5 Tips for Crafting a Killer Speaker Bio

You’ve planned a great conference, and have lined up some excellent speakers who have something interesting to say. The next step is how you present these speakers to potential attendees, and that’s where writing a killer speaker bio comes in.

What is a speaker bio?

A speaker bio is a short introductory paragraph to let audience members know a little bit about this person’s background, professional achievements and connection to the topic being discussed. They are often used on marketing materials and the event website.

Given that for many conferences the aim is sharing expertise, speakers are integral to making the event successful. So a speaker bio is the best way to introduce why this person is speaking, and also why a potential attendee might (and should) care.

Why do you need a great speaker bio?

A speaker bio should be more than a summarised resume or mini-biography. The function of a bio is to demonstrate expertise, but it is also to try and show their perspective and tell a part of their story. Knowing where a speaker is coming from can help entice audience members and make them want to find out what this person has to say.

Ask speakers to submit their own bio

It has been scientifically proven that people love to brag about themselves. Yet, somehow, when people are asked to write their own bio for professional purposes, they seem to resist. The thing is, no one knows more about their own expertise than the person in question, so asking speakers to contribute a draft bio or three or four dot points about their experience can be really useful when you sit down to write one.

Plus, there is nothing more embarrassing than getting a basic fact wrong about someone (ask any journalist or fact-checker). Better to confirm things before hitting publish, or working with material sent from the speaker themselves.

Once you have this material, make sure you edit all the bios so they sound consistent. Are you choosing to use first-person “I, me, my” or third person “they, them, theirs”. It’s also a good idea to try and have a consistent tone and bio length. This adds a touch of professionalism to your event and marketing materials.

Writing your own speaker bio

If you are the one being asked to write your own bio, follow these tips:

Develop a basic template

It is a good idea to develop a basic template that you can update for all future bios you might be asked to write. Here is a great one was written by Alex Honeysett for Forbes:

“[First name] [knows/believes] [what you know/believe about the work you do].

[First name] has [landed/secured/garnered/worked at/supported] [insert your most compelling experiences and wins].

[First name] is a [trained/certified/awarded] [insert relevant trainings, awards, honors, etc].

[First name] holds a [insert degree] in [insert area of study] from [insert university].”

You can tweak this basic formula to suit your conference or the topic they will be speaking about.

Know who you are

No one wants to read a bio that sounds like the first paragraph of a Wikipedia page. The point of a bio is so that people can really get to know you. So first, figure out a few basic things about why your particular expertise and passion make what you have to say interesting at this event. Some basic questions might include:

• Who do I help in my day-to-day job?
• What motivates me?
• How did I first get involved in this field?
• What is something I find funny/weird/interesting?

Once you have a list, pick a few things that make you sound human and incorporate them into your bio.

Mention (relevant) accomplishments

Part of the function of a speaker bio is to establish your authority in a certain area or topic. This is done through a few short sentences about your academic or professional experience. Keep this to the most relevant roles or experiences you have had, and any major awards.

Don’t be afraid to sell yourself and your achievements, but balance this against the risk of really bragging. It helps to keep in mind that you aren’t trying to bowl everyone over with your impressive accomplishments (personally, I have won not one, but two trumpet-playing awards) as much as you are simply trying to show why you are considered knowledgeable about a given topic. So keep it brief and stick to the most relevant points.

Read it out loud

This piece of advice works for any piece of writing, but especially for bios. When you read your bio aloud, it will let you know straight away if it sounds like you, or like a robot listing off professional accomplishments. You don’t have that much room to make an impression, so having your voice shine through is one of the best ways to attract potential audience members.

You can read it aloud to a pet or a particular patient tree, as long as you really listen to how it sounds as you say it. Have a pen with you to make a note of anything that sounds a bit weird or a little too formal, and keep drafting until it sounds right.

Keep it short, keep it sweet

Bios are meant to offer a glimpse of who you are and why you are speaking at this event. It should tell a bit about your story and give a real sense of who you are. Having said that, it is not an autobiography, and you won’t be able to paint a complete picture. Save all your confessions and your opinions about politics or the Royal Family for your scandalous Oprah tell-all, and stick to three paragraphs or less for the speaker bio. And make sure you include links to any social media profiles in case people want to learn more.

Speaker Bio locked and loaded, now onto selling tickets!?

Humanitix can help you list your next event. In as little as two minutes you can make your event live, delight your guests, and change lives through supporting education projects.