speaking fee

{{Short description|Payment for a public speaking event}}

A speaking fee is a payment awarded to an individual for speaking at a public event.

Motivational speakers, businesspersons, facilitators, and celebrities are able to garner significant earnings in speaking fees or honoraria. In 2013, $10,000 was considered a lower limit for speakers brokered by speakers bureaus, $40,000 a regular fee for well-known authors, and famous politicians were reported to charge about $100,000 and more.{{cite web|last1=Morgan|first1=Nick|title=How Much Can You Charge For Speaking?|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorgan/2013/11/14/how-much-can-you-charge-for-speaking/|website=Forbes|accessdate=2 December 2014}}

In contrast, speakers in academic conferences and similar events rarely get significant speaking fees or any at all. Sometimes speakers will even pay for attending and presenting at a conference, although it is fairly common that they are rewarded with free attendance.{{cite web|last1=Poe|first1=Curtis|title=How Do Conference Speakers Get Compensated?|url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140731092421-4973136-how-do-conference-speakers-get-compensated|website=LinkedIn|accessdate=2 December 2014}} Researchers and academics consider conference presentations an honour and necessary for their careers, rather than a service. Scientists who become popular authors or otherwise famous are an exception, and can earn similar sums as celebrities. {{cite web|last1=Mack|first1=Alison|title=Scientific Success Often Leads To Paid Public-Speaking Engagements|url=http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/18162/title/Scientific-Success-Often-Leads-To-Paid-Public-Speaking-Engagements/|website=The Scientist|accessdate=2 December 2014}}

Prudence must be taken with speaker fees for government officials or employees or to scientific searchers as it may be considered as a bribery.{{Cite web|last=Chen|first=Henry|date=2020-11-05|title=Fees to speakers: academic exchange or commercial bribery - Anti-Bribery & Fraud-The Compliance Reviews|url=http://www.compliancereviews.cn/Arc-v.asp?id=1050|access-date=2021-09-22|website=www.compliancereviews.cn}}