You’re ready to start planning your informational meetings, wahoo! Generating awareness amongst your students about the amazing opportunity you are offering to them to study abroad is a crucial step in planning a successful program. We’ve outlined some helpful hints to help lead your informational meetings as well as encourage the buzz to spread on campus about your trip!
Prepare!
The key to any successful program is to engage with as many students as possible to share the travel opportunity you have worked hard to organize. What better way to achieve this than with an informational meeting! The first initial informational meeting can go a long way in helping to generate a buzz on campus. Details small and large will be on student’s minds. From the sights they will be seeing, where they will be staying, to the dates of the trip. Make sure you connect with your Program Coordinator to review any details or questions you might be unsure of. If you don’t know the answer, don’t sweat it! Just tell them you will circle back in 24 hours and compile your questions in an email to your Program Coordinator. A well-informed Group Leader helps instill trust within the students.
Set Follow-Up Meetings & Host an Online Option
Think about planning a few other meetings for students who couldn’t make it to the first one, or students who are still unsure about enrolling and have more questions. If you are having difficulty getting students to come to an in-person meeting, you can try to set up a Zoom Meeting link, so students are able to video chat in. This allows students to be a part of the study abroad conversation and stay informed even if they are unable to make it to a physical meeting.
Bring in Foods & Objects from Your Destination
In an effort to make the meetings more engaging and exciting, it may be beneficial to bring a few items from the country you are traveling to and share them with your students. For example, bring in different flavors of gelato if you are traveling to Intercultural Studies in Italy & Greece and let students do a taste test of all of the flavors. Or if you’re headed to The Alps: Germany & Switzerland consider making a Swiss chocolate and cheese board to share with students. This will help students get excited to experience the real deal during your program as well as making your meeting more engaging overall.
Invite EF Traveler Alumni Speakers or College Staff
Do you know of students who have previously traveled on other EF trips? Invite them to speak at your meeting! An EF program alumnus will be able to convey their experience to your students and encourage them to jump feet first into enrolling in your program. You can also invite professors who have experience with international travel and other members of your school’s international education office. They will be able to reinforce the benefits of studying abroad and further motivate your students.
Leave Time for Questions
Always leave time for any question’s students may have. Be open to all questions, and if you don’t know the exact answer let them know you will follow up and reach out to your Program Coordinator and they will be more than happy to help! If you find that students are not asking questions, but you can sense it’s simply because they are too shy you can try the Fear in a Bag activity to make sure no questions go unanswered.
Fear in a Bag Activity
Pass out small pieces of paper and pens to all the students at your meeting. Share with them that they are encouraged to write down any questions they may have. Once everyone is finished writing, walk around the room and allow the students to put their papers into the bag. You can then pull each piece of paper from the bag, read the question aloud and then answer. This is a creative way for students to ask questions without being embarrassed or worrying what others may think.
Stay Updated & Engaged
At the end of each meeting, share with students your contact information as well as how they can stay updated about the program. There are many different platforms to engage with your students. Such as sharing the link to your program page, which enables students to click the Stay in the Loop button and enter their information to receive automatic reminders regarding upcoming meetings and discount expirations. You can also create a Facebook page where you post regular updates about your trip such as meeting dates, fun events, and other program related activities. Creating an email thread of all the interested traveler emails you have gathered is another way to send updates to students. Don’t forget to reach out to travelers that have shared they are interested but you haven’t heard from in a while.
Have Fun!
The most important part of all, have fun! Odds are, one of the reasons you chose your program is because you are passionate about the destination and what you’ll be learning. When talking to students about your program let your passion shine through. Your energy will be contagious, and your interested travelers will be just as excited as you are.
Looking for more tips on recruiting?
Check out Recruiting Tips with Professor Stuart Steck
Interested to learn more? Here are a few guides available to you:
EF Study Abroad Group Recruitment Guide & EF Study Abroad Hosting a Recruitment Meeting
Find more “How To’s” and resources here.
