Guidelines for Volunteers

Putnam County Schools and Philips Display Components Company developed the following guidelines for company volunteers who would be speaking to students:

1. "You will be visiting the classroom in teams of two. Work as a team. Prepare in advance. Don't duplicate points.
   
   
2. Keep it simple, don't assume prior knowledge, tell them why as well as what.
   
   
3. The students have limited attention spans. Keep the talks less than 45 minutes. Move around the room, use visual aids, use demonstrations, and involve the students in your talk. Don't lecture them. Talk to them. Ask them questions. Be cognizant of their knowledge level. Intermix presentations from both volunteers.
   
   
4. Don't expect them to act or respond as adults.
   
   
5. Maintain control in the classroom.
   
   
6. Dress as you would for your job function.
   
   
7. Feel free to be creative if you are comfortable doing so. For example:
   
   
• Have the teacher explain to the class who you are and why you are coming several days in advance of the visit. Request that the teacher collect questions from the students on issues of interest to them (relative to career opportunities) and submit those questions to you prior to your visit. The questions will help you address issues of interest to the students and get your points across.
  
  
• Use a case study describing a fictional situation in a fictional company. For example, describe a company that needs to hire employees for various job functions. Involve the students in describing the attributes that they would look for if they were the personnel manager or the business owner.
  
  
• Role-play, possibly involving several students. Again, create a fictional situation and ask them to participate. Take care, however, that the fictional situation supports the message that Philips wants to bring to these students.
  
  
8. Be encouraging. Present the challenge of getting a good education and striving for personal excellence in a positive light. Let students know work and school can be fun."

Reprinted with permission from Putnam County Schools, Ottawa, Ohio, and Philips Display Components Company.