Where You've Been

If you watched our webinar this month, you noticed that we are using a new video conferencing format, ZOOM. Here is a link to watch a quick tutorial video if you’d like to get up to speed on the program before the next webinar.

Speaking of webinars… here is the link for the September monthly webinar if you’d like to watch instead of read.

By this point, most of our communities have been in session for a while and have been diligently working to produce the WOW! How do you maintain that?

Keep having purposeful, straightforward conversations with your students about what that looks like:

• Firm handshake
• Looking people in the eye
• Making small talk
• Engaging visitors in conversation and never huddling with peers

Don’t be afraid to keep a student after class or pull them aside to privately discuss with them how they could improve their WOW! Diligence now on the part of the facilitator will pay dividends as the year progresses.

Have you added your student pictures and biographies to the website yet? If not, get to work! Let Brent help you out with this video tutorial.

Are your PDP’s complete and the PDP Day executed?

We hope so! If you haven’t accomplished this yet, no worries. Be sure to contact Conni Cash at ccash@midlandinstitute to set up a time for your PDP’s to be electronically released to your students. 2-7 days following, we encourage you to schedule on your CEO calendar a PDP day. This can be for you as well as any CEO board members that would like to also take the PDP and participate in the special activities.

Worried about PDP Day and how to execute it?

• Don’t sweat it! Kent and Amy did a micro-webinar about it in August. Take a listen for full details and materials here.

Board Info

As a board member one of the most vital roles in the continuation of your CEO program is to continue to seek out ongoing pledges and investors. We are very proud of the Investor folder in the CRC and invite you to take a look for new ideas on how to gain and retain investors.

Sign into the CRC and visit the INVESTOR folder today:

You’ll find things like…

• The investor outreach packet to use while seeking new investors.
• Tips on easy and affordable investor care ideas to help you retain your current investors
• Much, much, more!

We know it sounds ridiculously early, but have you thought about reserving space for your Spring 2018 CEO Trade Show yet? If you have limited or extremely popular venues and you want to make sure you get an ideal date…..book it now!

Trade Show Pro-Tips

• Most communities find that Wednesday's work best for their trade show date to avoid conflict with students’ extracurriculars.
• Once you have solidified a date, place, and time, be sure to contact all schools involved in your CEO program so the superintendents, principals, secretaries, and athletic directors can try to schedule around your date as much as possible!
• Midland Institute would also love to know when you have your show scheduled. Drop us an email!

Preparing for your Mentoring Program

• Still making that list of potential mentors in your program? Now is the time to start calling your past and potential mentor candidates and inviting them to Mentor Orientation and Training.
• Work with your facilitator to:
  • Set a date for Mentor Orientation and Training.
  • Set a date for Student Training to the mentoring program
  • *Don’t forget these students have probably never had a formal mentor and the concept can be overwhelming
  • Many communities will do this training simultaneously so students and mentors alike are able to see how each subgroup is being trained and what each audience's expectations are.
• When do you have this event???
  • Totally depends on your community. Several communities have found it beneficial for both students and mentors alike to have it during CEO Class time.
• Does Mentoring seem overwhelming?
  • We have an abundance of helpful materials in the CRC all about mentoring.
  • We will have a deep dive into mentoring in our October Webinar (Tuesday, October 3rd, 10:00 a.m. CST) Don’t miss it!!!

Kristen Hadeed

BIG NEWS… The Midland Institute would like to present, CEO community, "Speaker Spotlight." Mark your calendars and free up the day for the week of September 25th-29th to listen in on this conversation about Kristin’s journey of entrepreneurship, how she navigated through early failures, the challenges she faced as a student starting up her own business, and more!

Who is Kristen Hadeed?

Kristen Hadeed is the founder of Student Maid, known for her TEDx talk “How to Retire by 20.” As an inspirational speaker, she shares invaluable lessons learned about leadership and overcoming obstacles, while teaching students the importance of empowering themselves.

Get excited, CEO network. This is a can’t miss this opportunity! Keep an eye out for more information coming to your inbox soon!

Facilitator Info

Are you keeping in close contact with your schools?

One of the most important jobs of a facilitator is to keep in close contact with the schools that feed into your CEO program.

What to keep in contact about?

• Daily attendance
• Grades – (remember in CEO we grade on 1. Is it their best work and 2. Is it on time. Resist the temptation to be a Grammar/English teacher!)
• Student issues
  • Discipline
  • Changes in mood or behavior
  • Issues with school or CEO that warrants the attention of the school counselor and/or principal.

At The Midland Institute, we believe the schools are your strongest ally. It is always best to let them know if you have had any issues with their student(s) during CEO class time.

What if a foreign exchange student wants to join CEO?

• What a great problem to have, right?
• We feel that it is only fair to the other students who went through the application process and didn’t make it, that foreign exchange students be allowed to set up times to visit a CEO class 1-2 times per month, much like you would invite any other student to join as a visitor.

Have you started talking about the class business?

• Don’t panic if you have not! This evolves at different times for each community
• We do encourage you to start talking about it if you have a few minutes of down time at the beginning or end of a class.This will start the conversation among your students to talk about their hopes, dreams, desires, goals for their class business.

The value of awkward silence during business visits and guest speakers.

• This awkward silence occurs when the speaker or business owner asks if there are any questions and your students fail to respond (gasp!)
• This happens to every facilitator!!!
• If you don’t think it has ever happened to you, then YOU probably are speaking up too soon! Let there be awkward silence. The students will eventually say something. Let your first month’s speakers and business owners know that you are going to do this and to ask them to go along with it. It will greatly benefit your students in the long run!
• Remember being a good facilitator is about building relationships with the kids and “getting out of your own way.” Never be the “sage of the stage”. That is not your role. Stay in the background and out of photos and facilitate their knowledge and experiences. You are their great puppeteer!!

Events

Be looking for an email coming in Mid-September about three huge events:

• First ever Speaker Spotlight with entrepreneur, speaker, and author Kristen Hadeed. You won’t want to miss this conversation between Kristen and our own Austin Brooks about her journey as an entrepreneur. More information will be coming to your inboxes soon!
• Training for new CEO boards and new board members is starting in the Fall of 2018. Our aspiration is 100% participation.
• Regional Meetings are coming to an area near you for facilitators and all board members. Again, our aspiration is 100% participation. You have asked for it (collaboration and timely CEO information brought to your backyard), and we are going to deliver!

More information coming to your inbox soon!