform their listeners. He or she should be able to influence their emotions, their thoughts and even their actions with the words they speak.

Audience
Audiences can be anything from critical or receptive to responsive or apathetic, but you can give your guest speaker a head start by simply matching the right audience with the right speaker. For example, businessmen will probably understand and respect another businessman more than they would an athlete or a musician. Simply match up your audience with a speaker they can relate to and understand.

Medium
In public speaking, the main medium for communicating is an individual's voice. With more technology available though, some speaker may choose to use other forms of media during their speech like power point presentations, hand outs, videos and pictures. Although these extra props are not necessary for success, they can add a lot to a presentation; especially if your audience is made up of visual learners.

Results
Different speakers are designed to accomplish different result. For example, comedians are primarily hired to entertain an audience and make them laugh. Inspirational speakers appeal to emotion and good stories and motivational speakers are meant to lead people to action. Consequently, the kind of speaker you hire will largely affect the kind of result you will see.

Budget
Even though it isn't an element of public speaking, budget is another factor that most event coordinators have to consider. Motivational speaker fees can cost as little as a couple thousand dollars to more than one hundred thousand dollars. The price is influenced by their fame, their speaking capability, the expertise, and their availability.