The big idea: Great hosting is invisible to the guest: one clear point of contact, a short and specific introduction, calm changes when plans shift, and questions that only this leader can answer.
In 60 seconds
- Great hosting is invisible: one lead host, calm changes and no surprises for the guest.
- A strong introduction runs 45 to 90 seconds, uses two or three specifics and ends with the guest’s name.
- Bring mentoring questions only this guest can answer, then send a specific thank-you within a few days.
Do this: run your guest’s visit with a host plan, a rehearsed introduction and 3 to 5 strong mentoring questions.
How an executive visit works
For 50 years, Haslam’s Executives in Residence program has brought senior leaders to campus to teach and mentor students. In Dr. Lane Morris’s BUAD 417, your host team runs one of those visits. Executives pay for this kind of mentoring. You get it as a class. Hosting well and asking well is how you make the most of it.
A typical visit
Every guest’s schedule is different and plans change. This is the usual shape.
Before arrival
The host team confirms the itinerary, travel, parking, room and tech, and rehearses the introduction.
Host job: no surprises for the guest.
Dinner, usually the night before
A small group of Smith GLS students joins Dr. Morris and the guest. Some guests need dinner on the second night instead.
Host job: conversation, not interrogation.
Class session
A host team member introduces the guest, who speaks to the class for most of the morning.
Host job: a sharp introduction and a room that is ready.
Group mentoring
About an hour with a smaller group of Smith GLS students, right after class.
Your job: real questions and real listening.
Meetings, lunch and send-off
Time with college leadership and an honors lunch with MBA students, then the guest heads out in the early afternoon.
Host job: on time, then a thank-you that lands.
Host team roles
Lead host
The single point of contact for the guest and Dr. Morris. Holds the itinerary and makes the calls when plans change.
Watch out: one voice to the guest. Five texts from five students is not hosting.
Introducer
Opens the class session with a short, specific introduction drawn from your team’s briefing.
Watch out: check how the guest says their name and title before the day.
Logistics and tech
Room, water, seating, slides loaded and tested, parking and directions.
Watch out: test the guest’s slides on the room’s equipment, not your laptop.
Timekeeper
Watches the clock for every event and gives the lead host a quiet signal when time is short.
Watch out: the guest’s next meeting matters more than your agenda.
Escort
Walks the guest between events and makes easy conversation on the way.
Watch out: never leave a guest alone in a hallway wondering where to go.
Notes and follow-up
Captures key lessons and promises made, and organizes the thank-you notes.
Watch out: if the guest offered to send something, track it.
Small team? Combine roles. Every role still needs a name.
Introducing a guest
A strong introduction has
- A hook. One line about why this person matters to this room.
- Two or three specifics. A turning point, a result with a number, a role they grew into. From your briefing.
- A bridge to the class. Why students like you should listen closely today.
- The name, last. End with their full name and title so the applause has a cue.
Keep it tight
- 45 to 90 seconds. At a normal pace, about 110 to 225 words.
- No resume dump. The full bio belongs in the briefing handout.
- No cliches. Skip “needs no introduction” and “without further ado.”
- Say it, don’t read it. Use a note card, look up and smile.
When plans change
Busy executives get delayed flights, urgent calls and new meetings. The syllabus is clear: your job is to adjust with them. Stay calm, tell Dr. Morris, protect the guest’s time and keep the class informed.
Look the part
Business casual when a guest is on campus. No baseball hats, jeans, sweatshirts or hoods. Phones away. Notes on paper.
Preparing real mentoring questionsAsk what only this guest can answer
A mentoring session is not a press conference. The best questions are open, specific and tied to a decision the guest made or a choice you face.
Weak
“What advice do you have for us?”
“Where did you go to college?”
“Do you like your job?”
Why: too broad, already in the briefing, or a yes or no.
Strong
“When you moved from running a team to running a function, what did you have to stop doing?”
“What do you look for in a new analyst’s first 90 days?”
Why: open, specific and only this guest can answer.
Build a ladder. Bring one question about the guest’s path, one about a hard decision, and one about your own next step. Have a follow-up ready: “Can you say more about how you decided?”
Keep it professional. Ask about decisions and lessons, not salary, family, politics or religion.
Listening and taking notesWhat to do while the guest talks
- Look at whoever is speaking, guest or classmate. Note taking is expected. Phones stay away.
- Write down exact phrases that strike you. They make better journal entries than summaries.
- Listen for the follow-up. The best second question builds on what the guest just said.
- Let a classmate’s question finish before you raise your hand. Then connect yours to it if you can.
- After the session, write your Leadership Reflection Journal entry while it is fresh.
Thank-you notes and follow-upSpecific, short and soon
A good thank-you note does three things in a few sentences:
- Names a specific moment. “Your story about rebuilding the night shift schedule.”
- Says what you will do with it. “I am going to ask for feedback after my first month, not my first review.”
- Thanks them for their time. Busy people gave you a full day.
Handwrite it if you can and send it within a few days. Don’t ask for a job or a favor in a thank-you note. If you want to stay in touch, a short LinkedIn note that mentions the visit is fine.
Try it: Host Plan and Introduction Builder
Tool · BUAD 417
Host Plan and Introduction Builder
Get ready for visit day: a tight introduction, strong mentoring questions and a host plan that survives curveballs.
- 1Introduce
- 2Ask
- 3Host
Your introduction, with filler marked
All fixes
Every question, checked
Who does what
| Role | Owner | Main job |
|---|
Put it to work: hosting your guest and your mentoring session
This page is built for Managing and Hosting an Executive Visit and for your Mentoring Session with an executive. Your host team is responsible for running your guest’s itinerary smoothly, adjusting when it changes. Every student attends at least one or two mentoring sessions, and professionalism and engagement count every visit.
Assign roles
As soon as your guest is confirmed, give every role in the host plan an owner. Name one lead host.
Your deliverable: a host plan with an owner for each role, shared with Dr. Morris.
Lock the details
Confirm the itinerary, arrival, parking, room, tech and meals. Check the guest’s name and title.
Your deliverable: every item on the ready check done before the guest arrives.
Write and rehearse the introduction
Pull two or three specifics from your Team Presentation 1 briefing. Time it out loud.
Your deliverable: a 45 to 90 second introduction delivered without reading.
Prepare your mentoring questions
Bring a ladder: one about the guest’s path, one about a hard decision, one about your next step.
Your deliverable: 3 to 5 strong questions in your notebook for the mentoring session.
Host, listen, follow up
Run the day, adjust when needed, take notes, then send thank-you notes and write your journal entry.
Your deliverable: a smooth visit, thank-you notes sent within a few days and a Leadership Reflection Journal entry.
A stronger introduction, before and afterExample: a fictional CFO of a regional freight company
Before: “Our guest today really needs no introduction. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting, an MBA and a CPA license, served on three boards…” The audience hears a list and tunes out.
After: “Many of you will start your careers in a seat like the one our guest started in: staff accountant. Fourteen years later, she was the CFO when fuel prices spiked, and she found a way through it without laying anyone off. Today she leads finance for a company that moves freight across six states. Ask her how a numbers person learns to lead people. Please welcome the CFO of Tri-County Freight, Dana Reyes.”
Dana Reyes and Tri-County Freight are fictional, for practice only.
Dinner and lunch conversationEasy openers and good manners
- Arrive early. Stand to greet the guest, shake hands and say your name and major.
- Open with easy questions: their trip, what brought them to this field, what they enjoy outside work.
- Bring others in. If one classmate is quiet, ask them a question by name.
- Save the heavier questions for the mentoring session unless the guest steers there.
- Phones away, napkin in lap, order something simple and follow the host’s lead on the check.
Do this, not thatHabits of a great host
Do this
- One lead host talks to the guest’s contact.
- Arrive early, in business casual.
- Say the guest’s name and title correctly.
- Adjust calmly when plans change, and tell Dr. Morris.
- Send a specific thank-you within a few days.
Not that
- Five students texting the guest.
- Reading the full bio at the podium.
- Asking what your briefing already answered.
- Checking your phone during the talk.
- Asking for a job in your thank-you note.
Before the visitYour host team’s final check
- [ ] Every host role has an owner, and there is one lead host.
- [ ] The itinerary, arrival, parking and meals are confirmed.
- [ ] The guest’s name pronunciation and title are checked.
- [ ] The room is set and the guest’s slides are tested on the room’s equipment.
- [ ] The introduction runs 45 to 90 seconds and ends with the guest’s name.
- [ ] You have 3 to 5 strong mentoring questions.
- [ ] Thank-you notes are ready to write the day of the visit.
- [ ] Your outfit is business casual: no hats, jeans, sweatshirts or hoods.
Go deeper
Back to all BUAD 417 topics · Next: The Leader's DNA: Learning from Great Leaders
Part of BUAD 417 Executives in Residence, taught by Lane Morris, PhD, in the Smith GLS human-centered leadership program, toward the Human Centered Consulting Certificate.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean to host an executive visit in BUAD 417?
Hosting an executive means a student team runs a guest's visit through Haslam's Executives in Residence program, which has brought senior leaders to campus for 50 years. In Dr. Lane Morris's BUAD 417, the host team handles the itinerary, a dinner, the class introduction, group mentoring and a send-off, and adjusts calmly when plans change.
What roles does a host team need for an executive visit?
A host team needs a lead host, an introducer, a logistics and tech owner, a timekeeper, an escort and a notes and follow-up owner. The lead host is the single point of contact, because five texts from five students is not hosting. On a small team, roles can be combined, but every role still needs a name.
How long should an introduction of a guest speaker be?
An introduction should run 45 to 90 seconds, about 110 to 225 words at a normal pace. Open with a hook about why this person matters to the room, add two or three specifics from your briefing, bridge to why students should listen, and end with the guest's full name and title. Skip resume dumps and cliches like "needs no introduction."
What are good questions to ask a mentor or executive?
Good mentoring questions are open, specific and tied to a decision the guest made or a choice you face. "What advice do you have for us?" is too broad. "When you moved from running a team to running a function, what did you have to stop doing?" works better. Bring a ladder: one question about their path, one about a hard decision and one about your next step.
How do you write a thank-you note to an executive?
A good thank-you note names a specific moment from the visit, says what you will do with it and thanks the guest for their time. Keep it short, handwrite it if you can and send it within a few days. Do not ask for a job or a favor in the note. A short LinkedIn message mentioning the visit is a fine way to stay in touch.