While I’m Lioness Magazine’s publisher and editor-in-chief, I’m also a speaker (and the founder of Innovation Women, a speaker bureau for women). I spend every Friday morning hosting a speaker roundtable discussion with dozens of speakers and can do a better-than-average job telling you what speakers would like as a gift.
(As an aside, this is NOT a guide for event managers looking for a speaker thank you gift. However, I will share that I have a cupboard full of water bottles, lots of nice socks and I really, really don’t need more chocolate. Thanks.)
I’ve divided this list into two parts: books and technology/tools.
The big three – the best books for speaker gifts
The Referrable Speaker Book – Billed as the guide to building a sustainable speaking career, the Referrable Speaker, by Michael Port and Andrew Davis, is frequently mentioned in our Speaker Friend Friday sessions. A relatively quick read, the book builds on one important concept – you should be using each presentation to get your next presentation. When you knock it out of the park from the stage, that’s when you are earning more opportunities to present. Recommended for the speaker looking to build a business, not just speak.
Find Your Red Thread: Make Your Big Ideas Irresistible – Another frequently mentioned book amongst the Speaker Friends written by Tamsen Webster. The book is about creating an actionable connection between your audience and your ideas. It’s a great present for speakers looking to insinuate themselves into their audience’s hearts and minds.
Build a Better Business Book – Josh Bernoff is the author, co-author and/or ghostwriter for dozens of super successful business books. He’s created a terrific, well-researched and detailed guide to creating your own Big Idea business book. Highly recommend buying it for the speaker looking to level up. Include a package of stick-on tabs and a set of highlighters.
Awesome tech and tools as gifts for the speakers on your list
Your laptop is sitting on top of the podium, and you want to get to the next slide. You can either meander across the stage or point a wand of power in the right direction to advance the slides. No one wants to be trapped behind the podium, so a wireless clicker is all the rage. Bonus points for one with a laser pointer, like this one. It also has an automatic sleep function, so you won’t run down the battery by forgetting to turn it off.
Once upon a time, I managed an event series that often used non-regulation event spaces. Hence, I own a projector. This turned me into a hero when I was able to tell the organizers of another event that they didn’t need to rent one for me – I would bring my own. When it turned out the keynote speaker wanted to show slides, too, my projector did double duty. If you run events, want to make sure you always have a good quality projector when presenting, or just want to show movies at home, this one is a good all-around option for the money. And, a reallllly nice gift for that special speaker you know.
Speaking of nice gifts, I highly recommend, without a shred of modesty, bias, or shame, an Innovation Women gift card. Tell that other woman that you believe in her as a speaker. Give her the gift of belonging to a great community of speakers. I also must recommend a Talkadot membership (not sure if they have a gift card program). Talkadot helps you get feedback from your audience that you can share with event managers. (Full disclosure: we’re a Talkadot partner and if you upgrade from the free to the paid version, we get a little monetary thank you. Super full disclosure? It’s one of my favorite programs and I would recommend it time and time again without any compensation.) Nothing says “pro” like these tools.
FYI: some of the product recommendations contain affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for having our back and supporting Lioness!
Check out more on Lioness with The Ultimate Tech and Office Gift Guide for Female Entrepreneurs.
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