The Two Ingredients Required for Successful Engagement
At some point, every facilitator eventually runs out of activities they can do with a group. It’s natural and bound to happen. This exact thing happened to a friend of mine, Kevin Prentiss, who was running a 10-day long summer program for a group of students at Stanford University. After 10-days of facilitating activities and […]
Fun Is The Easiest Way To Change Someone’s Behavior
A group of psychologists seated themselves between a staircase and an escalator in a U.S. shopping mall to run a study. They set out to answer two questions: What percentage of people choose stairs over an escalator when given the choice between the two? How would behavior change if people were made aware of the […]
Party for One – The Value of Social Proof
Sylvia is the kind of person that wants to make a difference. When she sees an issue, she takes action. So when it was finals week at her university and she knew everyone was going to be stressed, she woke up early and drew the words “Free Hugs” on a large poster board. Then, she […]
When Recruiting… Make Sure To Show Not Tell
During a recent visit to Pittsburgh, I set aside some time to visit with a former intern of ours studying at Carnegie Mellon University. As we walked through their beautiful University Center, I noticed a large number of campus clubs with tables set up trying to solicit students to join their organization. Every table was […]
Pillow Fights and Multiple Levels of Engagement
DFT Lesson #2 is the foundation for the rest of our philosophy on engagement. Because from now on, you’ll know that there are multiple levels of engagement and the goal is to keep moving people towards Level 5 because that’s were the action is.
Engaging “Neutrals” on Social Media
If you’re reading this, you may also be a member of the Student Organization Leaders Facebook Group. (If you aren’t, do me a favor and request to join.) Our goal with this group is to create a place for people who have seen our Dance Floor Theory program or follow our work to continue the conversation […]
That’s a Wrap on #FreeHugs18
Free Hugs Day has become quite the event at many schools around the US. From University of Delaware, to Johns Hopkins University, to Bossier Parish Community College we witnessed hugs at every corner of our country, at institutions of all kinds for #FreeHugs18 Last year, we talked about how Free Hugs Day has become a […]
How to Dominate Free Hugs Day
A day when people all over the country, and possibly the world, are giving out hugs all at once can sound intimidating. But we want you to know that participating in Free Hugs Day is simple. You really don’t need much to spread some joy in your community. What’s necessary for #FreeHugs18 on November 1st? Pledge […]
What a Swedish Town Can Teach Us About Guiding Teams Through Stressful Situations
How would you react if you were told that your entire town had to relocate to an entirely new spot, two miles away? I’m talking buildings, homes, people, lives – boom, packing up and moving down the road. This is exactly what the residents of Kiruna, Sweden were told one day. Naturally, they were a […]
Another Free Hugs Day in the Books! #FreeHugs17
Free Hugs Day has become quite the event at many schools around the US. From Texas A&M International University, to Fordham University in New York, to UC Berkeley, we witnessed hugs at every corner of our country. Free Hugs Day is a tradition for many different schools every year. Check out what some of these […]