So people are starting to ask you, “What’s this Mix It Up at Lunch thing? What is it you’re planning?” This is a time when you definitely need your “elevator speech” ready.
What’s an elevator speech? It’s a description of something short enough to be told to someone during an elevator ride – the quick and effective speech that helps you spread the word about a cause or event.
And if you don’t have it prepared, you’ll miss an opportunity. So when the superintendent or an important community leader visits the school, points to a poster and asks, “What’s this about?” – will you be ready?
Here are some examples to get you started:
“Mix It Up is a great event for students. It’s so simple – we just ask them to switch seats during one lunch period, to meet someone new. But it’s a profound way to teach them about the social boundaries that isolate us. I can’t wait for the day!”
“Teaching Tolerance started it 10 years ago. Thousands of schools take part every year. We ask students to take a new seat at lunch, to meet someone new. That’s how we start to chip away at the barrier that separate us, one student, one interaction at a time. You should join us!”
“Oh, it’s such a simple concept – but it has profound implications. You see, we just ask students to ‘mix it up’ and change seats for one day at lunch. They meet someone new, and it starts to break down the barriers that separate us. It’s how real change happens, through those simple, positive interactions. I’m very excited we’re doing it.”
“Haven’t you heard? It’s a Teaching Tolerance program that’s been used in thousands and thousands of schools. We ask kids to switch seats at lunch, break out of their comfort zones, to interact with someone new. It can have amazing results, really improve school climates, especially when you plan similar events through the year. You should come join us. It’s going to be a great day.”
That’s a starting point. Play with these models until you find just the right speech for yourself. Then have it ready, so when a student, a teacher, a school visitor – anyone – asks, you don’t have to think twice to know what to say.
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