I just remembered a couple more important things for recruitment and 1st timers, as well as the old folks(you know the ones who've done it twice
)
a. Ask open ended questions, meaning questions that can't be answered with just a simple "yes" or "no", you can find out much more information about a person and their activities if you ask more than just the run of the mill types of questions. Who? What? Where? Why? How?
b. I understand that in essence we are trying to "sell" our chapters to these ladies, but talk about what makes YOUR chapter special and unique, not about generic "sisterhood". Speaking as someone who had lots of female friends in high school, but a much younger sister(by 13 years) I never understood the concept of sisterhood because I never felt that close to any one female around my own age, so having a whole bunch of girls gushing about their "sisterhood" confused me and made me feel weird because I just didn't understand it. It's something a lot of girls will not feel until they really get involved, go through their pledging ceremony, or get initiated...and sometimes even later. To be quite honest, I don't know how many people ever really experience it, I know I have, but I also know of sisters initiated at the same time as I do who never did and still don't.
C. Practice your conversations, as odd as this sounds, practice helps! Rush your dog, your RL sister, your friends, your non-greek friends, but don't let them know you are doing it. What it comes down to is recruitment is all about getting to know people- albeit in a very short period of time, but I digress- and having regular conversations with people and getting to know the person.
d. LISTEN! Listen to the PNMs!!! If you bring up a topic that she seems uncomfortable with, change it! Don't persist...and if she gets going on a topic that she really likes, be interested! You might learn something new/important/(in some cases bad) that will help you later with Membership selection. Try and ask questions that you know will help you remember her. I don't know how many Jennifers we had during recruitment last year, and it was hard for the collegiates to sort through them all, but if you remember certain things, it might help later.
I can't tell you how much all the recruitment workshops I have been to have helped me in my life/career. Because of all of them, I have learned how to listen, and how to ask questions to get the answers/information that I need and want to know.
Anyhow, if I can think of anything else, I will post it. These keep coming to me.
