What should you ask a speaker before booking an assembly?
Ask how they handle hard topics like suicide and drugs, what happens before and after the talk, whether they’re background-checked and insured, whether they sell anything, and what the fee includes. A good speaker answers all of it in writing without blinking.
Here are the questions, why each one matters, and how I answer them. Use them on anyone you’re considering. The questions built from the research on teenagers, like whether a talk tells students what to do or lets them decide, are in Do School Assemblies Work?
Safety and paperwork
Have you passed a background check?
Why ask: Your district may require one, and you want to know before the date. Mine: I’ve passed background checks through the West Ada School District and the Idaho Department of Correction, and I complete any check your district requires. In Idaho, see does an assembly speaker need a background check?
Are you insured?
Why ask: Many districts want a certificate of insurance on file. Mine: Chad Kempel LLC carries $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate general liability. A certificate with your district named is available on request.
Will you ever be alone with a student?
Mine: No. Students who want to talk after the assembly come down to the floor, and the ones who need more get walked to a counselor.
Content
How do you handle suicide, self-harm and drugs?
Why ask: How a speaker talks about suicide matters, and your counselors should know ahead of time. Mine: My mental health and anti-bullying talks tell the story of a close friend who died by suicide. That part follows national safe-messaging guidelines, with no method and no details. I say 988 out loud and tell students where to find counselors that day. If you’d rather I leave any of it out, I will.
Is there religion or politics in the talk?
Mine: Not in public schools. My public school talks have no religion and no politics. I also speak at private and faith-based schools, and there your principal decides how much of what kept me going comes in.
Can our counselors see the talk ahead of time?
Mine: Yes. They get the full outline, and we talk it through on the planning call.
Does anyone get put on the spot?
Why ask: Teenagers react to being watched more than children do. Mine: Sometimes I invite a student up to race me or for a pushup contest, only volunteers, and only if your school says yes.
Do you sell anything?
Mine: Nothing is sold during the assembly. Books or other items are offered only with the school’s OK, and never pitched to students from the stage.
Before and after
What happens before the talk?
Mine: A planning call with you and your counseling team, then ten minutes with them on the day: who’s in the room, where students go if they need someone, anything happening at school that week.
Is there Q&A?
Mine: Yes, every booking includes student Q&A, then time afterward for students to come up and talk.
What do teachers get for the next day?
Why ask: What happens the next morning is what makes an assembly stick (what teachers should do after an assembly). Mine: A next-morning plan with discussion questions and journal prompts.
Cost and terms
What does the fee include, and is there a deposit?
Mine: Travel is included in most places, there’s no deposit, and I invoice after the assembly. Every rate is on the cost page.
What if we have a snow day?
Mine: A snow day, lockdown or emergency just moves the date. No fee. The full terms are in the sample agreement.
Can you record the talk?
Mine: I only film an assembly with your OK in writing, on terms we agree to at the time. Your school may record it for its own students and staff.
I’m a speaker, so I have a stake in this. Every rule here links to its source, so you can check it yourself. School and district policies vary, so check yours.