Speaker guidelines

Thank you for agreeing to speak to the Rotary Club of Skokie Valley! The following guidelines will help you understand in advance your audience and the format of the meeting. 

  • Never heard of Rotary? Rotary International was founded in 1905 and is recognized as being the world’s first service organization. Today, 1.4 million members in over 46,000 clubs worldwide are volunteering in communities to improve infrastructure, support education, combat hunger and eradicate polio. Rotarians carry with them honor associated with a timeless legacy of “Service above Self."

  • Currently, the first Tuesday meeting of the month is ZOOM ONLY. Otherwise, the club meets the remaining Tuesdays for a HYBRID meeting (in-person and Zoom) at a local restaurant in or near Skokie (speakers will be emailed the restaurant location). All meetings run from 12:00 noon until 1:15 p.m.  

  • Fellowship and lunch service begin at noon, and the regular meeting is called to order at 12:15 p.m. The speaker should plan to arrive by noon. We typically have around 15-25 members and guests in attendance.  

TYPICAL HYBRID MEETING AGENDA AT A RESTAURANT:
12:00 - Meet & Greet
12:15 - Zoom stream goes live and meeting is called to order
1:15 - Adjournment
 

  • Please plan on a 15-20 minute talk with time for questions at the end. Your introduction and program will begin after the meeting is called to order.

  • If you have audio/visual needs, please let the club member who arranged your program know. 

  • Please provide the club member who arranged your program with a brief bio to be used for your introduction, and a brief description of your program’s content and title, if any. This information will be posted on the club website and circulated in reminder emails. 

  • As our guest, a complimentary lunch will be provided for you. If you bring additional guests or speakers, they may purchase lunch for $20-$25 depending on the restaurant. 

  • Presentations are not to include solicitations for funding, unless we have asked you to do so; however, you may bring materials about your organization for distribution.

  • Presentations should be non-political and non-sectarian unless you have been invited specifically for that purpose. Making a “sales pitch” or directly soliciting purchases or services from your business to club members, unless asked to do so, is not in the spirit of Rotary and not recommended.

Thank you again for agreeing to speak! Should you have any questions or additional needs, please contact Program Co-Chairs Lisa Edelson (lisede@d219.org) and Laura McGrath (lmcgrath@skokielibrary.info).