How it works
Find a speaker who fits your event.
Explore subjects, session options, fees, and organizer feedback. Inquire about a speaker, or ask us to help you find one.
Watch the short version
How Short List Speakers works.
For organizers
Three steps.
No runaround.
Search is free, with no signup. When you're ready, send an inquiry. Our team reviews it and coordinates next steps, and you confirm the date, fee, and terms before anything is booked.
Search.
Search by subject, format, and budget.
Review profiles.
Expertise, session options, fees, and organizer feedback. Availability where provided.
Inquire.
Send an inquiry to discuss availability and next steps.
Confirm availability, fees, and arrangements directly with the speaker.
Let us help you
You bring the brief. We find the fit.
Tell us about your audience, topic, and budget. We search our directory and beyond, then send at least three speakers to consider within five business days.
Help me find a speakerWe acknowledge your request within one business day.What the labels mean
Understand the profile labels.
Hear from people who’ve already booked the speaker. We collect organizer ratings and reviews directly, so you can better understand what it’s like to work with them. Profile details come from the speaker.
Listed.
Information supplied by the speaker.
Profile details come from the speaker and are published after our review.
Verified.
3+ organizer reviews.
At least 3 completed reviews from organizers at separate past speaking engagements, collected directly by Short List Speakers, and an active Verified plan. Payment alone never grants it. Until the third review arrives, the label reads Verified Pending.
Shortlisted.
10+ organizer reviews.
Requires 10 or more completed reviews from organizers at separate past speaking engagements and an active Verified plan.
The Disclosure Standard
Every profile shows the same eight things.
Compare speakers on the information that matters, not on who had the better web designer. Each profile follows the same eight sections, in the same order.
Subjects
What the speaker actually speaks about.
Formats
Keynote, workshop, forum session, retreat, virtual, or another format they offer.
Availability
Dates the speaker has shared. “Availability not provided” means they have not shared any, not that they are booked.
Fees
The published fee for each session, a custom quote, or no speaking fee ($0).
Travel
Included, flat fee, at cost, or local only.
Included and extra
Books, assessments, materials, prep calls, required purchases, or anything else that changes the invoice.
What the talk supports
Related books, services, or programs, whether each session proposes promotion, and anything the fee depends on. Promotion happens only when you agree before the event.
Track record
For Verified speakers, feedback we collected ourselves from organizers who booked them.
Who supplies what
Sections 1 to 7 come from the speaker, who confirms they are accurate when they submit. We read every profile before it goes live and publish it after our review. If we recommend a change, we send it to the speaker to approve first. Once the profile is live, the speaker gets an email with the link and can request changes at any time.
We collect the feedback in Section 8 directly from past organizers. Speakers cannot choose which reviews we publish or edit what organizers say. “No organizer feedback collected yet” means we have not published feedback on that profile. It does not mean the speaker has no experience. If a speaker has a concern about a review, they can ask us to take another look, and we will follow up with them.
We keep a record of every update we make to a profile. Sending an inquiry does not reserve a date, so confirm your date before booking.
What you see on a Verified profile
Find the right fit. Know what to expect.
Review what speakers cover, how they deliver it, and what it costs, with organizer feedback where available. Every profile follows the same structure, so you compare like with like.
Browse the directory →
Illustrative profile. The speaker is fictional, and the rating, review count, and reviews below are examples, not actual organizer feedback.
Denver, CO
5 out of 5. “Example review. An organizer writes a few sentences here about how the session landed with their audience and what people did with it afterward.”Example organizer, peer group, in-person keynote
5 out of 5. “Example review. This one might cover how clear the speaker was on scope, fee, and logistics before the event, and whether the day ran as promised.”Example organizer, corporate offsite, half-day workshop
4 out of 5. “Example review. Not every review is five stars. An organizer might say the content was strong and the virtual session ran a little long.”Example organizer, association, virtual session
What does “Availability not provided” mean?
The speaker has not supplied dates. It does not mean they are unavailable. Confirm your date before booking.
What does “No organizer feedback collected yet” mean?
No organizer feedback is on the profile at the moment. It says nothing about the speaker and nothing about where verification stands.
What does Verified mean?
Verified requires an active Verified plan and at least 3 completed reviews from organizers at separate past speaking engagements, collected directly by Short List Speakers. A reference counts only once the organizer’s feedback is received, and several reviews of the same engagement count once. Speakers cannot choose which reviews we publish or edit what organizers say. Verified describes how we collected organizer feedback. It is not a guarantee of fit or results, or independent verification of every detail the speaker provides.
Who pays for Short List?
Searching the directory is free, with no signup, and Short List requests are free during our launch. Speakers list free and keep their full speaking fee. Verified is $99 a month or $999 a year; plan details are on For speakers.
How do you keep profiles up to date?
Each speaker writes their own profile and confirms it is accurate, and we read every profile before it publishes. Speakers can update their profile at any time. If you notice something that needs updating, tell us at connect@shortlistspeakers.com and we will take care of it.
Start with what your audience needs.
Then find the speaker who fits.
By the time you reach out, you can already see what they speak about, the fee, travel, what’s included, and, for Verified speakers, what past organizers told us. The first conversation can focus on your room.