Wanted: Contributors
College: An opportunity to grow in “Engagement” —
a major word in careers…No rings involved
Are you “engaged”? It means are you… Involved? Serious? A contributor? Keeping up with change?
Engagement: It’s the difference between sitting in the stands and texting your way through a soccer game and playing soccer on the field. When students talk in class, they’re paying attention. They’re engaged. They learn more. Why? The class becomes more interesting – they’re actively involved and following the class conversation.
FACT: The classroom eventually becomes the workplace’s meeting room.
Students are participating in groups just as they will later as employees — if they want to succeed.
The Tools of Engagement
The best employees are good thinkers. They analyze and “dissect” ideas, decisions, processes, innovations, etc. Then they communicate this information.
The BIG need for good communicators.
In one way or another, every job involves talking: explaining something to others, giving directions, trading ideas to solve problems, clearly reporting results, and contributing to discussions. It’s people working together. Talkers/writers earn reputations as valuable contributors.
Also, talking makes things happen. When you talk, you answer questions, you get people interested or excited about your ideas. You get yourself recognized. Ask any adult, “Who gets the raise or the promotion?” Usually, it’s the thinkers who know how to talk.
Non-talkers/poor talkers might hold jobs, but they often don’t move up in the work world.
Can you grab onto a problem, analyze it, and then debate the value of different solutions? Those who can express themselves are going places.
Newsflash! The classroom is your practice field
The College Smart® Book devotes 3 chapters to Talking:
- Its importance in general
- Different kinds of talking
- Talking to different kinds of people
Try this: Because talking well/with poise is so important.
- Right now, record yourself as you talk about something you know a lot about: a movie, an experience, a game you watched.
- Talk for about 3 minutes. (That’s a lot longer than you think.) As you become a better talker, add more time.
- Then listen to yourself. How do you sound? What would make your talking better?
- Keep on practicing. Choose different topics. You’ll get better.
- Good talkers stand out.
