Did you know that the success or failure of new students on campus lies in the hands of your Orientation Leaders?

It’s true. And how they are prepared for their responsibilities will determine if those new students are successful during their collegiate career.

When I arrived on campus, my college orientation consisted of getting handed a Student Handbook with an envelope of coupons from local vendors and about a 30-minute session of going around a circle with 10 new students talking about ourselves. “Assessment” was our ‘orientation leader’ asking us if we met any new people. He was no more equipped to help me succeed as a student than I was as a timid first-year.

The training that you provide for your Orientation Leaders needs to be intentional. It should allow them to bond through fun and invigorating exercises that will not only further develop their leadership skills but enable them to provide more effective representation to new students and their families.

New Student/First Year Experience programs are pivotal in defining the direction new students choose when arriving on campus. Too many times orientation leaders are brought into situations they are not prepared for and they end up giving the wrong information or advice to new students. I had the privilege of spending a day working with the Orientation Leaders at Spelman College in Atlanta helping them to prepare for the next nine days that they were going to spend with their group of new students. Nine days! That’s a long time and the potential for things to not go as hoped is great.

It is important for your Orientation Leaders to help their group of new and transfer students succeed in going from orientation to graduation. With that, here are some areas I suggest you include in your training for Orientation Leaders:

• Sessions that develop your Orientation Leaders’ facilitation skills
• Solutions to handle drama, conflict, and bullying
• Provide personal growth through introspection
• Bust the biases students bring to leadership roles, helping them to understand diversity in its various forms
• Demonstrate how listening and communication skills turn your Orientation Leaders into mentors
• Discover and share the importance personal leadership styles, including their impact on interactions and abilities development

What are some of the things your school includes? Do you have specific goals that you go into Orientation Leader training hoping to achieve? Any other ideas you want to share? Please use the comment space below to create a dialog to improve every campus’ Orientation Leader training!

In order to get the most out of orientation you must have an open mind. With the right attitude you will be able to listen and absorb all of the information that will be provided to you during orientation. Make sure you arrive prepared with paper and something to write with or record on. You’ll receive so much information your brain will be on overload and you’ll be able to review your notes later. Be sure to pay close attention to names, buildings and campus resources so you can notate where you might go if you have a specific challenge.

Additionally, be sure to follow all the rules. It’s tempting to skip some sessions, but it’s in your best interest to attend each session. Particularly those that are required like meeting your academic advisor, resident assistant or residence life staff. Many of the questions you may have about your academic schedule or residence hall can be answered by simply attending orientation. Trust me, this is not something you want to deal with the first day of classes. So make it a priority to go to everything because it will save you time, energy and money.

Here’s a helpful key list of who you’ll want to meet during orientation:

• Financial Aid Administrators
• Residence Life Staff (Your RA and Residence Director/Hall Director)
• Honors Directors
• Academic Advisor
• Faculty Members
• Counselors
• Student Support Services Staff (Tutors, Career Services, Student Life)

Your list may look slightly different, but you get the gist. This is just one of your first opportunities on the road to college success.

Tawan
Get Connected. Stay Connected. Graduate.

Back to Getting the Most out of Orientation (Part I)

You say someone told you that orientation is not really important and you plan to skip it? Well, before you skip it you might want to consider what you could be missing out on before you decide to skip it. Here are some tips on why you should go to orientation and how to get the most out of it.

REASON #1 – Orientation will help you achieve a smooth transition and get familiar with the student support services offered at your school. Have you ever bought a high-tech gadget but you didn’t know how to work all of the features? (Because you never read the instructions that came with it?) Well, college is the same way. Colleges often have a lot to offer but you may not necessarily know how to access it until you attend (and stay engaged) in orientation. The point is to help you become more knowledgeable about what resources the school offers when you need help instead of just fumbling around trying to figure everything out (like with that new gadget). Trust me, you will need help at one time or another during your stay at the institution.

REASON #2 – Orientation helps you get connected with your peers as well as faculty, mentors and student development staff at the institution. Think about it, any new place is a lot less scary when you know someone. When you attend orientation you will probably get to know other students who are just as scared as you but who will become potential lifelong friends. Orientation is the first opportunity to begin building community in your new home. Bottom line, orientation is your first opportunity to get connected, stay connected and ultimately graduate. (Pssst… In case nobody’s told you… that’s the goal!)

Now before you brush off your college orientation be sure to consider the reasons I’ve given you above. By taking heed to them you’re on your way to a successful college experience.

Tawan
Get Connected. Stay Connected. Graduate.

Getting the Most out of Orientation – Part II

I remember my new student orientation program as though it were yesterday (it wasn’t). All of the incoming freshmen—yes, once upon a time, new students were called freshmen (not First Years, New Students, Post-Secondary Initiates, etc)—gathered in Albee Hall on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. We were given some basic rules and “do nots” of the university and then were organized into groups of ten with an experienced student — I don’t think he was even called Orientation Leader– who had us sit in a circle outside on the grass. He prompted us to introduce ourselves to each other, with our name, hometown, major, and, I think, the number of pets we grew up with. We then adjourned to the student activities fair with dunk tanks, ball toss, and other carnival games. I started classes the next day.

Oh, how things have changed!

Now New Student Orientation/First Year Experience/Welcome Week programs are the subject of much debate, theoretical evaluation, surveys, observation, testing, and case studies. Yet, statistics from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education’s report “Measuring Up: The National Report Card on Education” indicate that more than half of the students who begin a post-secondary education program this fall will not, within six years, graduate with a degree or receive the certification they are seeking. Business is certainly booming on the admissions side of the equation but, somewhere between acceptance and commencement, there is a huge disconnect. Today, this space is dedicated to helping new students get off on the right foot and trying to help more students go from orientation to graduation.

Nowadays, new students have all kinds of backgrounds. Some are from the traditional route—straight out of high school. Many are first generation college students. Others are returning from military service, taking an educational break to raise families, recovering after life-changing situations like divorce or the death of a spouse, or any number of other situations. Regardless of the background or circumstances, success is possible and can even be programmed through the orientation process.

I speak from my own experience… I am a first generation college graduate, cum laude, who grew up in a mobile home in a trailer park on the side of a state highway, who only was able to afford to go to school because my parents were divorced and my mother made so little money that I qualified for government grants and loans. I have worked with thousands of college students over the years and my experiences pinpoint three keys to student success:

1) Visualization: Students have to be able to SEE themselves succeeding. Many of the students that I talk with when I speak at new student orientation programs are focused on everything BUT graduation. They are worried about their finances, classes, when can they go home, boyfriends/girlfriends, husbands/wives, or a combination of these things and more. Yet, when I ask them what their graduation day will LOOK like, they have not even considered it! Teach your students to keep their “eye on the prize” and they can weather a lot of storms. I used mental images of walking across the stage and receiving my diploma to keep me going in the tough times. I have shared that same concept with own my daughter, a college junior, who has had her own struggles yet , I am confident that she will graduate within two years.

2) A Blueprint for Success: I teach students how to chart their path from the day of orientation to the day of graduation. I teach them to establish a dream, determine their goals (stepping stones), and the plans they are going to have to enact (everyday activities) in order to achieve student success. Show your students that there is a connection between how they conduct themselves daily and their ultimate success: their diploma. Their daily actions do make a difference as to whether they will ever graduate. I had friends in college who were more focused on partying than going to class or studying. I will admit that I enjoyed spending time with them in their pursuits, but I would always disappear around mid-terms and finals. I graduated, they did not. I had short and long-term goals that kept me going toward my ultimate dream.

3) Maintain a positive attitude: When things get really tough, a belief in one’s self can keep a person going. I use affirmations to keep my attitude positive. Affirmations are those things that you claim victory over that you have now or expect to have in the future. Some of mine are, “I am a successful professional speaker,” “I am a great father,” “I am a super husband,” and “I am in excellent physical condition.” OK, the last one is not exactly true, YET, but it will be! I was telling myself that “I am a successful professional speaker” long before I ever was one! I say them to myself on a daily basis, as often as possible. These really keep me motivated and keep me focused on all that is positive in my life so that I can make my dreams come true. Teach positive attitude techniques to your students and they will have an attitude of success that will get them to graduation.

Incorporate these ideas into your New Student Orientation/First Year Experience/Welcome Week/etc. programs and you will find more of your students will be able to take pride in crossing the stage to accept their diploma!

Add your ideas below and share them with your fellow orientation professionals.

The worst thing one can do is yell at them to, “Be quiet!” “Stop talking!” or even “SHUT UP!” It’s hard to believe but I’ve heard the latter said by experienced people. Not only is it demeaning, but it’s disrespectful. What you want to avoid is “teacher mode.” This is the stereotypical high school teacher who uses yelling and intimidation as a way to maintain order in the classroom. People have had enough of that in their lifetime and if they get just a whiff of “teacher mode” they can do anything from become stoic to open hostility.

Here are the top 5 techniques I use to bring the focus back:

1. If you can hear me…

If you can hear me clap 3 times…if you can hear me snap 4 times…if you can hear me stomp 3 times…

This works great, especially with larger groups. You don’t have to say it very loudly. The first time you do it, only a few people closer to you will clap. That sound will get the next wave of people’s attention and they will snap with the next round. And using the ripple effect, the whole group tunes in. I’ve gotten the attention of 800 yelling and screaming new students without raising my voice louder than normal conversational tone (on a microphone of course). It’s magic when it’s done right.

Some other examples to use include…point your elbow at the ceiling (or the wall, or person next to you)…jump 3 times…howl like a wolf or the team mascot ( I’d love to hear this from the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs!).

One last example that sounds very cool in large groups is…if you can hear me say, shhhhhhh. Try it and listen for yourself.

One more thing; it helps if you give a number of times to do it. If you just say, “If you can hear me, clap”, people get confused.

2. Echo clap

This works similar to, “if you can hear me”. Put simply; you clap and they copy your clap. It’s hard to describe in words – but you might clap 5 times similar to…clap, clap, then three quick claps. After you clap, wait for them to respond. At first you may only get a couple of people, but immediately go into a different clap variation and more people will catch on. I don’t ever explain how to do this to the group, but if you feel you must, then don’t say anything beyond, “repeat after me.” Any more than that and it will confuse the issue.

3. Clap 7 times

This is a variation of the echo clap. All you say is, “Clap 7 times all together. Ready…and…” Then clap 7 times and count to yourself, not out loud. It’s very gratifying when you end at 7 and there are no extra claps. If there are extra claps then right away repeat the directions and start clapping. If they get it all together then attempt 15 claps. I usually don’t go higher than that but feel free.

4. Noisemakers

This is very straightforward. Use something that makes loud noise to get their attention back. It’s important not to use something that is very annoying like a whistle used by referees – unless you can make new and unusual sounds with it. It’s helpful that you explain upfront what the noisemaker is and the expectations. “When you hear this sound, “tweet,” you’d discover that by magic your mouth goes closed and your focus comes to the front of the room.” Have fun with it and don’t take yourself too seriously.

Other noisemakers could be a train whistle, duck call, warbling bird whistles, and even musical instruments. I’ve used a harmonica in the past. I don’t really know how to play it but I just jam and they bring their focus back and laugh at me. It’s all in good fun.

5. Cut the music

I abruptly stop the music to jar people’s attention. While they’re talking I turn up the music louder and louder. This gets some people’s attention. They think, “This music is so loud I can’t hear my partner. I wonder what’s going on.” and they look up front. Then I abruptly cut the music by pushing pause or stop – not by turning it down. The other half of the group that didn’t get the music being turned up suddenly realizes how loud they were talking and turn to face you.

Note: Please be aware that these are gimmicks to get the attention back. If you use the same technique over and over and over and over, the participants will get sick of it – and you. Use them sparingly.

So what do you do in the mean time so they don’t get annoyed by repeated use? The most common technique I use is to just say, “find a place to pause,” or “please pause”. I don’t need to say it too loud and after a few times they come to expect it and go quiet quicker with every use. It’s even more effective with the use of music. Right after you cut the music, speak into that lull in conversation.

Saying ‘pause’ is much more effective than saying ‘stop.’ Rarely do people stop talking right away, so by saying ‘stop,’ you’ve just put people in the wrong and that can create resistance.

So there are a few ideas to get you started. I’m confident that with your creativity applied you can come up with some fun ideas and variations of your own. For those creative types who have some new ideas, please share your brilliance [or not so brilliance- we’ll still love you] with us by commenting below. Two heads are better than one…and 50 are better than two. It’d be great to hear from you.

Troy