One way to avoid this problem with speaker topics is to put out a call for papers. Speakers can then be chosen from respondents. The other method is careful planning by the Conference Planning Committee, the coordinator, and the sponsor. If the people responsible for the conference have done their homework, they will know what topics they want to cover, and their job will be narrowed to searching for speakers with expertise on the chosen topics. The call for papers is usually associated with a professional sponsor by whom papers are actually read.
Many coordinators instead use the term request for proposals.
Appendix D contains a sample request for proposal form, which can be used for screening prospective speakers. It includes more detail than may be needed for a particular conference, but all the items on the form are important. You can modify it as necessary. Speakers from previous conferences, attendees from previous conferences, speakers from conferences sponsored by your colleagues, State and national associations and their members, administrators from State compensation and assistance programs, local assistance programs, and OVC's Trainers Bureau. A good place to start is with fellow compensation and assistance meeting planners.