Nonverbal Cues: Your Silent Partner in Engagement
Imagine you’re checking out a new apartment. While getting a tour of the place from the current renter, who would be your roommate, he starts acting odd. I mean, really odd. He walks rapidly around the apartment. He holds his water glass high above his head. Next thing you know, he is shuffling backwards on […]
What Each Level of Engagement Needs in Your Community
In 1943, American psychologist Abraham Maslow published an article in Psychological Review titled, “A Theory of Human Motivation.” Maslow proposed that humans have five levels of needs that build in sequential order. The needs are (in order), physiological, safety, social, self-esteem, and self-actualization. For a human to care about self-actualization, the other four needs are […]
Identifying Trending Leaders and Laying Tracks for Motivated Trains
While walking around Central Park in NYC, I watched a little league softball game on the field next to me. Surrounding the field was a collection of parents multitasking between the game, their phones, and watching their younger kids. One parent in particular was having a hard time keeping her little one under control. Her […]
Johnny Appleseed – The Ultimate “Party Keeps Going”
Unless you’re in second grade, you probably don’t know this, but today, March 11, is Johnny Appleseed Day! Yes, I was seven the last time I talked about him. But I did some research for this post, and I realized that he is a great example of the following Dance Floor Theory tip: The (Apple) […]
Epic Dance Floor Theory Video at Baldwin Wallace
We love it when we form a really great relationship with a school. Baldwin Wallace University is one of those schools; we have done Dance Floor Theory there several years in a row now. Each time is a blast. Kathy Petras, the Assistant Director of Student Life at BW put together this great video below of […]
What It’s Like to Be in a Dance Floor Theory – Awesome Video
Baldwin Wallace sent us this epic video they put together of Tom and his Dance Floor Theory™ program this year, set to the tune of “Take a Walk,” a fun song that captures the carefree spirit of the programs. Check it out: Here in the office, we got goosebumps watching the interactions between students, the […]
5 Ways that a Second Grader Followed Dance Floor Theory
Christian Bucks is an adorable second grader from Pennsylvania who realized that some of his classmates were lonely during recess time. Having heard about a “Buddy Bench” being used in a German school, Christian suggested to his school administrators that they also install one. The Buddy Bench is a designated bench on the playground where […]
Student Leader Spotlight: Candy Melara (College of DuPage)
School and Year: College of DuPage, ’16 Major: Special Education Leadership position: Membership/ Fellowship Officer for Phi Theta Kappa How do you define leadership? I define leadership as a lifelong learning process that involves people working together effectively towards the realization of a comprehensive vision guided by shared values and ethical commitments. A leader should be capable to make […]
Dance Floor Theory on Facebook
In Dance Floor Theory™ we outline four steps it takes for a student leader to move a group from a “bad dance” to a “good dance.” They are… Introduce Yourself Introduce People To Each Other Make Small Relevant Groups Get Out Of The Way As more schools and student groups build an online presence for […]
I Got DFT’ed…And I Didn’t Like It.
Last week I was part of a panel discussion for TiE on the New York startup scene. I was invited to talk about my experience as both a TechStars Alumnus and founder of Red Rover and AlumniChoose. Before the event officially started, everyone was casually networking around the room. At one point, a lady popped […]