Second only to movie day, the day in which the guest speaker presents is probably the day the least progress is made toward class objectives. Some of the things offered definitely could be useful, but for the most part the information isn’t obtained — it gets lost behind cell phones, computers and even homework from other classes. The lack of respect for a non-professor is widely apparent, and though I disagree with that, I feel professors should keep this in mind when scheduling a guest speaker.

The ritualistic applause as the guest speaker is introduced is over and students are not grabbing their pens and paper to take notes; they are reaching into their pockets and bags for their electronics. Students “typing” notes are on Facebook or Amazon and those with their hands in their lap are texting or taking selfies. Little attention is payed to the presentation consequently wasting a lot of time. A lot of time that could have been used by the professor to continue their teachings.

The lack of attentiveness during guest speakers is not always due to lack of respect; there are many occasions on which students will be forced to see the same presentation that was shown in a previous class. This can be incredibly frustrating, especially if it’s the class you had to wake up early for.

When I say “Lack of respect,” I don’t necessarily mean “respect”— it is more a lack of the authoritative presence causing students to feel more relaxed. It is like having a substitute in high school; students got away with more because the authority wasn’t there and, like most guest speakers, substitutes aren’t likely to call you out for not paying attention.

Having been present for several guest speakers, I have come to realize that most of what is being said could be handed out. Most speakers break it down to facts, numbers and stats. Instead of presenting for an hour, hand out a piece of paper, put the facts, numbers and stats on it and tell us that it would benefit us to read it. Those who would have paid attention during a presentation will read it, those who wouldn’t have, won’t. It’s that simple. And it saves so much time.

Before continuing, I must add that I in no way dislike guest speakers. I fully appreciate every one of them and what they are trying to do. They put in time to help ensure that I have a better future and I would like to thank them all for that. However, I still believe that if you can condense your presentation into a page or two, it would be more beneficial to everyone if it was turned into a hand out instead.

Now I know some students may think they’ve had some really good guest speakers. So have I. But there was a big difference from those guest speakers to the ones I was referring to earlier. These guest speakers usually bring something more to the table, an experience rather than a presentation. For example, in a religious studies class, I was fortunate enough to attend, we had cultural guest speakers. Different people from different cultures came and we got a firsthand look at religions from around the world. It was engaging, interesting and people participated. Guest speakers can’t lecture if they hope to be successful — they need to come with something that can’t be typed on a handout; they need to bring an experience.

So, not all guest speakers waste time. But there are a lot that we could do without. Professors need to keep this mind when appointing guest speakers. If the speaker is just going to run down a list of googled facts they slapped on a PowerPoint, it probably isn’t a good idea.