Guest Speaker
Coordination Kit™

Key Decisions to Make Early

• Format: In-person, virtual, or hybrid?
• Length: 30–50 minutes or a full 75-minute class period?30–40 minutes is optimal in a compressed quarter schedule.
• Structure: Prepared remarks + Q&A? Fireside chat? Case study walkthrough?
• Chapter alignment: Which BCT16 chapters does this speaker best illuminate?
• Student preparation: Pre-reading? AI-assisted question drafting? Questions submitted in advance?
• Technology: Projector? Video conferencing? Recording permission needed?
• Diversity goal: Does this speaker add breadth in industry, background, or perspective to your lineup?

The guidance below is for your use as the instructor. Share relevant points informally during a confirmation call or weave them naturally into the briefing document — do not hand this section directly to the speaker.

Setting Expectations in Advance

Avoiding Sales Pitches

Speakers should share expertise and experience — not promote products, services, or employers. If a speaker trends toward self-promotion during the session, redirect with a reframing question: "Can you tell us about a challenge your team faced with that?"

Respecting Student Diversity

Your class likely includes students with varied cultural, economic, religious, and professional backgrounds. Gently set the expectation that speakers avoid assumptions about career paths, family situations, financial circumstances, or what "normal" looks like. BCT16 Chapter 3's diversity and inclusion framework applies equally to speakers as to writers.

Sensitive and Controversial Topics

Politics, religion, personal compensation, and critical commentary about specific employers or competitors should be approached carefully. If a speaker enters sensitive territory, redirect: "That's useful context — can we look at how communication played a role there?"

Inclusive Language

Encourage speakers to use gender-neutral language, avoid jargon that may exclude first-generation students, and refrain from framing student audiences as inherently naive or unprepared. The best speakers speak with students, not at them.

Before Class Begins

• Confirm speaker is still on schedule (no last-minute changes)
• Test AV or virtual meeting link at least 15 minutes early
• Arrange seating to encourage dialogue (circle or U-shape where possible)
• Brief students on session format, etiquette, and how to ask questions
• Distribute or display feedback forms (paper or digital link)
• Designate a student timekeeper if helpful

Opening the Session

• Introduce speaker with name, title, organization, and 1–2 sentences on relevance to course content
• Frame the session goal: "Today we're looking at how [topic] plays out in [speaker's industry]."
• Remind students of Q&A process (raised hands, chat, index cards)

During the Session

• Monitor time — give speaker a 5-minute warning before Q&A transition
• Use backup questions from Section 7 if student engagement is slow
• Watch for content that may need redirection (see Section 5)
• Take brief notes on key quotes and insights for your thank-you email

Closing the Session

• Thank the speaker publicly and specifically — reference something they said
• Have students complete feedback forms before leaving the room
• Invite the speaker to connect with students on LinkedIn (only if they consent)
• Confirm mailing address or preferred contact for follow-up

AI-Assisted Question Preparation (Pre-Visit Activity)

Before the visit, assign this task: Use an AI tool (Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot) to generate five potential questions for our speaker, then revise them to reflect your own voice and genuine curiosity. Submit your two best questions for class consideration. This reinforces BCT16's AI-as-drafting-tool framework while building critical thinking about what AI does and doesn't produce.

Backup Questions by Topic Area

Workplace Writing & Email (Ch. 6–7)

• How has email communication changed at your organization in the last few years?
• What's the biggest writing mistake you see from new employees?
• How do you decide when to write versus when to call or meet in person?

Presentations & Visual Communication (Ch. 9, 16–17)

• What makes a business presentation memorable — or forgettable?
• Has a presentation ever gone wrong on you? What did you do?
• How do you use visuals to support a message without overwhelming your audience?

Difficult Messages & Sensitive Communication (Ch. 11)

• How do you approach delivering bad news to a client or team member?
• Has a communication misstep ever required damage control? What did you learn?

Intercultural & Inclusive Communication (Ch. 3)

• How has working across cultures changed the way you communicate?
• What's one assumption about communication you had to unlearn?

AI & Digital Communication (Ch. 2, throughout)

• How is your team using AI in communication workflows right now?
• What do you think AI cannot replace in professional communication?
• What AI skills do you look for — or wish you saw more of — in new hires?

Career & Professional Identity (Ch. 18–19)

• What communication skill do you wish you'd developed earlier?
• How has your communication style evolved since you started your career?
• What's one piece of advice you'd give a student entering your field?

Facilitation Tips

• Open Q&A with a question of your own to model the behavior you want from students.
• Paraphrase student questions before the speaker responds: "So you're asking about how [topic] plays out when…"
• If the room is quiet, collect questions anonymously via index cards or a digital poll.
• Close with: "If you had one thing you wish my students left here knowing today, what would it be?"

Distribute this form at the end of the session — paper or digital. Sharing an anonymized summary with the speaker is a meaningful relationship-building gesture and demonstrates student engagement.

AI-Powered Debrief Activity

After students complete their reflection, assign this additional step: Prompt an AI tool with "Summarize the key insights a business communication expert might share about [the speaker's topic]." Then compare the AI's response to your own reflection and write one paragraph: What did I notice that the AI missed? What did the AI include that I overlooked — and why?

This connects to BCT16's AI integration framework and develops the kind of critical AI literacy employers increasingly expect from graduates entering the workforce.

Live Backchannel During the Session

With speaker consent, designate a class hashtag (e.g., #BCT16Guest) and invite students to post reactions, notable quotes, and insights in real time. Designate one or two students to curate the thread and share highlights at the close of class.

Post-Visit Visual Summary Activity

Assign students to create a one-page visual summary — infographic, sketchnote, or designed slide — capturing the speaker's three most important insights. Require at least one connection to a BCT16 chapter concept to be expressed visually, not just in text. Share standout examples on your course LMS or class feed (with student permission).

LinkedIn Connection Activity

If the speaker consents to connection requests, assign students to draft a personalized LinkedIn message — not a generic request — that references the visit and one specific insight from the conversation. Require a draft for instructor review before sending. This applies BCT16 Chapter 8's professional social media principles in an entirely authentic context.

Where to Look

• Your professional network: Former colleagues, co-authors, conference contacts
• Alumni office: Many alumni are eager to give back — your institution's alumni relations team may maintain a speaker-ready database
• LinkedIn: Search professionals in relevant fields who have written or posted about communication, leadership, or your chapter focus
• Local business community: Chamber of Commerce, SHRM chapters, local PRSA or IABC members
• Former students: Graduates from 3 to 7 years ago are often highly engaged and more relatable to current students than senior executives
• Publisher connections: Pearson's sales and marketing network may connect you with professionals who care about education

Diversity & Representation

BCT16 emphasizes inclusive communication throughout. Apply that principle to your speaker roster. Over the course of a semester — or across a full year — aim for variety in:

• Industry and sector (for-profit, nonprofit, government, entrepreneurial)
• Career stage (early career, mid-career, executive, founder)
• Gender, racial, and cultural background
• Geographic perspective (local, national, international)
• Organization size (startup, SMB, enterprise)

Building a Repeat Speaker Network

Speakers who have a positive experience often return — and refer colleagues. Keep a simple log of past speakers with notes on topic covered, student response, and whether to invite back. After a few semesters or quarters, you'll have a ready roster that requires minimal outreach each term.