Preparation for Mayor's Breakfast

Lesson 3 - Seating/Building Rapport at the Mayor's Breakfast

Assignment #1

Figure out a way amongst yourselves to determine with whom each person will sit. Remember Krista is going as well, so you need to take her into consideration:

3 students will sit with Roland & Schlegel Law Firm
3 students will sit with Al Ottinger (a business coach and some of his clients)
2 students and I will sit with a Reading Berks Conference of Churches Board Member (Jack Lacey) and members of Christ Episcopal Church

Assignment #2

Next, consider the answer to this question:

What three words would you use to describe yourself?

Write down these three words.

Has anyone ever commented on these qualities, positively or negatively?

Write down your answer. Share the three words with the class. See if they would use the same or similar words.

**Why do this? Sometimes our self-perception is very different than what comes across to others...especially for introverts...we may think we're being talkative or brash, when in fact we come across as reserved or polite.

If you find that you don't come across the way you think you do, what can you do on Tuesday to present the side of you that you would like them to know? It isn't about being fake...it's about being confident about displaying a part of you that you may not be good at displaying to people you don't know.

What three words would you like the people you are sitting with on Tuesday to use to describe you after the breakfast?

Write down these words, then write down how you will act in order to convey these characteristics to the people at the breakfast.

DO NOT HAND THIS ASSIGNMENT IN...KEEP IT AND REVIEW IT OVER THE WEEKEND...GO SOMEWHERE OVER THE WEEKEND AND INTERACT WITH PEOPLE YOU DON'T KNOW AND PRACTICE CONVEYING THESE CHARACTERISTICS TO THEM...PRACTICE ON YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR FRIENDS..ASK THEM IF THEY THINK YOUR ARE CONVEYING WHAT YOU WANT TO CONVEY

I am not kidding about this assignment...You WILL NOT just sit there talking to one another or staring at your eggs and bacon. If this creates stress for you, this is good...it means you're alive. All it means is that you need to practice and prepare.

To be honest, I'm a little nervous because I know this type of environment is hard for me as an introvert, and with my reduced vision, large rooms with lots of people and (usually) dim lighting make it highly probable that I'll bump into someone or trip over a chair at least once. I also know that getting to know people is highly rewarding and worth the effort, and the quicker you learn this, the better off you'll be.

So, just know that you're not alone, and there will be plenty of people there that feel the same as you, you just may not notice it. There will be a lot of students there as well...it's time to stand out!

You will act as if you're going on a first date. You will ask all sorts of questions about what they do, what they like about their profession, what they don't like, what it's like to start out in it, what type of preparation you would need to get into it, what is the single most rewarding thing they've done in their career, etc. (Refer to the previous blog post for more question ideas).

Because you want to begin building your contact list for future reference, you will ask for contact information from the person(s) you're talking with before the end of the breakfast. You may want to pursue some sort of internship (which we will help you arrange) or visit their workplace to see what they do in a typical day. The business coach would be able to give a lot of different ideas for placement for internships, the Board member is in finance of some sort, just not sure where he works, and the members of the church all work somewhere...so there are a lot of opportunities in addition to the law firm.

So, be prepared with a pen and pad of paper. They'll probably have business cards, but you can't count on that.

You will introduce the person you developed a relationship with to me before we depart at some point.

Each of the items in bold will go into determining your grade.

If you have any questions about any of this, email me before Tuesday.