T i p s To S o l v i n g S t u d e n t A p a t h y5

It’s Not About Marketing Posters  are  great  at  a*rac,ng  the  a*en,on  of  students  who  are  already  paying  a*en,on.  But  what  about  the  other  60-­‐84%  who,  the  NSSE  says,  will  never  

par,cipate  in  your  ac,vi,es?  Posters  and  flyers  don’t  work  for  the  dis-­‐engaged  First,  you  have  to  get  their  a*en,on.

Create Positive Confusion The first step of student engagement is to get a student to pay

attention. Attention happens in many ways. One way is to scare a student by doing a zombie run with blood on your face. While you’ve captured attention, it will end up doing more harm than good. Instead, focus on creating positive confusion. Confusion leads to interest, and

interest leads to engagement.

Find Parades Already in Motion Ever  felt  like  the  only  one  on  the  dance  floor  trying  to  get  everyone  else  involved?  Instead  of  trying  to  start  your  own  parade,  listen  to  what  your  

fellow  students  are  interested  in,  and  then  use  your  resources  as  a  leader  (budget  for  food,  room  reserva,ons,  posters,  etc.)  to  create  an  

event  around  THEIR  parade.

Make Introductions Happen It’s a simple rule; Dances are more fun, and last longer, when there are

more friends on the dance floor. As the host of the “dance,” your responsibility is to connect as many people together on the dance floor so there are more friendships. If someone is new, make sure to connect that person with at least two other people. Even better, connect people around shared interests so the conversation will flow more naturally.

Gradual Elevation Ever  tried  to  drag  a  stranger  from  the  edge  of  a  Dance  Floor  to  the  center?  It’s  usually  not  a  pre*y  sight.  Know  that  everyone  is  at  a  different  stage  of  their  leadership  journey  and  just  like  in  a  video  game,  if  you  skip  too  many  levels  too  fast,  it  can  be  overwhelming  and  demo,va,ng.  Instead,  recognize  an  individual’s  current  level  of  

engagement  and  give  them  one  step  at  a  ,me  up  the  ladder.

Dance Floor Theory Intro Video

bit.ly/DFTLeaders