May 18, 2012

CampusTalkBlog posts by Dave "Gonzo" Kelly, America's Student Leadership Trainer™

About Dave "Gonzo" Kelly

Dave "Gonzo" Kelly, America's Student Leadership Trainer™, has been working with students on leadership development since he was a student himself. As an experienced college speaker and trainer his programs maximize student retention by linking student success through extra-curricular activities.

Drive-by community service projects… and nobody gets hurt!

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Filed Under: ! What's HOT!, Community Service Involvement Tagged With: ,
Dave Kelly - Community Service and Campus Activities

Drive-by service opportunities are not quite what they sound like and provide immediate benefit to the local community. They are projects that are ready-made for students to jump right into, take only a few minutes, and provide solid impact. They are accomplished by partnering with local or national community service groups such as Habitat for Humanity, the United Way, Special Olympics, Food for the Poor, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and others. Though I've been student leadership and community service trainer for over two decades, over the past several years in particular I've been working with organizations such as the APCA and … [Read more...]

3 things to do if your club officers are fighting

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Filed Under: ! What's HOT!, Student Leadership Tagged With:
3 things to do if your club officers are fighting

My wife has six cats. Yes, they all belong to her. That does not mean, however, that I do not fulfill my role as a “kitty daddy” and sometimes mediate disputes amongst them. Cat fights usually happen when one cat looks at another and the second cat does not want to be looked at. This leads to loud cat shrieking and paw-batting at one another. How do I deal with this? Two loud claps of my hands and then I shout “HEY!” The combatants then run off in different directions. Wouldn’t it be great if we could handle disputes in our organizations the same way? Two of our officers get into an argument before, during, or after a meeting and … [Read more...]

Use the NO CHAIRS method for campus club recruiting

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Filed Under: ! What's HOT!, Student Leadership Tagged With: , ,
Dave Kelly - Recruiting with no Chairs

At your next campus club and organization recruiting fair... Get rid of your chairs! Give them to one of your competitors and let them sit. Push your table back a little and then get in the flow of traffic by standing in front of your table. This puts you out where the students are and gives you a chance to make eye contact with them and approach them as they go by. I guarantee you recruit more members this way! As a former student leader myself, and as a long-time college student leadership trainer, I have run more than 100 recruitment tables at campus activities fairs and club days and have seen what works and a lot of what doesn't. … [Read more...]

3 Ways to pep up your campus club meetings

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Filed Under: ! What's HOT!, Student Leadership Tagged With: ,
Dave Kelly - 3 Ways to pep up your campus club meetings

Two things most of us will avoid like the plague... The droning of a monotone voice from the front of the room. The meeting leader that sits in the middle of the floor and asks, "So what do you guys want to talk about tonight?" Let's make our campus club and organization meetings fun and interesting or just put us all out of our misery and stop having them! Here are a couple of my time-tested ideas to give things a kick in the pants. Start on time. End on time. People's time is important. Drop the, "I'm going to wait a few minutes until more people arrive." Start NOW! Don't punish the people who arrived on time. Start now and finish … [Read more...]

Get a DEFINING STATEMENT for your campus club or organization and boost your recruiting efforts

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Filed Under: ! What's HOT!, Student Leadership Tagged With: , ,
Dave Kelly - Defining Statement

“No, we are not the Circle K that is the convenience stores.” “We are not a dude ranch with horses.” “We don’t dance in circles, although you can if you want to.” That was part of my normal speech when I was the District Administrator for the Georgia District of Circle K International. I was responsible for 28 chapters, including helping them to effectively recruit members. I went to campus after campus and watched our student leaders struggle with trying to explain what Circle K was—and what it was not! If you belong to a club or organization on campus or are the advisor for a group and had to tell people the name of … [Read more...]

3 life-changing student leadership practices no one’s doing

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Filed Under: ! What's HOT!, Student Leadership Tagged With: ,
Dave Kelly - 3 life-changing student leadership practices

In 20+ years of working with student leaders, advisors and organizations I've compiled a number of 'best of the best' lists. I have top 3, 5, 7, or 10 lists on everything from skyrocketing student involvement, to holding great meetings and everything else that involves student leadership. It all comes from seeing first-hand what works and what doesn't. Most schools have what I'll call "Student Leader Basic Training" in place. They teach their student leaders who to fill out forms, conduct meetings, hold an event, hire speakers, etc. This type of basic training should be a requirement but there are a few things you could do more of that … [Read more...]

I Missed Your Student Leadership Presentation, Can You Still Help Me?

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Filed Under: Student Leadership
Dave Kelly - The Experience

The answer is a resounding,“YES!” I spoke at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in late March of 2011. Daniel Hastings is a student at the school who was unable to attend my student leadership presentation. He emailed me with some questions and, after I responded to him, gave me permission to share his questions and my answers in this blog. Daniel Hastings: What suggestions would you give in leading a work group or team? Dave Kelly: I try to instill leaders, whether students, employees, managers, etc. with this concept: Don't think about what's in it for you, think about what's in it for them. If you can meet the needs of … [Read more...]

Everyday Leadership at Lincoln University

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Filed Under: Student Leadership
Dave Kelly - Everyday Leadership at Lincoln University

Saturday, March 19, 2011 was a beautiful, sunny day in southeastern Pennsylvania. I had spent the night before near the Philadelphia airport and took the short drive to Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, in Lincoln University, PA. As I drove up to the gates of this Historically Black University (HBU), I was impressed with the beauty of the campus and the contrast of the grand, older buildings dating back to 1854 and the newer construction reflective of more current times. I was on campus to lead the afternoon portion of the Emerging Leaders Conference for approximately 60 outstanding students. They had done group interactions including … [Read more...]

“They”

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Filed Under: Success In College and In Life
Dave Kelly - They

“They” are always trying to tell us something “they” think we need to hear. “They” have our best interests at heart, and “they” don’t want to see us fail, get hurt, or be disappointed. “They” will make sure to tell you that you really can’t do what you want to, are probably not good enough to succeed, and are not possibly smart enough to figure out something that no one else ever has. “They” know everything. “They” are your enemies. Oh, “they” might look like family, friends, or co-workers, but make no mistake, “they” will discourage you and try to let you down easy. “They” love you and want … [Read more...]

Elvis, Leadership, and You: Putting Fun into Campus Activities at TVCC

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Filed Under: Student Leadership
Dave Kelly - Elivs Leadership and You

  While attending the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA) National Advisors Institute in Las Vegas this past January (2-4, 2011), I caught up with one of my long-time friends, Justin Core. Justin is the Director of Student Programs and Residence Life at Treasure Valley Community College (TVCC) in Ontario, OR. Ontario is just over the border from Idaho, along the Snake River, about an hour west of Boise. He is also a fellow past Circle K International President and we have had some fun and interesting times over the years! Justin is a great guy who is very devoted to his students. He is a bit of a renaissance … [Read more...]

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