What do you like in a guests speaker? What do you dislike?

I recently got a job that involves speaking to high school and junior high school students about their options for the future. It would be a bonus if I did it well.

Haha, sounds tough.

I guess the obvious answer is someone who is funny...but then a negative example would be someone who tries to be funny, but isn't. So maybe it's best to play it safe.

Swearing always used to get the kids' attention. I'm only half joking here.

I guess it depends too on what kind of schools and classes you're going to. Some Harvard alumni came to my high school one year and a select group of like 12 of us listened to them talk about Harvard and the admissions process and all that jazz. Didn't really matter how they said it just because it was "omfg Harvard!!1" Though the same presentation to the entire school of mostly hoodlums and dropouts would not go so well. Hopefully you're going to be talking to a crowd that actually wants the information.

Maybe something to look at? Like a powerpoint?

Heh, I really don't know. "Good luck."

In general I will usually only go to see guest speakers who I know a lot about, what they've accomplished and so on and am impressed when I meet them in person that they bring to table what I expected them to.

For example Ted Selker came a gave a presentation here at U of T and that guy was awesome; funny, smart and fucking serious when it came down to his shit.
The next guest speaker coming is Prabhakar Raghavan, head of Research at Yahoo which should be sweet.

But in your case, try to find the high-school kids who actually know where they're going and what they want to do with their lives and help them. Don't waste your and everyone else's time by trying to get all the retards motivated. Then all you need to do is be funny and intelligent.

I've seen good ones and bad ones. Usually the bad ones it's like they're just rehearsing a skit and not really engaged. I think if the speaker is trying to connect with the students and is passionate about the topic it usually works out good.

I've had many a guest speaker, all have been terrible.

I always hate it when they try and be your "friend."

Don't try to act younger than you are.

Don't use buzz words that the teenagers in your area may be using.

Don't make jokes.

Be quick, no one likes it when the presentation gets dragged out.

Good Luck

Most of the students in the U.S. like guest speakers because they get to have some time off of learning stuff from some book. I like long presentations that aren't too boring. I dislike short shitty presentations.