What are some best practices for coordinating training sessions with guest speakers?

Keeping a continuous flow of communication helps a lot. Rather than everything being formal and rigid, try to make the guest speaker feel comfortable and at ease. Even if there are no development, dropping a message with the actual status and reason for delay or keeping the program on hold shows your commitment, respect and value towards the engagement and relationship.

I've hosted thousands of guest speakers/trainers. You must have a system that easy for your guests and your team. First confirm the date, time, and location in writing (ensuring time zones are clear), next use a form to gather the information you need to promote the speaker and any releases agreements they need to sign. Finally, have a tech check-in before the event. Review the flow of the event. Send a calendar invite and confirmation email (or 3). If you have any guidelines for promotions they should or should not include, please get their agreement upfront. The clearer you are with yourself and then with your speaker, the better your training will be.

Plan logistics: Ensure the speaker has access to the venue, equipment, and materials they need. Prepare the speaker: Make sure the speaker is familiar with the setup and operation of the technology. Outline learning objectives: Understand your audience and break down the subject into sections. Prepare training materials: Prepare your training materials and design your evaluation. Involve your trainees: Ask questions and invite participation.

Guest speakers add great value in a training rather than inhouse training members. To make the training fruitful, guest speakers must be encouraged to part of inhouse training sessions as observer. Guest speakers must be given enough time to understand the actual requirement of the organisation and the stage of people being trained such as fresher, middle management, top management etc etc. Introduction round with the trainee must be for about an hour where the guest speaker can understand the audience and use his skills to get connected within the less possible time. This will allow for better training and knowledge improvement of the learning members

One way to improve communication in training is by utilizing various channels such as email, video conferencing, and instant messaging. This allows for clear and frequent communication, ensuring that all participants are well-informed and engaged. By fostering an open and transparent communication environment, participants will feel more comfortable asking for clarification or sharing their thoughts. This can lead to a more collaborative and interactive training experience. Furthermore, incorporating visual aids and interactive elements into the training materials can enhance understanding and retention of the information being presented.

I have experienced a wide range of preparedness in presenting at different venues over the years, and the best experiences were those where I simply had to show up, do a run-through with the tech, and present. Good speakers will adapt to circumstances as necessary, but it's much better to make things smooth and easy for your guest.

Training sessions should supported by logistics to help trainers familiar with the set up. Demonstration with all the required learners equipment and materials will inhance the understanding of the guests.

I found site visits to be most useful when planning training sessions &/or organising events with guest speakers/VIP's. Site visits provide you the opportunity to ask the venue/coordinators questions & receive a live in-person demonstration of the equipment, tools & resources available. From the site visit you can identify any gaps and determine whether additional third-party support &/or AV is required, if not provided by the venue. The site visit will allow you to create a resource document to send to guest speakers/VIP's/anyone presenting with what is available & will be provided vs what they will need to provide. E.G. you may need the presentation sent digitally in advance to configure to the equipment being used to present.

In our world of virtual presentations, contingency plans for technological failure are a must. Have a clearly defined plan for what to do if the speaker has connectivity issues - there are few things that distract an audience from the message more than technology-induced stuttering. Don't be afraid to ask the Guest speaker about the strength and stability of their service, and make a plan just in case. Usually my plan involves a review of whatever part of the presentation has been done or an impromptu Q&A session for a few minutes to see if the speaker can reconnect solidly. If not, the next step would be to have someone else continue if possible, and if not direct the attendees to additional resources and reschedule the training.

also getting straight to the point with out beating around the bush too much keeps everyone interested in the topic and helps people to not get board to soon waiting for the punch line, so to speak. Always plan ahead of time of what you will do and speak on and have a backup plan if you foresee any problems, like have a backup date and time for a do over incase of internet connection peoblems.

While you are constantly driving the agenda, one should also give the guest a scope to share their thoughts and ideas. The very fact that the guest speaker is coming in is to add new perspectives and learnings. Give them the liberty of hows and whats of the workshop. But the 'Why' should always come from business.

Always begin with the end in mind! Reverse engineering is a powerful process for success especially training and development. 1. Be very clear on the outcome. 2. Have a working knowledge of the culture. 3. Know the champions of the training or the project. 4. When a challenge occurs, know how to refer it to the appropriate leader. 5. Set the tone for success! Be inclusive! Invite participation! Don’t forget to celebrate! #LeadLoudly #bold #courageous #leadership

Another great way to set expectations with the speaker is to give him/her/them a heads up on the audience. For example, is the presenter speaking with a group where participants tend to not talk or engage much? If so, the speaker may need to have some interactive elements and questions queued up. If the audience tends to want the nitty gritty details, the presenter may need to have additional data and facts prepared just in case.

Always have a Q&A session at the end for any questions that may arise that need clarification, and prepare ahead of time on what those questions may be, so you will have the answers already looked up or on hand.

Establishing a post session feedback loop is imperative for continuous improvement. We have to encourage both guest speakers and participants to provide constructive feedback to foster a culture of leaning and refinement. This process ensures that each training session builds upon the insights gained creating a dynamic and evolving education experience.

I have to agree around the feedback loop - ensuring a return on investment for any training is imperative to future sessions, if you or the attendees didn't feel there was any value or relevance you need to ensure that accurate and timely feedback is given to the speaker so they may adjust their content for future sessions.

As a trainer and facilitator myself, I find that communication quickly closes off post-workshop. But this is a key step in the relationship! I don't need gifts or even a thank you (although the thank you is lovely), but I want to celebrate the work we did together. I always follow up with a survey link (which often doesn't get completed) and a request for photos from the session so I can post on LinkedIn and share what the team got out of the day. This is a win-win for both of us in terms of raising our profile and showcasing our strengths. If you're a proactive organisation, why not post something on social media and tag the trainer so they can reshare? And of course - referrals are *always* welcome ;-)

Perhaps ask the speaker in advance, what would best promote their visibility and provide suitable material for that (photos, LinkedIn/Instagram/Facebook posts, endorsements or testimonials) according to your possibilities.

As recognition and appreciation is important to us, it is so for all! A genuine and articulate Thank-YOU! letter accompanied with a couple of good pictures would be sent to my guest speakers within 20 hours. If appropriate I would copy on this email my Boss and a guest speaker's Boss. It works when trainees, trainers and their management have a fair chance to reflect on their success and feel good about their contribution, team work and about each other! Circulate that positivity and togetherness, to let us all shine!

Effective communicators like to understand who their audience is. They also like to know a few specifics about the audience, for example, what are one or two projects that everyone is aware of? What were some recent challenges and accomplishments? This gives the speaker something to reference. Lastly, it could be helpful to let the speaker know if the group might be open to interactive participation or engagement during the session.

Some additional best practices what I feel :- 1.Pre-Event Briefing 2.Confirm Schedule and Details 3.Promotion 4.Participant Engagement 5.Technical Rehearsal & Backup Plan 6.Evaluation and Learning Successful training session can be planned & conducted with a guest speaker, creating a valuable and engaging experience for both the speaker and the participants.

To seek diverse perspectives, you can leverage the expertise and insights of guest speakers to enrich the training content, providing participants with multiple perspectives and viewpoints. This diversity of thought sparks critical thinking and enhances the relevance of the learning experience.

If there are time constraints, promote the guest speakers & links to example works/websites in advance of the event, for attendees to read & be familiar with each speaker before attending. This will allow the speaker to focus on using their time to address the topic & deliver the best content for the attendees. The speakers should already be formally addressed/introduced by the MC as well, as this saves time for the guest speaker having to spend 5-10 minutes gaining credibility & discussing their background etc... Having set Q&A sessions assist with flow & delivery of information (sometimes guest speakers prefer engagement from the audience & offer this at the start of their session). TIP: Allow attendees to submit questions in advance!