Tips for Guest Speakers

Bringing guest speakers into your classroom provides an opportunity for students to ask questions and think through material in a more thorough way than they might otherwise do. It helps the students apply what they are learning to different contexts, thus enriching, reinforcing, and expanding their learning.

With Adobe Connect you can bring a guest speaker into your classroom through your computer without having to schedule (or pay for) a special videoconferencing room or bridge and without having to allow time and money for travel.

Preparing for a Guest Speaker

  1. When selecting a guest speaker, keep in mind that using Adobe Connect requires a higher level of comfort with technology than speaking face-to-face with a group.
  2. Make sure your guest speaker has the necessary equipment to participate – computer, camera, headset, Internet connection, etc.
  3. Give your guest the address to obtain a Friends of Penn State account (http://fps.psu.edu) to use to log in to your Penn State Adobe Connect meeting.
  4. Talk with your guest about the goals for the class and the material you want him/her to cover, including any graphics, videos, PPT presentations or documents s/he will want to display.
  5. Arrange to obtain the files for the presentation from the guest and upload them into your meeting room a few days in advance of the meeting – or, if your guest is comfortable with using Adobe Connect, make him/her a Presenter in the room so s/he can upload his/her own files.
  6. Several days prior to the class, arrange a time to meet with the guest in your Adobe Connect meeting room to practice the presentation.
  7. Also discuss with your guest ways to make the presentation more interactive. Decide with your guest when and how s/he will take student questions. Ask your guest to send you questions that can be displayed in the Poll pod periodically throughout the presentation.
  8. The day before the presentation, remind your guest of the actual date and time of the class.
  9. On the day of the guest presentation, arrive at the classroom ten to fifteen minutes early to set up your computer and camera. Greet the guest when s/he arrives in the Adobe Connect room and begin broadcasting audio and video, testing the sound for quality and volume.
  10. Be prepared to provide feedback to your guest as the class progresses. Tell your guest about things that are going on in the room that your guest can't see.
  11. Be prepared to provide technical support during the presentation. If you don't feel confident that you can solve any problems that may arise, arrange for a tech support person to be available to help.

Speakers Unfamilair with Adobe Connect

One issue to deal with when planning to hold a meeting using Adobe Connect is what to do about presenters who have no experience using Adobe Connect. Although you can plan time for your presenters to practice, you probably can't force them to practice. Is it reasonable to expect them to come into a physical room to give a presentation and, with no practice or preparation, require that they give their presentation from within an Adobe Connect room?

The answer probably depends on the type of class or meeting you are planning, the goals and audiences for the class or meeting, why you are thinking about using Adobe Connect, and the personalities of your presenters. If the success of your meeting depends on the skill of the presenters when using Adobe Connect, but your presenters refuse to practice or to give you their materials in advance, you will probably need to find an alternate delivery method instead of the live Adobe Connect meeting, or you will need to have a skilled moderator who can quickly and graciously walk the presenters through the process of using Adobe Connect while they are giving their presentations.

Skills Presenters Will Need

Guest presenters who will be expected to give their presentations using Adobe Connect will need to:

  • understand the goals and objectives for the meeting or class
  • be comfortable using technology
  • be comfortable using PowerPoint
  • understand the audio strategy for the meeting
  • understand the video strategy for the meeting
  • understand the needs of the remote audience without forgetting the needs of the face-to-face audience
  • be comfortable using the Adobe Connect meeting room tools like the Poll pod and the Whiteboard
  • prepare their presentation and handouts in advance so materials can be uploaded into the meeting room and tested prior to the start of the meeting and handouts can be sent to remote participants
  • practice