CONFIDENT CONVERSATIONS

The following post was written by guest blogger Melissa Cornett, Gamma Iota–Mercer University. 

You’ve signed up for recruitment, you’re headed off to college and excited to meet tons of new people—now what? While chit chat may come easy to some, some people can be shy or nervous and not know what to say. 

Here are some tips to help you navigate the many conversations you’ll have during Primary Recruitment.

Be active in the conversation.  
Smile, interact, ask questions and be a great listener. After a few days, it can be exhausting to be active and engaged in a conversation—but any pep in your step can make a difference. We promise sorority members are tired, too—even if they don’t show it.  

Be Yourself.  
Treat the conversation as you would with a dear friend. Deeper interactions can result in better understanding and will help you remember each young woman from each round. As a PNM, you will also have many conversations each day. A genuine conversation will be remembered much more easily. 

Ask Questions. 
While all sororities have commonalities, each one has attributes that make them unique. Now is the time to learn as much as you can about each one. Don’t be afraid to ask members what they love most about their sisters, the sorority’s philanthropic focus or why they chose to join.

Remember the Five F’s: Friends, Family, Fun, Future and Favorites 
Work through any awkward pauses or conversation lulls with the Five Fs. Whenever the conversation hits a difficult turn, ask the member about her family, friends or favorite things to do. You may be surprised at what commonalities you find along the way.  

Don’t sweat the small stuff! 
Recruitment is stressful and sorority members are just as nervous—if not more—than you are! If you stumble in conversation or forget what you wanted to ask, it will be okay. Just improvise—and don’t forget to smile!