School assembly talk
A ten-minute assembly for teachers, principals or student leaders: a hook, a theme like kindness or resilience, a story, a challenge for the week and notices.
Presentation10 cardsAbout 20 min to speakBeginnerWork
New-starter induction and onboarding talk
Cue cards for welcoming new employees, volunteers or staff: who we are, how things work, people to know, safety, systems, the first weeks and where to get help.
Free to use, edit, print and study. No account needed: your set stays on this device.
The cards
- 1
Welcome
Welcome to [organisation]. I'm [name], [role], and I'll be [your manager / buddy / the person who runs induction].
Quick round: your name, role, and [a light question, e.g. your favourite lunch spot].
- 2
Who we are
We [what the organisation does, for whom] in [places].
Our values are [two or three values], and here's what they look like day to day: [example].
- 3
How we're organised
- Your team: [name, what it does]
- Teams you'll work with: [names]
- Leadership: [who, and how to see what they're working on]
- 4
People to know
- Your manager: [name]
- Your buddy: [name]
- IT help: [name or desk]
- HR or people team: [name]
- First aid and safety: [name]
- 5
Safety and essentials
- Fire exits and assembly point: [where]
- Reporting incidents: [how]
- Building access, parking, kitchen: [details]
- 6
Systems and tools
You'll use [email, chat, rostering, ticketing, payroll tools].
Logins: [how you'll get them]. Training: [where to find it].
- 7
Your first weeks
- Week 1: [meet the team, shadow, complete mandatory training]
- Weeks 2–4: [first tasks or projects]
- Check-in: [date with manager]
- 8
How we work together
- Meetings: [regular team meetings, when and where]
- Communication: [which channel for what; expected reply times]
- Hours and breaks: [start times, lunch, flexible work]
Unwritten rules worth knowing: [e.g. kitchen roster, quiet zones].
- 9
Policies, briefly
The key ones are [leave, hours, expenses, privacy, code of conduct]. Find them at [intranet / handbook].
Please read [the essential one] this week.
- 10
Questions and help
There are no silly questions in your first month. Ask [buddy / manager / channel].
Now: any questions? Then we'll [tour the site / have lunch / set up laptops].
How to use this template
This template helps managers, HR teams, team leaders and volunteer coordinators run an induction or onboarding talk for new starters. A good induction makes people feel welcome, tells them who to ask, keeps them safe and stops them drowning in information on day one. The cards cover a warm welcome and introductions, who the organisation is and how its values show up, how teams are organised, the people to know, safety and building essentials, systems and logins, the plan for the first weeks, a short pointer to key policies and a final invitation to ask questions. It works for offices, shops, hospitals, schools, warehouses, charities and remote teams. Fill in the brackets with your own details and hand out a printed contact sheet. A card on how the team works together covers the unwritten rules that new starters usually have to guess.
Tips
- Spread information over the first weeks; people remember little from a two-hour talk on their first morning.
- Introduce real people in person or by video rather than reading out an organisation chart.
- Give new starters a buddy who is not their manager, so they have someone to ask the small questions.
- Cover safety information early and clearly, especially in workplaces with machinery, chemicals or patients.
- Check the talk with a recent new starter: ask what they wish they had been told in week one.
- Leave time at the end for questions, and follow up by email with links to everything you mentioned.
Make it fit
- For volunteers, replace systems and policies with rosters, the volunteer agreement and who to call if they cannot attend.
- For remote or hybrid staff, run the talk on video, send equipment beforehand, and add a card on how the team communicates online.
- For a group starting together, such as graduates or seasonal workers, add a team activity after the welcome.
- For roles in regulated settings, like healthcare or childcare, add a card on mandatory checks and training deadlines.
- For a short version, keep the welcome, people to know, safety, first weeks and questions cards.
Updated October 28, 2026