Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

Excuse: “We did that LAST year!” Answer: Repeating programs in moderation is not always bad. Each year there are a new group of students who haven’t been exposed to that particular topic before. It may be a good program for all new people, and it can defi nitely be improved upon. Run with the successes, but constantly continue to evaluate them as well.

E: “No one knows who that is!” A: Big name speakers, well-known faculty, or everyone’s “favorite” presenter don’t always do the best job. Don’t assume that a big name or favorite person will solve your programming problems. Bring in new people so that students can be exposed to diff erent perspectives and styles.

E: “I don’t want to fail!” A: Some people are afraid to try a new concept or idea, develop a diff erent type of program, tackle a controversial issue, or step outside of their comfort zone. You are a student leader because we know you can do all of those things! If you don’t try new things, you’ll never learn anything diff erent. Step outside of your comfort zone!

E: “They’ve got to be entertained!” A: Too much fl uff and not enough stuff will leave your audience with a cavity! Or at least yawning. They will not return to your programs if they don’t feel they’ve learned something valuable. Make sure you have quality, up to- date information for them, and have challenged them to look at things diff erently. Entertainment is good as long as it isn’t the main performer.

E: “We can’t change our plans now!” A: You sure can...so be fl exible. Plan early enough so that if something happens, and your speaker has to cancel or you realize you planned a program during the season fi nale of Pose (gasp!) you can reschedule or reformat, and not leave yourself in a predicament. BUT, don’t keep putting it off until later for silly reasons….someone will ALWAYS have something else to go to or do.

E: “Audience participation CAN’T be planned!” A: Wrong answer! Interactive games, dialogue, index cards with pre-set questions, and exercises can all be planned in a presentation to get even the quietest audience participating and discussing whatever the topic is. A good student leader always has questions ready for a presenter so that the group doesn’t sit in awkward silence.

E: “I haven’t heard back from the presenter, so I can’t plan the program!” A: Again, WRONG! If you want a program to happen, you need to be persistent. One phone call doesn’t mean you’re fi nished. Call every day. Email. Stop by the offi ce. You and only you are responsible for getting it done, and that excuse is never ok. And if you’ve waited until the end of the month to program, you have no one to blame but yourself so plan your programs far in advance.

E: “It’s too much to do myself!” A: First, don’t forget that there are other students and staff who can all help program with you (within the scope of the requirements). AND you don’t have to program alone—get your friends to help. You might be surprised what they will do if you only ask for their help. Sometimes the best ideas come from those you’d least expect them from!

E: “I’m just going to get past this week, then I’ll plan it. It’s too busy right now.” A: Yeah, I doubt it! Once you put something off , you’ll keep putting it off again and again. Don’t wait too long or the calendar will get full, other stuff will come up, and it’ll never happen. Get going, and you’ll be able to feel relieved that you fi nished instead of stressed that you didn’t.