At the Lectern: Booking Speakers for Your Civil War Round Table

Emerging Civil War welcomes Melissa A. Winn

One of the most significant perks of membership in a Civil War Round Table is the opportunity to meet and hear esteemed speakers at meetings or special events.

Round Table leaders should establish a robust lineup of varied speakers to engage their membership. At the Bull Run Civil War Round Table, we diversified the speakers for the 2025 season, branching out from the traditional speakers that had previously made presentations to the Round Table in the past. We adjusted our lineup to feature younger emerging historians, and varied topics to highlight Civil War photography, new research about the Lincoln assassination, Civil War musicians and living historians, and presentations about Civil War personalities and engagements. Keeping the speaker schedule unpredictable and exciting helps retain member interest and attendance.

That’s important because one of the top concerns of Round Table presenters is audience engagement. According to a recent survey of Round Table speakers by the Civil War Round Table Congress, speakers gauge success by the size and enthusiasm of the audience, and the engaging conversation during the Q&A session. And they truly appreciate being invited back.

Key considerations for speaker engagement

To assist Round Tables in navigating the process for booking and engaging speakers, the CWRT Congress has established a Speaker Registry of authors, historians, and speakers, including contact information and topics of interest that speakers present. https://cwrtcongress.org/resources/speaker-registry.php

The CWRT Congress also offers some proven principles for successful speaker engagement, based on that recent and highly informative survey of presenters.

For example, based upon the CWRT Congress survey, presenters almost universally expressed the need for proper, up-to-date and efficient AV equipment and Round Table support that is credible, knowledgeable, and competent. And it should be noted that they were not talking simply about a screen, laptop, and projector, but also a sound system with microphone, amplifier, and speaker systems. Given the high priority of this concern for speakers, it should be a top priority for Round Table leaders to provide.

Addressing Round Table speaker challenges

Useful information gained from the CWRT Congress survey can improve the practices of Round Table leadership. Of utmost importance are items identified by speakers as points of contention. In addition to AV equipment and setup, they included:

• Confusion about the date and location of the presentation.
• Inappropriate lodging or lack of a reservation.
• Poor or inaccurate introductions.
• Audiences eating during the presentation, and/or inattentive audiences (sleeping, texting, leaving early).
• AV equipment problems.
• Lack of expense reimbursement.
• Feeling ignored or disrespected by the Round Table.
• Small audiences due to lack of publicity.

Based on the survey results, the CWRT Congress offers some proven practices for Round Tables to follow, including:

• Travel expenses: Always cover the travel expenses for your speakers. There is little or no reason for speakers to spend their time and talent if it results in losing money.
• Book signing / selling table: Provide a designated area for authors to sign and sell their books.
• Extensive publicity: Promote the event widely to ensure a large turnout.
• Stay in touch: Maintain regular communication with the speaker leading up to the event.

The CWRT Congress also offers resources for speaker contracting: https://www.cwrtcongress.org/proven/speaker-contract.html

Proper care of speakers involves assigning a member to engage with the speaker to ensure they feel welcomed. Not only should the person charged with speaker engagement be knowledgeable and readily available, but that person should have a backup and a checklist of items to ensure all bases are covered.

It’s also essential to manage audience behavior, ensuring attention and respect during the delivery of the presentation.

By implementing these practices, Civil War Round Tables will create a positive experience for both speakers and members.

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Melissa Winn is the director of marketing and communications for the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. Previously, she was the marketing manager for the American Battlefield Trust, and director of photography for HistoryNet, publisher of America’s Civil War and Civil War Times magazines. She’s a senior editor for Military Images magazine, a member of the board of directors of the Civil War Round Table Congress, and president of the Bull Run Civil War Round Table.