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West Virginia University West Virginia Public Education Collaborative

THE SB EXPERIENCE

CONNECTING STUDENTS TO A WORLD OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Speaker tips to deliver memorable presentations Teacher tips to optimize the student experience

Dominick Claudio

Speakers

Share stories, on-the-job experiences, expertise, knowledge, trials, tribulations and rewarding opportunities.

Teachers

Teachers

Expose students to inspirational West Virginians and West Virginia careers, generating excitement in the classroom.

Students

Students

Learn about interesting, in-demand careers in West Virginia that can broaden future prospects.

Teacher Post-Visit Form Student Reflection Form

TIPS FOR A MEMORABLE SPEAKER VISIT

Bring careers to life and help students visualize a future in your professional field. Here’s some recommendations for making the best memorable experience at your visit.

Download the Tips to the most memorable speaker visits
Download Speakers Bureau PowerPoint Slides

Throughout the presentation

  • Consider using the K-12 Speakers Bureau-branded PowerPoint slides (download above)
  • Be real and relatable, avoid condescension.
  • Know your audience – speak to the student age-range.
  • Offer genuine, meaningful stories from your life, even self-deprecating ones.
  • Maintain enthusiasm and regularly engage the students.
  • Use movement and multimedia to capture students’ attention and keep them engaged in the presentation.
  • Avoid industry jargon and use simple language.
  • Encourage students to discuss the content with each other.

Introduction

  • Share your name, title and organization.
  • Provide a brief outline of your presentation.

Interactive Questions:

Familiarize yourself with students by asking questions and engaging them in the presentation.

  • Has anyone thought about where they'll be in 5, 10 or 30 years?
  • What are your interests and/or passions?

Childhood & Adolescent Interests

  • Discuss your passions during childhood/adolescence and how they inspired your career. Discuss your strengths and weaknesses and how they've shaped your journey.
  • Draw connections between your school experiences and your career.
  • Identify influential mentors or individuals.

Post-Secondary Journey & Entry into the Workforce

  • Detail your post-secondary learning and early career.
  • Highlight what sets you apart in your field.
  • Encourage students to take risks by sharing your decision-making experiences.

Overcoming Obstacles & Pivots

  • Share how you overcame barriers in your path, including personal failures.
  • Illustrate career changes ("pivots") and share feelings during these key moments.
  • Share personal stories and anecdotes, showing vulnerability and authenticity.

A Day in the Life and Job Description

  • Outline what your job entails.
  • Describe a typical day and discuss the best and worst parts.
  • Discuss growth opportunities in your field.

Interactive Q&A

  • Open the floor for questions.

Conclusion

  • Repeat your key message(s) and why it's important.
  • Provide any helpful links or resources for students.
  • Thank students for their time and engagement, wish them well in their career exploration.
  • If willing, offer opportunities to stay in touch for further questions, opportunities.

A LASTING IMPRESSION: TEACHER TIPS TO OPTIMIZE THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Expose students to new perspectives and areas of expertise by inviting local professionals and leaders into your classroom. Here’s some tips to make the most out of the experience for you (the educator) and your students.

Download the Teacher tips to optimize the student experience

Planning your Speaker Visit

  • Consider a large versus small student gathering. Determine whether to hold speaker presentations in an auditorium or a larger space to accommodate an entire grade(s), or in a smaller classroom setting. 
    • A larger space may expose more students to speakers and careers.
    • Alternatively, a smaller classroom setting may yield more in-depth conversations about the speaker and their field.
  • Consider hosting a series of speakers throughout the academic year to expose students to different people and careers. The WVPEC is happy to help you coordinate a speaker series, though we recommend that one teacher, guidance counselor or educator in your school takes point in planning these speaker visits.
  • Once the presentation is scheduled, provide background information about the speaker to your students. 

During the Speaker Visit

  • Offer to help the speaker, as needed, but allow the speaker to be the focus of the room.
  • Please remain in the room/classroom and display interest in the speaker and topic.
  • Please encourage active and respectful participation.

After the Speaker Visit

  • Consider asking students to complete a brief student reflection form to help them reflect on what they’ve learned about the speakers’ career and their experiences. This can be done in the classroom or as a take-home assignment.
  • We encourage teachers to complete the post-visit evaluation to help us make improvements and ensure that the K12 Speakers Bureau remains a valuable experience from start to finish.