“Your One-Sheet is your passport onto the next stage,” according to Kimb Manson Williams, designer of one-sheets for hundreds of speakers. Kimb was this month’s guest on the SkillBites Show, and gave great insights into creating an effective one-sheet.

A one-sheet contains all the information that event planners need when booking speakers. Event planners are busy people and if a speaker’s information is not conveniently presented to them, they will likely not consider that speaker for upcoming speaking opportunities.

The one-sheet should contain an up-to-date photo of the speaker, as well as a brief bio, the topics the person is seeking to present, and the speaker’s contact information. Testimonials and recent speaking engagements can also be included. Although the name suggests that everything is to fit on one page, it is acceptable to use both sides of the page.

Kimb advised that the two biggest mistakes she sees are the use of an old headshot and a dull-looking one-sheet. If the sheet is mostly text, it won’t capture the event planner’s attention. Kimb spends several hours designing her clients’ one-sheets to show the client’s personality, be vibrant and make a strong visual impression.

Another mistake that Kimb sees is having a different look and feel in the one-sheet from the speaker’s website, social media accounts and other marketing collateral. The colors and the look and feel of the one-sheet should be consistent with the brand image of the speaker. Event planners often go to the social media accounts of the speakers they are most interested in hiring, so speakers need to have a presence and stay somewhat active on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Kimb advised that when looking for a one-sheet designer, ask to view the designer’s portfolio. Stay away from designers who use templates and merely plug in the relevant text. Ask about the designer’s timeframe and fee structure as well, and make sure you understand how many revisions are permitted before additional fees are charged. If the rate is under $200, be wary that you will likely get a one-sheet based on a template. Good quality custom one-sheets typically run from $300 – $600. Finally, find out what format you will receive. Event planners want to receive a lightweight pdf with working links. You’ll need a high resolution pdf, however, to create print copies of your one-sheet, so you should get your one-sheet in both formats.

For more information about Kimb, visit either of her websites, senjula.com or yourvisualbranding.com. She can also be reached via email at kimbmanson@shaw.ca, or by phone at 204-802-2314.