Presented by: The Young Leader’s Council (YLC) Let’s Talk About Best Buddies: Using Your Strengths to Communicate Our Mission Presented by: The Young Leader’s Council (YLC)

Agenda Topic: Activity: Facilitator(s): Identifying & capitalizing on your personal strengths So you think you can delegate? Sam Cook How do you convey your story to a specific audience? Storytelling exercise Sarah Williams Professionalism in presenting: practical skills for any audience Creating your Confidence Profile Communicating the Mission! “Shark Tank” Pitch

Identifying & capitalizing on your personal strengths

“What will happen if we think about what is right with people rather than fixating on what’s wrong” -Donald O. Clifton Let’s find out!

Capitalizing on your strengths How to identify strengths/weaknesses in your leadership style Leadership can be defined by “moments” Successes, failures, experiences, etc. What ”moments” come to mind in your experience as a leader? Focus on the “why” The same action can create a different result depending on the situation What motivates you to do what you do? Translating this knowledge into action Delegation is a great way to accomplish your long-term goals How do you use your strengths/weaknesses to delegate?

So you think you can delegate? Take 5 minutes to write down the things you think you can do best. After you have created a list of your skills, partner up and discuss how you and your partner would delegate the scenario on your sheet based on your specific strengths.

Capitalizing on your strengths Presuming competence within your audiences Competence: A cluster of related abilities that indicate sufficiency of knowledge and skills that enable someone to act in a wide variety of situations. Why is assuming that everyone you interact with is capable of contributing so important?

How do you convey your story to a specific audience?

How do you typically explain what Best Buddies is? Turn to the person sitting next to you and tell them in 30 seconds what Best Buddies means to you as if they had never heard of Best Buddies before.

What plays a role in knowing your audience? Telling your story How your audience impacts your storytelling What plays a role in knowing your audience? Age Gender formality/informality Setting (timing, place) Any background info you know about them? Body language These are all traits to keep in mind in order to persuade your audience properly and effectively.

Background/Motivations Telling your story What kind of factors impact the stories you tell Topics Inclusion, advocacy, engagement, etc. What portions of your story change based on the topic you want to convey to your audience? Relationships Siblings, teachers, community member, fundraiser, etc. What impact does your relationship with someone have on what you can share? Background/Motivations Personal experience, statistics, community impact, etc. How do you use your knowledge of someone’s background to share information that is most important to them?

Professionalism in presenting: practical skills for any audience

What does your body language say about you? Let’s find out!

Controlling body language How your body language impacts the audience’s perception of your story Practice makes perfect The more times you present, the more comfortable you will get with these ideas What opportunities can you think of where you are able to present information to another person? Reading someone else’s body language Sometimes non-verbal cues give you more information than a person will tell you on their own While you are presenting, what does the audience look like? Confidence is key Personal experience, statistics, community impact, etc. How do you use your knowledge of someone’s background to share information that is most important to them?

Creating your Confidence Profile Fill out the worksheet being passed around then be prepared to share your answers with the group.

Communicating the Mission: “Shark Tank” Style Use the scenario in your handout to work with your group to come up with the best way to convince that person to donate and/or get involved with Best Buddies.

Scenario 1 Getting your neighbors to join your Friendship Walk team Knowledge of Best Buddies: Moderate-High Motivations: Community Impact Communication Style: personal connection You are talking to your neighbor when you walk out to get the mail and they ask about your Best Buddies t-shirt. The Friendship Walk is right around the corner. How do you get them to understand the importance of Best Buddies and get involved?

Scenario 2 Trying to get a friend to join your local Best Buddies chapter Knowledge of Best Buddies: Moderate Motivations: Social Communication Style: Social media/texting You are spreading the word about your school’s new Best Buddies chapter to a friend in your class. How do you get them to understand the importance of Best Buddies and get involved?

Scenario 3 Trying to raise money from a bank executive Knowledge of Best Buddies: Low Motivations: Financial Communication Style: short & sweet You are helping raise money for your friend’s Champion of the Year campaign and decide to call your local bank to see if they would be willing to sponsor them. How do you get them to understand the importance of Best Buddies and get involved?

Wrap-Up