Guest Speaker Guidelines

Alumni Guest Speakers

Contact Alumni Services via ghalumni@guelphhumber.ca for assistance in finding an appropriate alumni speaker. In order to find someone, Alumni Services will need to know details about the desired alumni such as:

• Specific program(s) the graduate(s) should be from
• Career focus or job title
• Further education (went on to do their MBA, PhD, etc.)
• Graduation year
• Topic the speaker is being invited to speak about
• Estimated attendance (do you want the event to be small and intimate, or are you hoping to fill up a large lecture room?

Industry Professionals

Be sure to notify your Career Services Coordinator of any industry professionals you plan on inviting to campus. They will introduce themselves as an official representative of the University of Guelph-Humber and be available as a staff contact. 

Third Party Contracts

Do not sign any contracts without consulting your Student Life Advisor first. If you have obtained a price quote from a speaker, include those details in your Semester Activity Plan. Your advisor will help you with the process of signing contracts, only if and after the event and budget is approved.

Once you have been approved by Student Life, you can proceed with contacting your proposed guest speaker.

Emailing Guest Speakers: 

• Use your society’s email address The subject line should include the purpose or topic of the email
• Address the guest speaker or alumni professionally by their name or preferred title.
• Introduce yourself and provide relevant information about your background or society:
• Be clear and concise in your email.
• Clearly state the reason for contacting the guest speaker and any specific requests or questions you have.
• Thank them for their time and consideration
• Sign off with your full name and contact information. 

Sample Email

Subject: Guest Speaker for Guelph-Humber Pre-Law Society (GHPLS) Event 

Hello Mr. Smith,
My name is Swoop an I am the Vice President of Activities with the Guelph-Humber Pre-Law Society (GHPLS). GHPLS is a student-run society which promotes and fosters a culture of legal inquiry.
GHPLS wanted to extend an invitation for you to participate in our upcoming event, Pathways to Law Panel. This event will take place on Thursday, November 9, 2023, from 6-8pm on Microsoft Teams. You would be one of our panelists and share your experience on entering the legal profession.
Thank you for your time and we look forward to your response.
Best,
Swoop (They/Them) | VP of Communications
Guelph-Humber Pre-Law Society | GHPLS
Instagram: @ghpls
Facebook: facebook.com/ghprelawsociety 

Important Information to Obtain:

• Preferred name (How would the speaker like to be introduced to the audience?)
• Contact information (email and phone number in case of emergencies on the day of the event)
• Dietary restrictions (if food will be served at the event)
• Will publicity materials be provided? Do these need to be printed in advance or will the speaker bring them to the event?
• Equipment (e.g. computer, TV, outlets, dry erase board, microphone, etc.)
• Does the speaker have any scheduling restrictions or preferences?

Some things to consider:

• How will the speaker be arriving to the event?
  If they will be driving, please speak to your Student Life Advisor to assist with parking arrangements. Guests may be required to pay for parking. You will need to provide the following information to your Student Life Advisor at least 1 week in advance of the event date:
  • Speaker(s) Full Name(s):
  • Date of Arrival:
  • Time of Arrival:
  • Duration of Hours:
  • Event Name:
  • Location they are going on campus:
• Has the speaker been to the event venue before?
• Has someone from your society been designated to meet them upon arrival?
• Has a thank-you gift and card been arranged through the society supply request form?

During the event, it is important to create an atmosphere that aligns with your vision for the event. If your event is fun and up-beat, turn on the computer and play some music while students are entering the room. This helps people feel relaxed, and you can easily turn the music off to get everyone’s attention when the speaker is ready to begin. If the event is more professional in nature, ensure that you have a volunteer at the door to welcome people to their seats.

If you are expecting the number of attendees to be smaller than the capacity of the room, consider placing a handout on the desks of the first few rows in the room, which encourages people to sit up front rather than going straight to the back of the room.

Make sure you ask the speaker in advance how they would like to be introduced. They may send you a short “bio” to read during their introduction. Make sure to practice at home so that it doesn’t look like you are just reading from a handout. Give them a big warm welcome! Decide amongst your executive team who will be going up to the front to thank the speaker and give them their gift and/or card after the speaker is done talking. This is a good time to ask the audience if they have questions. Be mindful of the speaker’s time, and stick to any pre-determined time frameworks.

Student Life has approved a UofGH branded item as a gift for any guest speaker that attends an in-person event.

Student Life has approved the following amounts for guest speakers of virtual events:

• $25 gift card for a guest speaker (including instructors) who presents content, offers skill development, or a longer time commitment
  • Examples: 1-hour Excel workshop, 1-hour presentation, etc.
• $15 gift card for a guest speaker (including instructors) who shares their experience as part of a session
  • Example: panel event, 15-minute guest speaker as part of 1-hour event, etc.

Alumni guest speakers: If your guest speaker is a graduate of the University of Guelph-Humber, Alumni Services will send a thank-you e-card in addition to the gift card provided by Student Life.

Gift card amounts and vendors (where the gift card is purchased from) must be approved by Student Life before your event.

Have a thank-you email drafted for your guest speakers that mentions the gift card that they will receive from Student Life, then send this email right after your event so your guests receive your thank-you email before they receive the gift card.

• Example: “You can expect to receive a small token of our appreciation from the University’s Student Life department shortly.”

Request guest speaker gifts