Sample Exercises for Success

Setting Yourself Up to Succeed

Objective: The student will identify things most important to be,do,and have in their life experience . The student will explain the relationship between vision and a treasure map representing what is most important to be, do, and have in their lives.

Activity – Facilitator leads a discussion as students call out a list of things the want to be, do, and have in their lives. Students cut and paste magazine pictures onto white drawing paper. This process helps them to develop long term vision, the ability to carry themselves beyond the needs of mere survival and into the world of visualizing, planning, and strategizing about how a life of fulfillment looks to them.

A vision is what gives a person a reason to show up for work day after day consistently. At the conclusion of the activity each student shares his/her treasure map with the group.

Goals: Develop long term vision

Positions Presented:

• Our Thoughts Create Our Reality
• Priorities

Personal Development Skills:

• Distinguishing between long term vision and a survival mentality
• Goal development
• Self-confidence

Academic Skills:

• Classifying
• Summarizing
• Comparing and contrasting

Effective Communication

Objective: Identify 3 components of active listening.

Activity – My Story. Students write in story form or answer questions about growing up. Next they get into pairs sitting opposite each other. Each has 2 minutes to listen and two minutes to talk about their story. A discussion follows where they identify the 3 components of active listening: eye contact, voice control, and body language. They participate in a few more exercises. To their surprise, the two people also experience a bonding, something which happens only when we allow ourselves to drop our social masks. People bond with whom we really are not with whom we pretend we are.

Goals:

• Identify the 3 components of active listening.
• Identify the kinds of information that promotes bonding between individuals

Positions Presented:

• Communication is a two-fold process
• 100% Accountability

Personal Development Skills:

• Apply the skills of active listening technique to job interviews, interaction among peers, and between parent-child.
• Distinguish between three ways we represent ourselves to others: who we pretend we are, who we are afraid we are, and who we really are.

Academic Skills:

• Active listening technique
• Effective speaking and listening
• Cause-effect relationships in interpersonal relations

Managing Conflict

STOP, LISTEN, AND DECIDE

Objective: The student will distinguish between responding and reacting in an emotional situation.

The student will demonstrate an empathetic response to a person during a highly emotional situation.

Activity – Participants stand in two lines opposite each other. The facilitator reads a scenario which concludes with an event evoking an emotional response. At the conclusion of the reading, the facilitator states a surprise ending which evokes a response of acknowledgement or compassion, and says “Stop, listen, and decide.” The participants decide how to respond appropriately (a hand shake, a nod, or a hug) to a person they originally thought was behaving badly. The facilitator reads about 5 – 8 scenarios, each requiring that partners opposite each other rotate to a new partner for the start of the next scenario.

A discussion follows which brings out double standards and other information unique to each scenario. Participants define reacting and responding.

Goals:

• Develop sensitivity to others.
• Distinguish between reacting and responding to a situation.
• Develop an understanding of situations calling for a double standard in communication.

Positions Presented:

• Communication is a two-fold process
• Empathy/Tolerance

Personal Development Skills:

• Defining responding versus reacting
• Delivering an appropriate response to a situation
• Patience in listening and responding
• Interacting in discussion
• Teamwork

Academic Skills:

• Drawing conclusions
• Analyzing