Add a Little Spice with a Guest Speaker

You are an expert in what you do and can inspire your students to become great at their newfound career path. So are others in the field and finding guest speakers to conduct a lecture in your classroom can add credibility to the program, confirm your curriculum and add a different perspective to really drive home the subject matter. Sometimes that’s a celebrity hairdresser to provide insight in a certain technique, other times it’s someone from an aspirational position in their careers and even others it’s someone that can provide additional services like someone talking about how to manage money and also help them setup a retirement fund at the same time.

It’s not a cake walk finding speakers, though. It may sound easy getting someone to stand up in front of the class and take a lesson plan off of your plate, but it’s about finding the right person to help you deliver the message. Selecting speakers to sprinkle throughout your program is a lengthy process that should be done continuously.

The key to finding great speakers is to find CREDIBLE people that add value to what you are covering. keep these key tips in mind when you do this:

1. Don’t settle for just anyone available
2. Look for those that can demonstrate concepts well to your students
3. Consider speakers who can also support students outside the classroom
4. Look for specialties, like men’s hair, acne solutions or grey blending

To get started ask around to find people that come recommended in the hair and beauty industry. As a Nuts & Bolts school, you have access to a network of people that can share a wealth of recommendations. Don’t forget to check out the videos available in the curriculum that can add a dash of expertise to your curriculum in between speakers!

Then, start creating an ongoing list of people as you find them that could step in and cover the topics you teach. This provides you a bank of credible speakers that you can call on to come and support your materials and you’ll also become an asset to the rest of the instructors who will come to lean on your network to bring a new dimension to their classroom.

Don’t forget to brag to your boss about your speakers and get them to promote these speakers to current and prospective students. It can add a certain prestige to your programs, showing expert speakers that come to your school.