Learn How Companies Use PepTalk Speakers

Companies use PepTalk speakers to solve specific business problems through a format that fits the moment: a keynote to open a conference, a workshop to build a skill, an offsite to reset a leadership team, or a podcast episode to reach a wider audience. PepTalk connects organisations with expert speakers across 17 formats, so the same goal can be met in the room, online or on screen.

This guide walks through how companies use PepTalk speakers in practice, which format suits which goal, what each one typically costs, and how to get lasting value from the session once the speaker has left the stage.

How do companies use PepTalk speakers?

Companies book PepTalk speakers for five broad jobs: setting direction at conferences, aligning senior leaders, building skills across teams, motivating sales teams, and celebrating or entertaining at company events. A growing number also use experts outside the event calendar, as podcast guests or creator partners who carry a message to audiences beyond the office.

Each job maps to a different format. Choosing the format first makes it far easier to shortlist the right speaker, because it tells you how long they need to be with your people, how interactive the session should be, and what your audience should walk away with.

» Explore: All PepTalk speaker formats

Setting direction at conferences and company events

For annual conferences, kick-offs and all-hands meetings, most companies start with a keynote. A keynote speaker delivers one set-piece talk that carries the theme of the event, usually opening or closing the day on a single idea. For full-day or multi-session agendas, a professional host runs the event end to end, introducing speakers, linking sessions and keeping the running order to time.

When the agenda needs more than one voice, companies book panellists to debate a question from three or four angles, or a fireside chat, where a named guest answers questions from an interviewer on stage. Fireside chats suit audiences who want candour from someone they already know. Our guide to what a fireside chat is explains how to run one well.

Aligning senior leaders

Leadership teams tend to need smaller, more private formats. A leadership offsite brings in a speaker or facilitator who stays with the group, often for a full day, and shapes the session around the strategy the team is working on. An executive briefing is a closed-door session where a senior expert gets a board or executive team current on one subject, with most of the time given to questions.

For groups of eight to fifteen working through a shared problem, a roundtable puts a facilitator in charge of one question and expects every person in the room to contribute. When the work needs to continue beyond a single day, companies turn to coaching for individual leaders or small groups, or business consulting, where an expert works with the business over weeks or months on a defined commercial challenge. If you're planning time away with a wider team, our guide to planning a company away day covers the logistics.

Building skills across teams

When the goal is capability, a workshop is the natural choice. Workshops are working sessions with an outcome, typically around 90 minutes, where participants practise a skill or work through a live problem during the time. For distributed teams, lunch and learns and global all-hands, virtual sessions deliver the same expert to a remote audience, using polls, chat and Q&A to do the work a room would do.

Motivating sales teams

Sales kick-offs, quarterly sales meetings and revenue summits call for a speaker who talks to pipeline, targets and buyer behaviour in language reps recognise. PepTalk's sales conference speakers are chosen with that audience in mind, and the best sessions are tailored to your market and your numbers.

Celebrating, entertaining and changing the pace

Awards nights, annual dinners and gala events need a different energy. After-dinner speakers deliver twenty to thirty minutes of storytelling or comedy pitched at a room that has been sitting for hours. Event entertainment covers comedians, musicians, magicians and speciality acts booked around a moment in the running order. Event experiences build an interactive activity into the agenda, so guests take part instead of watching. If you're unsure which of these you need, read comedian, host or after-dinner speaker: what you're actually booking.

Reaching audiences beyond the room

Some of the most effective uses of an expert happen away from the event stage. As podcast guests, PepTalk speakers join your show remotely or in studio, giving you an episode plus clips for social or internal channels. Through creator-brand partnerships, a creator makes content for your brand on their own channels, with deliverables and usage rights agreed upfront, so you reach a specific audience through someone they already follow.

Which business challenges do expert speakers help with?

Expert speakers help companies with the challenges that are hardest to fix through policy alone: workplace culture, engagement, leadership, change, and wellbeing. A credible outside voice gives teams a shared language for the problem and practical tools to act on it, which is why companies often pair a speaker with an existing programme instead of booking one in isolation.

Culture and engagement. Adrian Gostick is a New York Times bestselling author and founder of The Culture Works, ranked by Thinkers50 among the world's top 50 executive coaches. Companies including Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Rolls-Royce have worked with him on building stronger cultures and more resilient teams.

Retention and the future of work. Eric Termuende is a bestselling author on workplace culture and co-founder of the NoW of Work consultancy. Named among American Express's Top 100 Emerging Innovators, he helps leaders build multigenerational teams and practical talent retention strategies for brands including Amazon, Coca-Cola and IBM.

Wellbeing and burnout prevention. Sadie Restorick is CEO of Wellity Global and has trained more than 100,000 professionals in workplace wellbeing. Named Great British Businesswoman of the Year in 2024, she uses behavioural science to help organisations such as Nokia, Aviva and the CIPD build high-performing cultures without burning people out.

Other common reasons companies book a speaker include change management during mergers, restructures or digital transformation, diversity and inclusion programmes, and learning campaigns. For a learning-led approach, see our pick of speakers to launch your corporate learning curriculum.

How do you choose the right speaker format for your event?

Choose the format by working back from three questions: what should your audience do differently afterwards, how much time can you give the session, and how many people will be in the room. Inspiration for a large audience points to a keynote or host. A skill for a team points to a workshop. A decision for a senior group points to a roundtable, briefing or offsite.

Once the format is clear, shortlist speakers on four criteria:

• Relevant experience. Their background should match the challenge your people are facing.
• Delivery style. Someone who excels on a conference stage may not be the right facilitator for a small leadership group, and the reverse is also true.
• Practical takeaways. Look for experts who leave teams with clear tools and frameworks they can use the next day.
• Cultural fit. Their tone and values should sit comfortably with your organisation's.

Our step-by-step guide on how to find the perfect keynote speaker goes deeper on briefing and shortlisting.

How much does it cost to book a PepTalk speaker?

PepTalk speaker fees start from $1,000 for creator-brand partnerships and $2,000 for formats such as virtual sessions, panels, roundtables, coaching and hosting, rising to $10,000 and above for fireside chats and executive briefings. The final fee depends on the speaker's profile, the session length, travel, and how much the content is tailored to your organisation.

Starting fees by format, as listed on PepTalk's format pages in September 2026:

• From $1,000: Creator-brand partnerships
• From $2,000: Virtual sessions, panellists, roundtables, coaching, hosting and podcast guests
• From $2,500: Event entertainment
• From $3,000: After-dinner speakers
• From $5,000: Keynotes, sales conferences, leadership offsites, event experiences and business consulting
• From $8,000: Workshops
• From $10,000: Fireside chats and executive briefings

Progressive organisations treat the fee as an investment in outcomes the business already cares about: stronger leadership, better retention and faster, more aligned execution. Defining those outcomes before you book makes the return far easier to see afterwards.

How do you get lasting value from a speaker session?

The companies that see the strongest impact treat a speaker as part of a wider plan. They define the outcome before booking, prepare the audience beforehand, and build follow-up into the weeks after the session so the ideas turn into everyday habits.

• Share pre-reading or a short video so people arrive ready to engage.
• Hold team discussions afterwards to agree what will change.
• Record the session so new starters and absent colleagues can catch up.
• Book a follow-up workshop or coaching programme to go deeper.
• Link the speaker's key ideas to your development plans and performance conversations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What formats can you book a PepTalk speaker for?

You can book a PepTalk speaker for 17 formats: keynotes, hosting, panellists, fireside chats, leadership offsites, executive briefings, roundtables, coaching, business consulting, workshops, virtual sessions, sales conferences, after-dinner speakers, event entertainment, event experiences, podcast guests and creator-brand partnerships. Each has its own page explaining when to book it, typical length and starting fees.

Which speaker format works best for a leadership team?

The speaker format that works best for a leadership team depends on the goal. For senior teams resetting direction, a leadership offsite with a speaker who stays with the group works best. To get an executive team current on one subject, choose an executive briefing. For eight to fifteen leaders working through a shared problem, a facilitated roundtable gets everyone contributing.

Can a speaker be booked for remote or hybrid teams?

Yes, a speaker can be booked for remote or hybrid teams. PepTalk's virtual sessions deliver an expert to a remote audience, using polls, chat and Q&A to keep people involved. They suit distributed teams, lunch and learns and global all-hands meetings, and virtual fees usually sit below in-person rates.

How much does a corporate keynote speaker cost?

A corporate keynote speaker booked through PepTalk costs from $5,000. The final fee reflects the speaker's profile and demand, the session length, travel from their home city, and how much the talk is tailored to your event.

How do I book a PepTalk speaker?

To book a PepTalk speaker, send the PepTalk team a message through the chat on getapeptalk.com with your event date, audience, format and goals. The team will recommend suitable experts, check availability and provide a quote.

💡 Ready to see how an expert speaker could work for your organisation? Tell us what you're planning, and we'll match you with the perfect PepTalk expert and the right format. Send us a message via the chat and we'll take it from there. Remember, it's always a good time to get a PepTalk!