Administrator's Guide

So ... you are thinking of having one of the Career Connections Speakers visit your classroom. That's great and we want to make this a rewarding experience for everyone. This guide has been prepared to assist you in identifying the procedures and protocols necessary to make your visit a great success. Career Connections has wonderful speakers who are recognized authorities in their fields. Be sure to select and schedule your speaker through our Schedule A Speaker section of our web site.

Once you have identified the speaker you would like to invite, but before you contact or have the speaker in your classroom, consider the following items.

1. What is the desired result of the speaker's discussion? Do you want the speaker to discuss a particular subject matter or simply a general discussion? All speakers will be scripted to discuss the connection between their choices and behavior in school and the direct impact it has on their future work habits. For example: a student who has a problem being on time to class may have problems being on time to work, a student unable to respect and be courteous to their teacher will probably have a very hard time respecting and being courteous to their supervisor/boss. Our speakers will provide real life examples of how their school experience impacted their career choice and success.



2. Be prepared to contact 2 or 3 speakers, if available, who could discuss the desired topic in the event that your first choice is not available on the particular date.



3. When contacting the speaker, if possible, be prepared with 2 or 3 possible dates for their discussion.



4. Remember, most of our speakers have extremely busy schedules and the more notice provided to the speaker, the better. Try to allow at minimum one week's notice, possibly longer depending on your school's location to the speaker.



5. When contacting the speaker, be prepared with the following information:
        - Your name or contact name
        - How to reach you to confirm their availability
        - School name and location
        - Classroom and grade level (age level of attendees)
        - Location for speaker's discussion (classroom number or auditorium,         etc.)
        - Date and time of speaker's discussion (may need a few options)
        - Requested theme or particular topic for discussion
        - Projected number of attendees
        - Is a particular dress requested (i.e., firefighter speaking in uniform         with fire engine on display, automotive technician speaking in         uniform displaying tools, etc.)
        - Procedures for checking in at school when arriving (identification         required)



6. Appropriately prepare your classroom for the speaker:
        - Rearrange, if necessary, classroom for speaker's ability to see and         interact with all students
        - Have any handouts for students prepared and explained ahead of         time
        - Provide students with the speakers information and discussion topic
        - Have preplanned questions ready for students to ask of speaker
        - Remain in the classroom with the students and speaker in case         you're needed during the discussion or to facilitate the discussion

Upon completion of the speaker's discussion, please complete the Feedback Form to ensure we can continue to provide you with a useful scheduling site and beneficial speakers.

If possible, write a thank you note from the class, or have the class create a thank you note, and send to the speaker.

We hope these procedures have made your experience with Career Connections a big success for you, your classroom and the speaker. We look forward to your comments and feedback!

Thank you for using Career Connections!!