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Business and Social Etiquette Expert: Syndi Seid
When should you give a gift to a guest speaker?
Q: When is the most appropriate time to present a graduation speaker with a cash gift? I've heard that the proper time to present it is the moment the speaker finishes his/her speech, while still standing at the podium. Is this correct?
A: There is no absolute rule about when a gift of any kind is presented to an individual. This is more of a style issue. It's based on all the circumstances surrounding the event.
Here are two things to consider:
Whenever and however you choose to present the speaker with funds, do not hand him/her cash in front of others. Place the check or cash in an envelope with the speaker's name on the front.
Here are two things to consider:
- Is it a cash gift?
If you were planning to only hand the speaker a $100 bill on stage, then this would not be a good choice. In this case, payments of honorariums and fees are normally handled discreetly and privately. In my experience, speaker payments are not handled on stage. As a speaker myself, I would feel awkward receiving a payment of any kind in front of an audience. - Is it a gift of appreciation?
If so, it's perfectly acceptable to make that a part of your program at the end of the speaker's presentation. You may want to also include a nice memento — such as a school pen, or coffee mug — wrapped in some way so it contains the honorarium cash or check. In this case, I would be honored to receive something on stage at the conclusion of my presentation and not have to deal with receiving the funds later.
Whenever and however you choose to present the speaker with funds, do not hand him/her cash in front of others. Place the check or cash in an envelope with the speaker's name on the front.
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