Want to ignite passion within your HOSA chapter? Try inviting a guest speaker to your next HOSA chapter event? When speakers are passionate about a topic, their energy and enthusiasm Inspires an audience. Inviting a guest speaker can be easy, if you follow these simple steps:
STEP ONE: DETERMINE YOUR GOAL
Determine what topics would interest your HOSA members and develop a potential list of guest speakers with a diverse mix of experts. Suggested topics include current healthcare issues, personal health, healthcare professions, leadership, professional development, and community service.
If the goal is to attract more attendees, a high-profile personality may be a good choice for a guest speaker. If the event is focused on a certain aspect of health or leadership, choose someone with particular expertise in the field to give valuable insight to members. A highly regarded guest will add prestige to your HOSA chapter.
STEP TWO: INVITE YOUR GUEST SPEAKER
There are a few ways to go about securing speakers. If you personally know a potential guest (or know someone who knows someone), the best method is a face-to-face verbal request. It is much more difficult to deny a request made in person than one made on paper. Once a verbal request has been made, it is always best to follow up with the guest in writing.
If you don’t have a personal connection with your guest, you can always write a letter. Remember to be considerate of your speaker’s time and be sure to invite your guest speaker well in advance.
STEP THREE: WRITE YOUR LETTER
Once you have selected a speaker, you want to make sure to send a formal letter of invitation (or follow up letter if you received a verbal commitment) to ensure that the organizer and the speaker understand the requirements of the event.
Your letter should be written on good-quality paper on your school’s letterhead if possible and follow standard business letter formatting. The tone should be professional and not frivolous or casual. It is also important to be enthusiastic. This is the best way to convince the invitee that it would be good to give a positive reply to the request. It is recommended to send the letter by regular mail and not by email because emails can get deleted or recognized as spam.
The following information may be included in the letter if applicable:
- Date and time of entire event
- Date and time the guest will speak
- Amount of time recommended for the speech
- Address or venue of event
- Suggested topic for guest’s speech in as much detail as possible
- Financial arrangements in detail if applicable including travel expenses, accommodation, honorarium or speaker’s fee
- Request for a response by a specific date (The organizer may include a response card and an addressed and stamped envelope to make it easy for the invitee to respond.)
- Organizer’s contact information including phone number and email address
STEP FOUR: CONFIRM THE DETAILS
A few days before the event, make sure to follow-up with your speaker and reconfirm all the details of your original request.
STEP FIVE: THANK YOUR SPEAKER
After your event, you want to make sure to thank your speaker appropriately. A hand-written thank you note is always well-received. If your budget permits, you may wish to purchase a small gift for the speaker as a token of your appreciation.
Be aware that some guest speakers may require a travel fee or honorarium. There should be a budget for these expenses, and the size of the budget may be a factor when inviting a speaker. For example, if the speaker requires round-trip airfare it will cost more than if the speaker is from the same or a neighboring city. You may need to select a guest according to your HOSA budget, or your chapter may raise the funds to make it possible.
