Have you ever been in a situation where you have just met someone and quickly the conversation goes dry? Either you or the person you just met suddenly have nothing to say or feel awkward and cannot wait for an exit to the conversation? Or have you every gone to talk to a hot guy/girl and froze up suddenly?
You try to speak but your hands get clammy and you begin to sweat because you do not want to blow your chance by saying something stupid. In order to prevent this awkward turtle moment, the house managers from Hooker Hall (Chi Psi), and Rollins Hall (Kappa Kappa Gamma) made it their mission teach their residents about effective and not so effective tips for communication.
As the Hooker Hall house manager, I wanted to start the program by briefly reviewing five important verbal behaviors and five non-verbal behaviors that can help increase your chance of success when communicating with others. It was my hope that during the program my residents would be able to identify their individual communication styles and distinguish what they do well from which tips they needed to work on.
With a total of 52 participants, there were about 24 pairs of people to practice conversing through a speed dating type scenario. Everyone was given a minute to converse, then 30 seconds to take notes and switch partners. We quickly found that aft er one minute people were reluctant to end their conversations!
Chi Psi brother Hien Nguyen ‘13 remarked, “The event was awesome. I was skeptical at first because I didn’t know many of the girls in Kappa, but I honestly enjoyed meeting everyone.” Hien and others found that with the helpful hints they had learned, conversation came easy, and there were no backward swimming turtles in the room. A student from Kappa Kappa Gamma, Kathryn Bussey ‘11 said, the event helped enhance communication skills of individuals in both organizations through spontaneous interaction.
The evening wrapped up around 8:30, and it is safe to say that these students left with more than enhanced communication skills; they left with new friends and an eagerness to practice their newfound skills!
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