A speaking fee is a

payment A payment is the voluntary tender of money or its equivalent or of things of value by one party (such as a person or company) to another in exchange for goods, or services provided by them, or to fulfill a legal obligation. The party making the ...

awarded to an individual for speaking at a public event.

Motivational speaker A motivational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep talk. Motivational speakers c ...

businessperson A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...

facilitator A facilitator is a person who helps a group of people to work together better, understand their common objectives, and plan how to achieve these objectives, during meetings or discussions. In doing so, the facilitator remains "neutral", meaning ...

s, and

celebrities Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

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 Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

, $40,000 a regular fee for well-known authors, and famous politicians were reported to charge about $100,000 and more. In contrast, speakers in

academic conferences An academic conference or scientific conference (also congress, symposium, workshop, or meeting) is an event for researchers (not necessarily academics) to present and discuss their scholarly work. Together with academic or scientific journals an ...

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. 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. Prudence must be taken with speaker fees for government officials or employees or to scientific searchers as it may be considered as a bribery.

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