first let's think about how i want to actually frame networking. I think a big goal of this workshop is... I want them to shift from thinking about networking as "I am doing this to get something immediately" to thinking about it as "I am doing this to learn things that will shape my path and may lead to me getting things down the road." i think this framing takes some of the pressure off of the activity of networking and also makes it feel less transactional - like, realistically, you're probably not going to get offered a job after an informational interview! but you're going to learn more about the diverse paths people take to get into your industry and you're going to develop a clearer sense of what having a job in your field actually means/looks like and you're going to start building relationships people who can serve as resources to you or even potentially as mentors to you in the future. i think that when students think about networking as "I'm asking you to give me something" they freak themselves out a bit (who am I to ask for something? am I bothering them? is it presumptuous/rude/too direct to ask for something? do i even need something right now - maybe i should wait till later? should i put it off until i know more/am more experienced/have a clearer ask before i start asking people for things?). but if you think of it as, i'm practicing the skill of proactively gathering information, building relationships, learning new things, etc., i think it (maybe??) feels a little less intimidating to approach people. it's like you don't have to front at all... you don't have to pretend you know more than you do or act like an expert... you can come to them as someone looking for guidance and eager to learn. idk for MEEE that makes it feel less scary!
ok. soooooo then let's think about what this workshop is really about. what are some things i want them to do.
maybe we start by talking about what we think networking is AND why people often find it challenging. i can ask them to share some of the big questions, concerns, anxieties, frustrations, etc. that come up when they try networking, and we can record those on the slide. i suspect that a lot of stuff will come up around "i don't know what to ask people" "I feel awkward/intimidated" "i don't know how to translate talking about something into getting something" etc.
then i think i will offer them the reframe - what if we shift from thinking about networking as "I'm trying to get something" to "I'm trying to learn something" - and ask them what if anything feels different about that framing, like what shifts for them mentally/emotionally/practically if they approach networking as being about learning rather than obtaining. i will then share some of my thoughts about how/why this shift might help... and might also share some examples from my own life and from friends' lives where networking helped someone get something... but the actual "getting something" actually happened years down the line, as a result of the relationship the person had worked to build.
i think i want them to start by articulating some of the big questions they have. like rather than identifying people to do informational interviews with first... i want them to start by thinking, what are the things i feel unsure about? what are the things I want to learn more about? where would it be helpful to build or strengthen relationships in order to build or strengthen my understanding of my work/field/profession/whatever? that way we are coming at it from a place of wanting to learn/explore vs. wanting to "get things." then i think we can do a little activity where we practice translating their top 3 questions/areas of wanting to learn into ways to make contacts, like this: i want to learn more about grad school (thing I want to learn) -> i should start trying to make connections with people who have been to grad school in my field (type of person I want to meet) -> I should ask my mentor or professors i've taken classes with if they can introduce me to former students who went on to grad school (way to find those contacts).
then okay let me think. how do i want to approach this next part. i think some of the mistakes i see with students in advising/coaching are like... 1) they ask closed questions rather than open-ended questions, 2) they don't give enough info about themselves for me to understand who they are and how i might help them, and 3) i talk with them once and never hear from them again. so the skills they need to work on are like... drafting good questions (which requires reflection and some research, ie good advance preparation); introducing themselves well, ie sharing more about their interests/goals and helping the person understand what motivates them (articulating their "why" in a compelling way; and then how to follow up afterwards and keep your most valuable connections "warm."
ok. how do i want to teach each of these.
drafting better questions. i think i could just show them good/bad questions but it COULD be more fun to do a roleplay exercise where i ask someone to volunteer to share more about their research project... maybe i can tap someone in advance who i know is pretty eloquent lol. and then we do two exercises where i pretend to be a student looking to get started in research... one where i ask really close-ended yes/no questions and awkwardly go right on to my next question, and one where i ask more open-ended questions that gives the student a chance to expand more. hmm can't decide if this is a good use of time but i wonder if it's worth it just to let them actually see the difference in how those conversations play out? to think further. the easier version of this is that i just show them two sets of questions, one all closed and one more open... or i could show them a list of closed questions and ask them to revise them... hm but maybe i'm sinking too much time into an active learning moment that should be better used on their own questions. regardless i think they should have about 5-10 min to draft questions for at least one of their target contacts on the list they made earlier. oh i should also think about how to help them research the person to write better questions... i can incorporate that somehow into the examples.
introducing themselves well. this could be another fun roleplay exercise where i show them how students typically introduce themselves to me 😂 because it's kind of tragic lol these children really struggle with pitching themselves. (though i don't want to use the language of "pitching" because i think that makes people nervous... i'll have to think about this.) hmMMM i will need to think about what a good pitch entails but i bet there are tons of resources about this online so i don't need to reinvent the wheel. but basically i will have them come up with a "tell me about yourself" response that foregrounds who they are + what they're most interested in + an abbreviated account of their personal and academic journey in the field thus far. then i can have them do some independent work drafting a pitch, then practicing it with a partner.
keeping connections warm - i think here i can just share strategies rather than have them do a hands-on activity - maybe i start by returning us to our initial brainstorming of why networking is hard (i'm sure someone will say something like "i don't know what to do with the connection after i've talked to them") and then ask them to share strategies they've come up with for keeping in touch with people. then i can share a list of tips/strategies (i had Liz & A help me brainstorm but if you all have ideas let me know!) and can have them maybe identify a few they want to try in their project journals.
then in closing i will remind them of their informational interview assignment... and encourage them to start reaching out to people now since they need to do it in the next four weeks... and also will encourage them to think about whether they want to use the summer as an opportunity to do more than one... so much easier to do once you've broken the seal and had a good experience!
ok i think this works. so short version is:
2-2:10 check back in on project journal goals from last week's planning workshop and write a few sentences about what worked/what didn't work, then set 2-3 new goals for the upcoming week
2:10-2:20 opening brainstorming discussion - what is networking & what do we find most challenging about networking (questions, anxieties, concerns, points of confusion, yada yada) - i'll have them discuss at their tables then share out while i record on the slide
2:20-2:30 offer the reframe, have them discuss what shifts, share my thoughts on why this work, and give a couple examples of successful networking that led to opportunities down the line
2:30-2:45 exercise where we identify things we want to learn, then translate it into type of person we want to connect with, then brainstorm where we could go to make those connections - i will need to update my two-sided question list here and add a section about ideas for where to make connections (peers, professors, clubs, student support staff, campus events, LinkedIn, etc.) to guide their brainstorming. can decide if i want to create a worksheet or have them do this in their project journals.
2:45-3:05 drafting better questions - i think this agenda is showing me that we do not in fact have time for the fun roleplay exercise lol so i think i will just show them a closed-ended question compared to an open-ended question and discuss why one produces better/more expansive answers - then i'll have them practice drafting 5 open-ended questions for one of their prospective contacts and discussing with a partner. i will also include a slide with sample questions so they have it as a resource afterwards. i think we may spend the biggest chunk of time on this part because the elevator pitch part can actually blend into next week's activity... tbd.
3:05-3:20 elevator pitch - here i think i'll focus on introducing the challenges many students have with this (not sharing enough information to help me understand how to help them), then have them start doing some initial brainstorming... with a promise that we'll spend more time on this next week?
3:20-3:30 share the strategies for keeping connections warm. if we run out of time i think i can just highlight the challenge + a few effective solutions, then share the slides/handout as a resource for them to look at outside of class. hRMMM i also want them to do a little exit ticket thing where they write down one question they still have in their project journals so i can answer some questions asynchronously/get feedback on what to adjust.
oooookay i think i can use the skeleton slides from last year but i do need to do quite a bit of shuffling and updating this afternoon. i might also need to make a handout or two but let's see first how much can be done via the slides and their project journals. i've got a big chunk of time to work on this in the afternoon and should try to wrap this up today i think.
I start work with students tomorrow. I'm overwhelmed and freaking out.
On the plus side, best weekend with my own kids in a long time. I was calm. I was a good mom. It felt amazing. ❤️ I am built for the working mom life, even if it it exhausting.
I need to work on lesson plans, so this post is from my phone. Sorry if it looks weird, Void.
I'm really anxious about this year. But I'm gonna try.
Queen Elizabeth II Lesson Resources: My Humble Tribute to a Life of Service
This is my humble tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II. In this blog post you'll find links to some excellent and free lesson plans and resources to help you teach your students all about the Queen's exceptional life.
An article by Richard James Rogers (Award-Winning Author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management and The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback).
The sad passing of Queen Elizabeth II on 8th September 2022 has reminded many people around the world of what a life of service looks like.
From the duties she fulfilled during her National Service way back in the 1940s, to…
