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Great Quotations on Education

The most recent edition of the Leadership Wired E-Newsletter contained some superb quotes on education. After reflecting on them, I recommend a couple of things:

1. Subscribe to Leadership Wired. It's free.
2. Spend some time reflecting on these quotes in light of your own perspective on learning.

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." ~ John Dewey

"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere." ~ Chinese Proverb

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." ~ Albert Einstein

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." ~ Alvin Toffler

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." ~ William Butler Yeats

Studentlinc Core Leadership Training - New Modules Published

When things start to get difficult for your student leaders and the teams that they oversee, how do you best prepare them to weather the storms?

The Fluctuation Season of the Student Leader Year can be one of the most difficult times that a student leader faces. The most recent set of Studentlinc Core Leadership Training Modules covers the following leadership capacities:

BALANCE - The circumstances of life have a way of pushing student leaders toward chaos. This lesson will provide tools and guidelines for your student leaders to keep a consistent, healthy lifestyle on a daily basis in all areas of life.

VALUES - During the fluctuation season a student leader must have a clear sense of one's values. This lesson assists student leaders in clarifying their values as the catalyst for developing influence and guiding their decisions.

PROBLEM SOLVING - Problems provide an opportunity for leadership. This lesson will help student leaders develop a proper perspective and strategy when approaching problems. One's approach will establish or detract from leadership.

RELATIONAL COMMUNICATION - Proper communication in relationships takes work. This lesson will help student leaders develop communication strategies for dealing with times of tension, disagreement, and conflict.

ACCOUNTABILITY - Student leaders must develop accountability systems early on. This lesson will assist your leaders in developing effective personal accountability and accountability for others even when it's uncomfortable.

You can access these lessons through the RESOURCE page of studentlinc. Make sure to download the free SLCT Overview to get a better understanding of how these lessons can benefit your student leaders and your student leadership development program.

What Have You Done To Make Things Easier For Next Year?

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Ten Things A New Student Leader Must Work On Right Away

You've won! Congratulations...

Now what?!?

The first 30 days in your student leadership role will have a large effect on how the rest of your student leadership goes. The hard work and time you put into the election/selection process must now shift into getting off the ground in your new position.

Here are 10 things that should be near the top of your "to do" list during the first month:

1. Thank the people who helped you.
You didn't get into this position by yourself. You can start by thanking your parents. Then move on to people who have helped you become the type of person you are (the selectable/electable type). Take some time to write some thank you cards, make some phone calls, and spread the accolades of your victory amongst those who helped to make it possible.

2. Meet with your team.
Most of you will have been awarded a position that serves alongside other student leaders. You are on a council or board or executive team. These first days are crucial to your team's success. Get together with the others who were chosen and get to know each other. Go out to dinner. Do some fun things. There will be plenty of time for work and the tasks of the job. You need to develop a relationship with these people.

3. Verbalize your vision.
Part of the reason that you even considered running for your position is because you had some idea of how you could be effective. You have ideas of how to improve things. Now is the time to put that vision on paper and start to let people know about it. Plus, a solid and exciting vision is one of the best tools you will have for recruiting people over the next few months.

4. Meet with your advisor.
Most student leadership positions function with the assistance of an advisor. Schedule an appointment with that person. Share your hopes and dreams for your position. Look to your advisor for feedback and encouragement. An advisor can play a key role in helping you to be successful in your new role.

5. Familiarize yourself with the systems that are already in place.
Now that you're in your new position, you 'll need to learn how things work within the organization. You'll need to learn such things as how the organization best communicates, how money is handled, who oversees various resources within the organization, and what kinds of forms or paperwork is required. If you wait until the last minute to try and accomplish something, ignorance of the systems could mess up your event or activity.

6. Meet with the outgoing person in your position.
This is a bittersweet time of year. In most student organizations, there may be some overlap between the outgoing person stepping down and the newly elected person coming in. The outgoing student leaders have been hard at work and may still have some responsibilities to finish up. While they may be ready to step aside, it may be a bit awkward for them to hand over the reins just yet. It will require a special sensitivity on your part to be able to talk with them about the position without stepping on their toes or making them feel like it's time for them to move out so you can move in. But there is so much you can learn from them. The time invested with them will help you not to make some of the same mistakes they might have made.

7. Begin to form your own team.
While you may have been elected to serve on a team with others, you will also need to recruit people to assist you with your position. One of the reasons you carry the title of "student leader" is because you will be leading people. If you do everything yourself, you won't be leading. Get other people involved and put together a team of people that will help make it the best year ever.

8. Calendar out your year to have a better view of the big picture.
Once you get kneedeep in the busy-ness of your position, you will have a tendency to start living from event to event. You can overcome this temptation by knowing what the whole year will look like. This will help you to plan better ahead of the really busy times. Plus, you won't be blindsided by big events that might sneak up on you.

9. Be realistic.
You have a lot of ideas, hopes, and big plans at the beginning of your student leadership year. Realize that you can't do everything. In fact, you won't be able to do most things. But you can do some things...some pretty cool things. But only if you're realistic about what you can actually accomplish. Don't over commit.

10. Celebrate what happened during the previous year.
While your campaign may have addressed some of the areas you hoped to change, these first few weeks in your position should be spend celebrating what those who came before accomplished. It is in your best interest to be as positive as you can. Allow those who are finishing up their year to finish strong and offer to assist in any way you can. This is so important because you'll want the same thing from the person who will follow you next year.

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Just Elected? You're Not A Student Leader Yet...

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Intro to Utterz

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WOW...What TO Say In A Campaign Speech

As you step to the front of the room, be it a classroom or an auditorium, your main goal in presenting your campaign speech is to leave an impression - a positive impression. The voters won't remember every word you say, but they will remember how they felt when you are finished. Keep that in mind as you focus on what TO say.

1. Say your name.
When it comes time to vote, all that people will see on the ballot is your name. Make sure they remember what your name is. When you say your name, ask for their vote. Deliver a speech that reminds them of good things when they see your name. Your name is the only piece of publicity you have on the ballot.

2. Say what you are FOR.
Keep it positive. Some like to talk about what needs to be changed and state all of the things that they're against. But that will put you at odds with those who are currently in office - we like to call those people "friends of voters." Don't put down what's been done in the past, rather, talk about positive steps you intend to take in the future.

3. Say what makes you unique.
Probably 90% of what you'll say could be true of every candidate running. You'll work hard, you'll look to people to find out what they want, you have a strong desire to serve in this position. But what sets you apart? What makes you uniquely positioned to do a better job or be the better person in this position? That should be the central focus. If you spend time on the 90%...you'll just sound like everyone else and get lost in the mix.

4. Say what you're going to say in different ways.
People learn differently. Some people are visual. Some learn through stories or stats. Include different forms of communication in your speech that will capture the attention of various learning styles. Use of video, pictures, or even other people in your speech offers different ways to make your point.

5. Say what you're going to say...well.
Please don't step to the front unprepared, or prepared to simply say whatever comes to mind. If this is important to you, then take the time to practice and rehearse. You don't have to have it all memorized. But you must be comfortable with what you're going to say. It shouldn't look like you're talking about all of this for the first time. If you look like you're flying by the seat of your pants, people may think you're not taking this seriously.

Record yourself talking. Watch a video of yourself giving your speech. You'll be amazed at how many little things you can do to improve your presentation.

Ultimately, the goal of any campaign speech is to be yourself and allow people the chance to see who you are and what you stand for. It should be another way to build a relationship with your audience. Take it seriously.

OOPS...What Not To Say In A Campaign Speech

It's election day. You have run your campaign and now it's time to stand before your fellow students and explain why you are the best candidate for the position.

You get to give a speech.

I'm not going to tell you what to say in this post as much as I'm going to share some things that you shouldn't say.

1. Don't say "Umm."
This especially important when you first come to the microphone. Your first line should be captivating, exciting, and engaging. "Umm" is none of those things.

2. Don't say, "I didn't prepare something..."
If you didn't prepare to speak, no one should be prepared to listen. You must earn the right to be heard and if you didn't have the respect for your audience to gather some thoughts and form those into organized and understandable sentences...well...you probably shouldn't be up there.

3. Don't just talk from the heart.
I actually think it's a good thing to talk from the heart, to be real, and to be authentic. But it's best to talk from the heart when you've spent some time organizing what you're going to say with your mind. A campaign speech is not the same thing as taking your turn in a counseling circle.

4. Don't piggyback on all the wonderful things the other candidates said.
If you mention the names and quotes from other candidates more than your own name and your own ideas, you've just told people why they should vote for the other person more than you. Be original. Be yourself.

5. Don't just talk.
In today's environment, people need visuals. There are a lot of ways to incorporate video into your speech. Tell a story that paints a picture. Images are often more powerful words. At the very least, images add power to your words.

I'm not sure if a speech can put someone over the top on election day, but I definitely think an ill-planned and poorly executed speech can take someone out of the running. I'll be following up this post with the things a student candidate should be saying in a speech.

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Do you need to train your student leaders but it's usually hit or miss?
You can download practical and easy to use/adapt student leadership lessons right now and be ready to go for tonight's meeting. Whether you have 10 minutes or an hour, each training module will make you look like you studied all week.