Last Tuesday I shared a big mistake to avoid when it comes to starting conversations with prospective students during fall travel season. Today I’ve got six things that will help make your high school visits and college fairs more successful. Say the words “I appreciate you” to high school counselors and college advisors either ahead of, or during your visit. As simple as this is, we don’t do it nearly enough as we should. If you’re able to spend a few minutes with that perso

Most of the interactions and conversations you’re about to have during high school visits and college fairs will be your first impression. You don’t get a do over. It can be tempting to dive into a rehearsed presentation, especially if you’re a new counselor, but here’s something important I want you to keep in mind. Students aren’t going to remember most of what you talk about, but they will absolutely remember how you make them feel. I encourage you to focus less on present

Yesterday I had a quick Zoom chat with an Admissions Counselor who recently completed his first high school visits of the year. He reached out to get my advice on how to handle a couple of different situations that he experienced. One of those involved what to do when you have a group of students who despite being encouraged to engage, still don’t say more than a couple of words. The first thing I reminded him was that most students have no idea what questions they’re suppose

Last week I shared a big mistake to avoid when it comes to starting conversations with prospective students at high school visits and college fairs. A handful of my newsletter readers emailed me follow-up questions – with many looking for more "fall travel season" tips. Here are some additional do’s and don’ts. Don’t… Cross your arms when you’re standing. It gives off the vibe that you’re not approachable. Have a condescending tone when you speak. Ask “Do you have any qu

High school visits and college fairs have been popular topics these past few weeks during the 1-on-1 meetings I do with admissions counselors as part of the training workshops I lead. One of the most common questions has been, “How do I start the conversation?” I know it can be tempting to hand students some of your materials and dive right into the “spiel” – aka share a bunch of information about your school. Don’t do it! That would be a big mistake. Considering that mos