Quote:
Originally Posted by Jen
I feel like a lot that were good we just kind of stumbled into.
I remember at one sorority we were talking and the subject of sports came up and I said I was a hockey fan. The conversation rocketed from there because the rusher and I had a ton in common regarding hockey, and the next sister to bump her did as well. It may not have turned out that way with most people, so a lot of it is luck that you'll hit a topic you can gab about.
I got tired of "what's your major" and "do you live on campus" and all of those questions because they were asked everywhere. After the first day there's a definitely feeling of "shouldn't you know this?" even if you know it's impossible for them to remember and even if you're meeting different people. I suppose question fatigue just makes you cranky to hear it again past the first day.
I think everyone is different and that's what makes it hard. I love talking about favourite TV shows and actors and books and writing. Someone else might be totally bored by it. I think a good rusher would be able to take cues from the PNM and realize the conversation topic wasn't interesting to them and try to find things that might be. So having an arsenal of possibly topics to discuss is a good plan.
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I remember when we bumped we introduced the PNM and also mentioned something she had in common with the sister we were introducing to her. This also made it easier to remember PNMs later, because you could relate to them somehow. I still remember my first bump experience as a PNM with ASA because the sister and I had the same major. It dawned on me right away what they were doing and it made me very comfortable actually. I couldn't wait to find out what other similarities I had with sisters. Another bump was that I was from the same geographical area.
The biggest piece of advice I have though is to keep a smile on your face and stay perky, even if you have to fake it. People are naturally drawn to happy people. If your having a bad day, put the biggest smile on your face for ten minutes before you get to your destination (works great if you are driving by yourself). It may sound corny, but it works. I used that technique as a salesperson all the time. If your going with a group, you can do it while showering or fixing your hair.
Oh, and put a positive spin on recruitment. If you think of it as something you have to go to, you won't get the most out of it you can. I always thought of it as another opportunity to spend time with my sisters and loved the idea of looking for new sisters.