The Business & Education Partnership
Of Waterloo Region
Speakers Bureau – Teacher’s Guide
Table of Contents
1.
2.
3.
Getting Started with the Speakers Bureau ____________________________________________ 2
1.1.
Introduction ____________________________________________________________________________ 2
1.2.
The Speakers Bureau – Process_____________________________________________________________ 3
1.3.
BEP Contact Information _________________________________________________________________ 4
Sample Presentation Formats for the Speakers Bureau ________________________________ 5
2.1.
Individual Presentation ___________________________________________________________________ 5
2.2.
Career Carousel _________________________________________________________________________ 5
2.3.
Guess My Career ________________________________________________________________________ 5
2.4.
Employer Panel __________________________________________________________________________ 5
Suggested Presentation Content ____________________________________________________ 6
Appendix A - Benefits of the Speakers Bureau ____________________________________________ 7
Appendix B - Am I Prepared for the Volunteer Speaker? ___________________________________ 8
Appendix C - Activities Prior to the Speaker Presentation _________________________________ 9
Appendix D – Activities After the Speaker Presentation __________________________________ 10
Appendix I - Information about the School & Class _______________________________________ 11
Appendix J - Teacher/Student Feedback_________________________________________________ 12
Appendix K - Speaker Feedback ________________________________________________________ 13
Business & Education Partnership
of Waterloo Region
www.bus-edpartnership.org
Page 1 of 14
1. Getting Started with the Speakers Bureau
1.1.
Introduction
The Business & Education Partnership of Waterloo Region (BEP) is proud to present the Speakers Bureau!
The Speakers Bureau was implemented in March 2002 to educate and inspire students in our community
about career choices and education paths in order to enhance their career development.
As a teacher in Waterloo Region, you can invite local, business speakers into your classroom to inform
students about the vast array of career opportunities through the Speakers Bureau.
Our program simplifies the task of finding and recruiting speakers….Just give us the topic, date and
location and we do the rest!
Goals of the Speakers Bureau:
 Help students identify career options/paths/goals
 Provide students with a plan to achieve their goals
 Provide positive adult role models for students
 Assist teachers in adhering to curriculum specifications
Roles in the Speakers Bureau:
 Volunteer Speaker – present their career journey and life experiences to students
 Teacher – request speakers from a variety of business sectors
 BEP – coordination between volunteer speaker and teacher
 Student – explore various career options through speaker presentations
The Speakers Bureau is a free resource for educators and community groups in Waterloo Region!
For further information please contact the Business & Education Partnership of Waterloo Region by email
at info@bus-edpartnership.org or via phone at 519-888-9944 ext 2027.
Business & Education Partnership
of Waterloo Region
www.bus-edpartnership.org
Page 2 of 14
1.2.
The Speakers Bureau – Process
The Speakers Bureau is a free resource that runs year round, but is most active during the school year.
Our volunteers accept speaking engagements as often as their schedules allow.
Teachers and educators may request speakers anytime during the school year or for a special event such
as a Career Day. Teachers may link the speaker’s message to a specific curriculum requirement, or they
may see other ways in which the speaker’s experience might prove valuable.
Interested in booking a speaker? Here’s how to get started….
STEP 1 –
To make a request, please visit our website at www.bus-edpartnership.org and click on the login
called ‘For Educators’. You will then be asked to supply certain information, including  (3) date preferences for a presentation
 Business sector(s) applicable to your topic
 Presentation format (see Section 2)
Once you have submitted your request, you will automatically receive an email verification of the
submission.
STEP 2 –
You will then be contacted by the BEP Program Coordinator.
STEP 3 Once the BEP Program Coordinator has located an appropriate speaker, you will be notified by email,
which will include the speaker contact information.
STEP 4 –
You are then responsible to contact the speaker directly to finalize all details (exact time, parking,
expectations, etc. - please see Appendix E).
STEP 5 You will receive a brief email reminder approx. one week prior to the presentation complete with feedback
form.
STEP 6 Host the speaker – including welcome, introduction, assist with Q&A and wrap-up/thank-you.
STEP 7 Complete the feedback form with input from the students and return to the BEP Program Coordinator,
info@bus-edpartnership.org (see Appendix F).
Business & Education Partnership
of Waterloo Region
www.bus-edpartnership.org
Page 3 of 14
1.3.
BEP Contact Information
Name
Title
Phone
Karen Klink
Executive Director
519-888-9944 x2047
Julie Dreisinger
Program Coordinator
519-888-9944 x2027
Briton Dowhaniuk
ZOOM Program Coordinator 519-888-9944 x1032
Email – info@bus-edpartnership.org
Website – www.bus-edpartnership.org
Business & Education Partnership
of Waterloo Region
www.bus-edpartnership.org
Page 4 of 14
2. Sample Presentation Formats for the Speakers Bureau
2.1.
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2.2.
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2.3.
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2.4.
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Individual Presentation
one speaker is booked for a presentation pertaining to a specific business sector
length of presentation is 0.5 - 1hr including Q & A.
timeframe can vary greatly
once the teacher contacts you specifics and expectations of the visit can be discussed (not usually
expected to present for the entire time)
Career Carousel
several speakers are booked to cover various business sectors
usually for a two hour time frame
20 -25 minute presentations to several groups (usually 4)
speakers stay in the same room and students rotate to them
Guess My Career
several speakers are booked of various business sectors
approximately 2 hour time commitment
students are divided into small groups and rotate to each speaker
students ask “yes and no questions” in the attempt to guess your career
once all students have questioned all speakers, each speaker is called upon to reveal their career
each speaker then does a quick 5 minute glimpse of their actual job to help educate them on various
careers
Employer Panel
4 -5 speakers are booked
Approximately 1 -1 1/2 hour commitment
10-15 minute presentation from each speaker
Q & A at the end
Often used for specific topic and larger audiences
Business & Education Partnership
of Waterloo Region
www.bus-edpartnership.org
Page 5 of 14
3. Suggested Presentation Content
Below are some guidelines that are provided to the volunteer speakers regarding how to structure their
presentation. The actual information and format will depend on the size and age of your group, their
interests, attention span and time allotted – this specific information can be communicated directly to the
volunteer speaker (see Section 1.2, STEP 4).
1. Personal Background
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Tell the students about your career interests when you were younger
Tell them about your career dreams as an adult
How has this changed over time?
2. About your Organization
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What does your organization do/produce/provide as a service?
Location, size, number of employees, etc.
Tell them about a typical customer/client
3. Your Specific Role
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Talk about your duties at work
What do you love about your work and what are some of the drawbacks to your job?
Discuss any obstacles that you had to overcome and how you did it.
What are some barriers that the students might face and how to deal with them?
4. Your Career Journey
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How did you end up where you are and who influenced you the most?
How did you get your first/current position?
What are your options for the future?
5. Your Education Path
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Where did you go to high school and what subjects did you like?
How important is math in your work place (budgets, banking, etc.)
Talk about the importance of technology in the workplace
Talk about literacy in the workplace
Discuss the importance of sports/volunteering/group activities (importance in the workplace)
Talk about your post-secondary education
6. Trends Affecting Career
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New Technology (automation advancements)
Changes in economy
Changes in lifestyle
7. Question and Answers
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Be prepared for personal questions (how much $ do you make)
Tell students about salary ranges, entry level positions and potential for promotions
8. What to Take
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Bring along work props, such as product samples, pictures, handouts
Take all the tools needed for the presentation or arrange with the teacher ahead of time to have them
present (laptop, projector, etc)
Take “trinkets” to hand out to students (pens, stickers, stress balls, etc.)
Business & Education Partnership
of Waterloo Region
www.bus-edpartnership.org
Page 6 of 14
Appendix A - Benefits of the Speakers Bureau
The Speakers Bureau is a free service that directly supports curriculum. The Speakers Bureau can be
used as a tool for career exploration.
Program Benefits Include:
Student Benefits
 Students are exposed to a variety of careers and career paths, so they can develop and attain
their personal and economic goals
 Students are inspired to consider their career options
 Provides students with tools necessary to begin their career journey
 Encourages students to stay in school
 Demonstrates the relevance of their current studies to their future career
Educator Benefits
 Supports curriculum activities, career studies, Career Days, education week, job fairs, etc.
 Provides a resource of potential guest speakers
 Operates as a free resource linking educators and the business community
 Accessible through the internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Speakers Benefits
 Enables community members to positively influence students
 Promotes speaker’s field of employment and organization
 Provides a venue to strengthen facilitation skills
 Provides an opportunity to connect with future workforce
Business Community Benefits
 Provides opportunity for businesses to become actively involved in education of future
workforce
 Provides opportunity for employees to strengthen facilitation and presentation skills
 Enables company to achieve responsible corporate involvement in the community
Community Benefits
 Inspires youth and strengthens bonds in community
 Educates future workforce leaders
Business & Education Partnership
of Waterloo Region
www.bus-edpartnership.org
Page 7 of 14
Appendix B - Am I Prepared for the Volunteer Speaker?
 Are the students clear on the purpose of the presentation?
 Has the speaker been prepared regarding the classroom dynamics?
 Does the speaker know the length of the presentation?
 Do you have the required A/V equipment?
 Do you have an escort assigned to meet and greet the speaker at the office?
 Does the speaker know where to park?
 Have the students prepared some questions for the speaker?
 Have you arranged a “thank you” from the students?
 Do I have supplementary activities for the students if the session does not take the whole period?
Business & Education Partnership
of Waterloo Region
www.bus-edpartnership.org
Page 8 of 14
Appendix C - Activities Prior to the Speaker Presentation
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Prepare name tags or tent cards for students’ desks so speaker can refer to students by
name
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Brainstorm questions that the students can ask the speaker
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Have the students research the speaker’s company/organization
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Have students identify careers of interest and education path necessary for success
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Elect/appoint a student representative to greet and escort speaker
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Elect/appoint a student to thank the speaker
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Have the class prepare a thank you card or poster for the speaker
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Have the class prepare and present a short information session about the school for the
speaker
Business & Education Partnership
of Waterloo Region
www.bus-edpartnership.org
Page 9 of 14
Appendix D – Activities After the Speaker Presentation

Send a thank you note to the speaker
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Reflect on the visit with the students- What did you find surprising, what was the
education path, what did you want to know more about?
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Compile a list of questions that have come out of the visit and email to speaker for
further information
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Have the students compile an overview of the essential skills necessary for the speakers
career
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Have the students identify skills that they have that could be useful in the speaker’s line
of work
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Complete the feedback form and return to Business & Education Partnership of
Waterloo!
Business & Education Partnership
of Waterloo Region
www.bus-edpartnership.org
Page 10 of 14
Appendix I - Information about the School & Class
Please provide the following information to the volunteer speaker 1. Name of School
2. Address
3. Name of Contact
4. Phone Number
5. Email Address
6. Parking instructions
7. Time & Date of Presentation
8. Classroom Location
9. Purpose of Visit
10. Size of Group
11. Grade & Class
12. Specific Focus
13. Format (individual, panel, carousel)
14. Other speakers present (if any)
15. Other teachers present
16. Equipment needed
17. Where to meet
18. Length of visit
Business & Education Partnership
of Waterloo Region
www.bus-edpartnership.org
Page 11 of 14
Appendix J - Teacher/Student Feedback
Business & Education Partnership of Waterloo Region
SPEAKERS BUREAU
Thank you for using our Speakers Bureau! The Business & Education Partnership of Waterloo Region is
continuously evaluating the Speakers Bureau program, and in particular, its impact on assisting students
with their career exploration. Your feedback is important, and will help us to ensure that this service meets
your needs, and those of your students.
Speaker Name:
Teacher Name:
Date of Presentation:
School:
Approx. # of students:
SECTION 1 – TO BE COMPLETED BY THE TEACHER
Please rate the following on a scale of 1 (Poor) to 5 (Excellent):
Relevance of presentation content to class needs
1
2
3
4
5
N/A
Speaker preparation
1
2
3
4
5
N/A
Interest and attentiveness of students
1
2
3
4
5
N/A
Following the presentation, did any students express an interest
in learning more about this topic/career?
__ YES
__ NO
Do you feel that this presentation made an impact on your
students?
__ YES
__ NO
Comments:
SECTION 2 – TO BE COMPLETED BY TEACHER WITH INPUT FROM STUDENTS
What was the most interesting thing that you learned from the speaker(s)?
How do you think your class benefited from having a guest speaker(s) visit your school?
Additional Comments:
Business & Education Partnership
of Waterloo Region
www.bus-edpartnership.org
Page 12 of 14
Appendix K - Speaker Feedback
Business & Education Partnership of Waterloo Region
SPEAKERS BUREAU
Thank you for participating in our Speakers Bureau! The Business & Education Partnership of Waterloo
Region is continuously evaluating the Speakers Bureau program, and in particular, its impact on assisting
students with their career exploration. Your feedback is important, and will help us to ensure that this
service meets your needs, and those of the teachers and students who are involved.
Speaker Name:
School:
Date of Presentation:
Approx. # of Students:
Please rate the following on a scale of 1 (Poor) to 5 (Excellent):
Teacher contact in advance of the presentation
(to assist with preparation and answer questions)
1
2
3
4
5 N/A
School hospitality (greeted and thanked appropriately, etc.)
1
2
3
4
5 N/A
Student preparation
1
2
3
4
5 N/A
Interest and attentiveness of students
1
2
3
4
5 N/A
__ YES
__ NO
Do you feel that this presentation made an impact on the students?
Please explain:
What impact does participating in the Speakers Bureau have on you?
Comments:
Do you know anyone else who might be interested to join our Speakers Bureau?__ YES ___NO
Name:
Business & Education Partnership
of Waterloo Region
Phone Number/E-mail:
www.bus-edpartnership.org
Page 13 of 14