Inviting Guest Speakers Into Your Classroom

“Finally, we learned something useful in algebra!” one of my eighth graders commented when I asked for feedback on our guest speaker’s presentation. He said this in a joking manner, but there was still some truth in his comment. This particular guest speaker is a bank vice president and a former student of mine. She is closer in age to my students than I am, is knowledgeable about consumer finance, and has a knack for connecting with middle school students. I’ve invited her to speak to my classes every year.

After hearing her presentation from a bank vice president on credit, saving, investing, and debt, my students certainly had learned something useful. (Not that the quadratic formula isn’t also useful.) 

Maybe you’ve thought about inviting a guest speaker for your classes but aren’t sure who to invite, how to manage the logistics, or how to fit a guest talk into your curriculum. Here are three tips to guide you when inviting a guest speaker.

Advantages of a guest speaker

If you’re concerned about how to fit the time for guest speakers into your already packed curriculum, consider the positive impact that a real-world presenter can have on students’ learning.

In “What the research says: Guest speakers in the classroom,” Lauren Hudson and Monika Pelz identify four practical benefits of having a guest speaker in your class:

1. Expertise shared with students and teachers: The teacher can’t be an expert on all content.
2. Career exposure: Maybe some students will learn about a career field they’ve never heard of.
3. An experience to remember: No matter how engaging a teacher is, students will give their attention to a new and novel presenter.
4. Authentic: Speakers share their own stories that students might personally connect with.

Where to find guest speakers

You may have parents or caregivers visit for career day, which is a positive way to build parent-school connections. However, when seeking guest speakers for a particular content area, expand your search beyond just parents. Do you or your colleagues have former students who might be experts on the topic that your class is currently studying? Do your friends, family, or neighbors have connections to potential guest speakers? If your class recently finished a novel, consider reaching out to the author to give a virtual author talk. You never know who will say yes. Benedict Carey talked with my class after we read his math mystery, Island of the Unknowns.

Potential guest speakers can be found in your local community. Consider how the following professionals can boost engagement and real-world connection to your curriculum.

Science: To kick off a science unit on bacteria and viruses, ask a health care provider if they can come talk with your class about disease prevention and staying healthy.

Math: To conclude a unit on scale and proportion, invite an architect or contractor to speak to your class about how they use drawings to construct a building. 

History/social studies: To enhance a civics unit, invite a local city council member to discuss elections and their work as a civil servant. 

Be mindful of diversity when inviting speakers to your class. Seek out individuals who represent a variety of ethnicities, genders, ages, and backgrounds. When your students can hear firsthand stories and experiences from a diverse representation of speakers, their understanding of the content and the speaker’s profession broadens and deepens.

Your school might have procedures around approving guest speakers—be sure to know and follow these procedures before inviting a speaker. Also prior to inviting a speaker, do your due diligence in vetting them. Check their public social media and online presence. I warn of this based on a negative experience with a speaker who posted offensive content on their social media. This caught the attention of our students’ parents and resulted in many complaints. 

How to set up your speakers and your students for success

Once you’ve invited the guest speaker to your class, there are various ways to set them up for a successful presentation. Remember that guest speakers aren’t trained educators. They may not know the background knowledge and skills of your students. For example, our bank guest speaker and I discussed what my students knew about compound interest so that her presentation was mathematically appropriate for my class.

They also may not know how to handle classroom management. If you predict that a certain student will need particular attention during the presentation, give the speaker a heads-up and monitor potential disruptions closely. To further set your speaker up for success, offer to preview their slide deck or presentation materials. Ensure that the content and visuals are engaging and appropriate for your students. For example, check that the slide deck language is in range of your students’ reading levels and that any graphs or diagrams can be easily interpreted.

Your students can also do a bit of preparation to maximize their learning from the guest speaker. Samantha Shane writes in “Leveraging Guest Speakers to Increase Student Learning,” “To start, my students spend time researching the speaker and connecting the speaker to the content. Students understand the purpose of the guest speaker and create questions to ask during the session.” Ask your guest speaker ahead of time to provide a website or other reading material for your students to learn more about the guest speaker’s company or current project. 

Finally, many presenters appreciate feedback. Ask your students to complete a short survey after the presentation. Include a question that asks if they have any follow-up questions for your guest.

If inviting a guest speaker feels overwhelming, start small. Set a goal of inviting just one speaker this year. Review your curriculum to identify a unit where an expert’s insights would have the greatest impact. While it might feel impractical to dedicate a class period to a speaker, the lasting benefits for your students will be well worth it.