An author described this scene as she departed a social event at the Tower of London: “As I walked down the winding stairs of the Tower, I realized that I was the last person to leave. It was very quiet except for my footsteps. As I rounded the staircase I came upon a small window. The bright face of the moon lit the steps before me. Suddenly it occurred to me that centuries ago another person traversing the same steps as I saw the same view that I was enjoying tonight. I felt that I was in the presence of the past.”
Tomorrow, Kay and I will join a group of educators and business leaders who seek to illuminate career steps for high school students. Our goal is to make learning exciting for the students and, most importantly, focused in career paths the students have identified for themselves.
The particular students we will be planning for tomorrow are interested in communications. The Outfluence team has developed several specific programs for the students and will add more. Today’s students are already global communicators, thanks to technology. Now they are interested in learning the finer points of communication, face-to-face and silent communication.
The exciting part of the programs we are developing is that following a bit of coaching, the programs will be student-driven. Students don’t only want to learn how; they want to know why, and they want to be hands-on learners. Leaders of the school systems in America and beyond recognize the need to improve the quality of communication at all levels. The Outfluence programs not only teach the “how” to improve the quality of communication but we teach the “why.” Today’s students want focus. They want to learn tangible skills that they can apply in the workplace.
Years from today the students-turned-adults will be able to revisit their steps and see “the same view” that they saw when they were in high school. They will see teenagers following the same path to better communication as they learned. They will be in the “presence of the past” enjoying a view they helped to create.
