Scheduling Criteria
The schedulers look at the following criteria when pairing Billy
DeFrank speakers and assigning them to speaking engagements:
1. EXPERIENCE: There must be at least one “experienced” speaker at each
speaking engagement. Sometimes this speaker will also be the observer.
Experienced speakers take responsiblity for introducing Billy DeFrank
speakers, giving the disclaimer and keeping the engagement running
smoothly. They might need to get the class going during the lull in the
questions or restore order if several students are talking at once.
They must be able to maintain their composure under pressure from
hostile students and should be ready to help or calm a speaking partner
if he or she is having a hard time for any reason.
A new or inexperienced speaker is one who either:
• has just been trained
• is not yet ready for the responsibilities of an experienced speaker
(the scheduler’s decision is based on input from observers)
• is not comfortable with the responsibilities of an experienced
speaker (the speaker’s decision)
2. PERSONALITY: Is the speaker quiet, talkative, shy, funny, dry,
personable, etc.? Pairings work best when there is some contrast in
personality types.
3. AGE: Is the speaker young (either still a student or having a
student-like lifestyle), average (out of school and reasonably settled
in career and residence), or older (old enough to remind the students
of their parents)? Again, diversity is definitely best.
4. SINGLE/COUPLED: It is nice if students can hear at least one speaker
who is single and one who is in a relationship.
5 ABILITY TO STAY FOCUSED: How well does the speaker stay focused on
the question asked? Do they drift off the subject or ramble in search
of an answer? Do they stay on this planet and seem in touch with the
audience? At least one speaker in a pair must be very focused.
6. ABILITY TO STAY COOL: Has the speaker ever had trouble maintaining a
“safe learning environment” while in a stressful situation, or is there
reason to believe they might lose their cool. In other words, does the
speaker have a short fuse and/or hot buttons that might trigger a
hostile reaction? Since maintaining a safe learning environment is
extremely important, those speakers who might lose their cool are
paired, whenever possible, with people who are both very calm
themselves and also capable of taking control of any awkward situation
that might occur.
7. APPEARANCE: What is the general appearance of the speaker and how
have classes responded to it in the past? Several factors go into this:
butch/femme, yuppie/trendy/earthy/nerdy, etc. High-school students are
especially affected by appearance and often have trouble getting past
it. Again, variety is ideal.
8. NEED FOR MORE SPEAKING TIME: All else being equal, does this person
need to speak again for some reason? Do they need just a couple more
speaking engagements in order to be considered an experienced speaker,
or do they need to speak again soon in order to reinforce something
they need to work on in their presentation?
ADDITIONAL SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Speakers about whom the schedulers have any reservations will generally
not be sent to high schools – since both our effectiveness and the
likelihood of our being asked back can be adversely effected by just
one negative experience. And, since we have relatively few engagements
in high schools (and they all require two speakers), being selective
about the speakers we send is generally not a problem. College students
(especially when the class is long enough to warrant a four-person
panel) are usually much more open to extremes, much less quick to
judge, and generally cut us more slack.
We also sometimes get special requests from teachers. A minority
speaker, a speaker with an especially timely story (military personnel,
for example), or a speaker who meets some special criterion (such as
being young, being a parent, bisexual, or in a long-term
relationship) may have more opportunities to speak. We try hard to give
teachers what they want so they will continue to ask us back.
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