You delete a speaker profile from the person’s contact record. There is no separate speaker profiles page where you can delete it directly.
Prerequisites
- If you can open the contact record, you can delete the speaker profile. You do not need a separate permission.
Delete a Speaker Profile
- Open the person’s contact record and go to the Speaker Profile tab.
- Select Delete Speaker Profile.
- Confirm the deletion.
Result
Rhythm permanently removes the profile, including its honorarium, dietary requirements, and private notes. You cannot undo this from within Rhythm.
Rhythm asks you to confirm because deleting a speaker profile cannot be reversed. After you confirm, the Speaker Profile tab shows the same prompt you see for a contact who has never had a profile, with the option to create a new one. Deleting the profile does not delete the contact or change anything else on the person’s record.
Tip
If you want to remove someone from the active choices in the speakers directory without losing their profile history, make the profile inactive instead of deleting it. See Create and Edit a Speaker Profile for how to change a profile’s status.
Why You Can't Delete This Profile
Rhythm will not delete a speaker profile while the person is still an event speaker at an event where Rhythm created the speaker record automatically from that profile. This happens, for example, when someone was added to a session directly from the speakers directory instead of being added to the event by hand. If Rhythm refuses the deletion, remove the linked event speaker record from that event first, then delete the profile.
Warning
This refusal only applies when Rhythm created the event speaker record automatically from the profile. If someone was added to an event as a speaker by hand (see Add and Edit an Event Speaker) instead of through their profile, that event speaker record does not block deletion. You can delete the profile even while that person still speaks at the event.
Tip
If you removed or reassigned the linked event speaker record and the profile still won't delete, a lingering relationship can occasionally remain even though the profile now looks unassociated. Contact Rhythm Support in that case. As a temporary workaround while you wait, you can clear the profile's name, image, and other identifying details and rename it to something clearly marked as a placeholder, so it no longer shows up as a real person in the speakers directory.
What Happens to a Profile When Its Contact Is Deleted
A speaker profile’s identifier is tied to its contact, so deleting a contact also deletes its speaker profile. However, you cannot delete a contact who has ever been an event speaker. In practice, this means deleting the contact removes the speaker profile only when the contact was never made a speaker at any event. See Change a Contact's Status or Delete a Contact for deleting a contact.
Related Reading
To create a new speaker profile or update an existing profile’s bureau details, see Create and Edit a Speaker Profile. To add or edit this person as a speaker at a specific event, see Add and Edit an Event Speaker. To change a contact’s status or delete the contact entirely, see Change a Contact's Status or Delete a Contact.