Day Long

Training for
Student Employees
Randy Cloke, Charlie Haycook, Allie Kadell & Jazmin Ramirez
OVERVIEW
• Learning Outcomes for this Presentation
• Outline of Orientation
• Day Two: Communication
• Morning Agenda
• Afternoon Agenda
• Activity
• Sessions
• OL Theater
Learning Outcomes
• Classmates will be able to apply the methods and value of each subtopic
to future trainings.

• By attending each of these sessions, OL’s will handle different situations

tactfully using positive communication skills, which will include cultural
competence, listening/cohesiveness, de-escalation, and redirecting
conversations.

• OL’s will be able to articulate what skills they lack through critical reflection
and facilitated roleplay.
Background
• Student employees that
Orientation Leaders (OL’s) were hired during the
Spring semester
• 5 returning, 15 new -
ranging in academic years
• Free room and board - plus
a $800 stipend
• Return to campus a week
before first orientation
Background
Orientation Details
• Throughout the month of July
• 5 sessions
• Three two day, overnights
• Two one day commuters
• First day includes parent orientation
• Students are registering for class on second day
Outline of Orientation
Day One: Day Two:
• Welcome from the President • Breakfast
• Meet your OL & Team builders • Check in with OL
• Campus Tours • Meet your Major
• Break for lunch • Register for classes
• Clubs & Organizations Fair • Light refreshments with faculty and staff
• Campus 101 • Closing with the President
• Financial Aid *campus resources are open for information and
• Break for Ice Breaks questions!
• Meet the Dean
• Panel with current students
• Break for dinner
• Night Activities
*sessions may vary for parents and guests
Day Two: All about
Communicating
Morning Agenda
9:00-9:30: Breakfast
9:30-9:45: Icebreaker
9:45-10:30: Communication Inventory
10:30-11:15: Team & Supervisor Communication
11:15-11:30: Break
11:30-12:00: Student Communication
Afternoon Agenda
12:00-1:00: Lunch
1:00-1:15: Icebreaker
1:15-1:45: Parent Communication
1:45-2:15: Faculty/Staff Communication
2:15-2:30: Break
2:30-4:00: Behind Closed Doors
4:00-4:30: Reflection
4:30-5:00: Self-Care
5:00-9:00: Dinner and Fun!
Good Morning OL’s
It’s
Breakfast
time
 Telephone Game
9:30 - 9:45
• Everyone to come sit in a circle on the floor
• One Volunteer to create a phrase
• Pass along the phase to the person next by whispering, the
next person do the same until it reaches the last person
who will state the phase out loud.
• Ground Rules:
• Please respect the space, do not use any inappropriate language
you would want your boss to hear!
• The phase will only be given to you once
• Whispers only & no hints!
Communication Inventory
9:45 - 10:30
● Sending clear messages, listening, giving and getting
feedback, and handling emotional interactions
● Each section has 10 statements which you would
answer them as if it “usually, sometimes or seldom”
applies to you
● Goal is to provide insight on
areas of strength and areas of
further development
“Communication is what
makes a team strong”
- Brian McClennan
Team Communication & Supervisors
Why is effective communication important for a team of
OL’s:

• Cohesiveness
• Roles and Responsibilities
• Advocating
• Professional Development
How do you want to communicate with
one another?
What do we want to keep
in mind?

What do we want to
avoid?
Communication with Supervisors
Not only a leadership role, but a job
• You must if you are going to be late or missing work
• Accepted via email or text
• Check your email and task binder daily
We are also here
• Resolving conflict
• Providing ideas and feedback
• How else?
Activity - Origami Box
• Break up into groups of two
• Discuss your communication style;
strengths/weaknesses
• You have 20 seconds to discuss who will be the
communicator and listener
• Sit back to back; you may not turn around at any point
Listeners Communicators
• Get 8.5 X 11 blank piece ● Get instructions on
of paper how to make an
origami box
• You will have 8 minutes to make the box
Debrief
• Initial thoughts?
• What was challenging?
• What worked?
• Specifically what did your partner
do to help you?
• What was the role of the
supervisors in this activity?
Student Communication
● Integrity/Honesty
○ Enforce college policy as an employee of the institution
○ Being aware of your identity as a college student and encourage
students to be safe
● Initiative
○ Take the first steps in initiating conversations/relationships with
students
○ Especially after confrontation or negative interaction, OL needs to
be the person to re-establish the relationship with positive
communication
Student Communication
● Impartiality
○ Communicate and interact with all students impartiality and
consistently
○ Students are sensitive to favoritism or special treatment
○ Interact and enforce policies in a consistent, fair way
● Resources
○ Sending clear messages about the different resources on campus
○ If you do not know the answer, “I am not sure. However, let me find
someone who does know the answer.”
○ Not speaking negatively about departments, offices, or individuals
on campus.
Student Communication
● Cultural Communication:
○ An individual acts and communicates according to their
cultural values, norms and traditions
○ Another individual from a different cultural background and
experience can view behaviors differently
● Ex. Greeting:
○ In America, individuals shake hands and even hug each other.
In India, individuals join hands to say namaskar.
Icebreaker - Blanket Name Game
• Divide into two groups with a
blanket in between
• The goal of the game is to be the
first to identify the other person’s
name behind the blanket
• First person to identify name will
gain a point
• Team with the most points in the
“1,2,3… drop” end wins!
 Parent/Guest Communication
Reflect on these questions...
● How do you handle conflict?
● What happens when someone gets mad at you for doing
your job?
● Who are your support systems
on the staff?

Picture from: https://www.independentschoolsportal.org/blog/dealing-with-difficult-parents

Parent/Guest Communication
A parent/guest may not be initially distressing, but they
may take your [correct] answer the wrong way.

Body language is key

● Maintain eye contact as much as possible
● Be nonjudgmental and calm

Do what you know is correct

Parent/Guest Communication
Make sure that you understand exactly what the
parent/guest is asking
● There’s a difference between “Where is my child?”
and “Where are the groups?”
● Do you think that you should give out exact
locations? Why or why not?
Always remember: If you are uncomfortable, COME FIND
ONE OF US!
 Parent/Guest Communication
Let’s talk it out!
● A parent/guest approaches you demanding to know
information that you cannot give them. As a large group,
walk us through your responses.

Picture from: http://cliparting.com/free-happy-face-clip-art-8365/

Faculty & Staff Communication
• Faculty are assets. They want to help!
• Come from a different structure than we may be
accustomed to
• Learning about the Academic structure will be helpful,
especially during coordinated sessions
• Take some time to learn about the major for the session
-- who teaches in the department, what classes do they
offer?
Faculty & Staff Communication
• Effective communication is key to reframing difficult
conversations
• It is important to confront an idea, but not the person,
and effective messaging is key to doing this
• Adding to someone’s point, or pivoting it back to them
and asking them to expand, can be very effective in
confronting an idea
Faculty & Staff Communication
• Think about this:
• Each orientation will have a “Meet Your Major” and
Class Registration session
• Each of you will co-facilitate these sessions with a faculty
member
• Committed faculty feel strongly about the importance of
the courses they teach, especially to students within the
major
Faculty & Staff Communication
So…
• You’re co-facilitating a “Meet Your (Hint: try to avoid this)

Major” session with a faculty

member
• A student has asked about what
courses would be best to start with
• The faculty member is adamant
about promoting their own courses
• What do you do?
Take a Break
OL Theater
OL Theater
You are in the common area in the residence hall. After the
first day of sessions and night activities have begun you
overhear two students talking in the common area about
going off campus to a well known fraternity party. They are
talking about getting alcohol and weed from an upper
classman one of them knows. What do you do?
OL Theater
You are the OL’s for Riley, who is currently in a session. Riley
parents, knowing that you are the OL’s, approach you
asking where they are. You are unsure if they are Riley’s
parents so you provide them with information regarding the
schedule. You do not confirm if they are in attendances.
Riley parents begin to get upset that you are not providing
the exact location of Riley. What do you do?
OL Theater
While working with a professor from the Chemistry
department at the “Meet The Majors” fair, you talk to
several students about the department even though you
are not a major yourself. When two students of color walk
away from the table, the professor turns to you and makes
a statement about how “They definitely won’t succeed in
this because...you know.” How would you respond?
OL Theater
Marie and Mark are two returning OL’s. They are tasked
with making sure the new OL’s have completed their
resource bulletin boards around campus. Marie and Mark
notice that three of the new OL’s have not started their
boards. They approach these OL asking if they need any
help finishing their boards and gave them deadlines. The
new OL’s feel offended and are now talking badly about
Marie and Mark, to you. What do you do?
OL Theater
You are OL’s task for doing game night and movies in the
campus center. You notice that one student is sitting by
themselves crying. You approach the student asking if they
are okay. The student begins to state how they want to go
home, college is not for them, and they miss their puppy.
What do you do?
 End of the Day Reflection
• Tell us your results from the communication inventory
earlier. Were they what you expected? What was
surprising?

• Which of the sessions were most impactful for you? What

makes you confident or nervous for the coming days?

• How do you think you did in OL Theater? Did practicing help

you recognize your strengths and what you need to work
on?
Dinner & Fun
What
questions can
we answer to
help you be
successful?
 Reference List
Communication Origami. (2017) People Works Inc. Retrieved from: http://www.peopleworksinc.com/communication-origami/

Dealing with Students of Converm: Using Verbal De-Escalation. Retrievd from:

http://www.sjcc.edu/PresidentOffice/Documents/De-Escalation%20GuidelinesMaster.pdf

How to make an Origami Box. Retrieved from: http://www.wesswarmdaddyanderson.com/uploads/images/image/origami-

boxes-origami-paper-boxes-easy-origami-boxes-origami-boxes.jpg

McClennan, B. Communication is what makes a team strong. Golfian. Retrieved from: http://www.golfian.com/communication-
is-what-makes-a-team-strong-brian-mcclennan/

Richards, L. (2017). Importance of team communication skills. Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-

team-communication-skills-3079.html

Riggings, C. (2012). Facilitator’s guide for communication workshop. Retrieved from: https://www.1199seiubenefits.org/wp-
content/uploads/2012/01/Facilitator-Guide-for-Communication-Workshop.pdf

Ruth, M. (2017). Importance of communication skills for supervisors. Chron. Retrieved from:
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-communication-skills-supervisors-10255.html