AmeriCorps Ambassador Training

1. AmeriCorps Ambassador Training

2. Today’s Agenda: AmeriCorps 202 Elevator Speeches Lunch Public Speaking Effective Speech Development Group Presentation Skills Review What’s Next?

3. Ice Breaker

4. Introductions Name Program A touching, inspiring, or meaningful thing that you have experienced in AmeriCorps

5. What Did I Get Myself in to? • Why an Ambassador program? • What is this program? • Training • Speech Development • 10 minute speech by January 13th • Speaking • 4 presentations from January through April (1 per month) • Reporting • http://americorpsambassadors.wikispaces.com/

6. Presentation Resources • Presentation Kit • Presentation Guide • PowerPoint Presentations • Slideshow • Handouts • Fact Sheet • http://americorpsweek.gov/pages/resources/kit.asp • www.pubs.nationalservice.gov

7. AmeriCorps 202

8. AmeriCorps Timeline 1910 - American philosopher William James envisions non-military national service in his essay "The Moral Equivalent of War." 1933- 1942 - Franklin Roosevelt creates the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which provided opportunities for millions of young men to serve 6 – 18 months to help restore the nations parks, revitalize the economy, and support their families and themselves. 1961 – John F. Kennedy proposes the establishment of established the Peace Corps. He stated that “the wisdom of this idea is that someday we’ll bring it home to America” 1964 - Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) was created by President Lyndon Johnson as a part of the “War on Poverty”. 1990 - George H.W. Bush creates the White House Office of National Service and the Points of Light Foundation to foster volunteering. 1990 - President Bush signed the National and Community Service Act into law. 1993 - President Bill Clinton signs The National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 creating AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service to expand opportunities for Americans to serve their communities. 2009 - The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act is signed by President Obama in which positions AmeriCorps to more than triple in size.

10. Learn and Serve America supports and encourages service-learning throughout the United States, and enables over one million students to make meaningful contributions to their community while building their academic and civic skills. By engaging our nation’s young people in service-learning, Learn and Serve America instills an ethic of lifelong community service. Support School/Community Partnerships, Training and Resources to Schools, Research and Information Distribution

11. Senior Corps connects today’s over 55s with the people and organizations that need them most. We help them become mentors, coaches or companions to people in need, or contribute their job skills and expertise to community projects and organizations. Conceived during John F. Kennedy's presidency, Senior Corps currently links more than 500,000 Americans to service opportunities. Their contributions of skills, knowledge, and experience make a real difference to individuals, nonprofits, and faith-based and other community organizations throughout the United States. Foster Grandparents RSVP Senior Companions

12. AmeriCorps*State and National Supporting Service Across America AmeriCorps*VISTA Serving to provide long term solutions to poverty AmeriCorps*NCCC A full-time, team based opportunity to serve

13. AmeriCorps VISTA AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) provides full-time members to nonprofit, faith-based and other community organizations, and public agencies to create and expand programs that bring low-income individuals and communities out of poverty. AmeriCorps VISTA members leverage human, financial, and material resources to increase the capacity of thousands of low-income areas across the country to address challenges and improve their lives and communities. They leave behind lasting solutions to some of our country's toughest problems.

14. AmeriCorps NCCC AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) is a full-time, team-based, residential program for men and women ages 18–24. Members live on one of five campuses, located in Denver, Colorado; Sacramento, California; Perry Point, Maryland; Vicksburg, Mississippi; and Vinton, Iowa. The mission of AmeriCorps NCCC is to strengthen communities and develop leaders through direct team-based national and community service. In partnership with nonprofit organizations, state and local agencies, and faith-based and other community groups, members complete service projects in all 50 states and some U.S. territories. Modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s and the U.S. military, AmeriCorps NCCC is built on the belief that civic responsibility is an inherent duty of all citizens and that national service programs work effectively with local communities to address pressing needs.

15. AmeriCorps State and National AmeriCorps State and National is the broadest network of AmeriCorps programs. It provides financial support through grants to public and nonprofit organizations that sponsor service programs around the country, including hundreds of faith-based and other community organizations, higher education institutions, Indian tribes, and public agencies. These groups recruit, train and place AmeriCorps members to meet critical community needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment.

16. Foster Grandparents School-Based Programs AmeriCorps*State and National Community-Based Programs Senior Companions AmeriCorps*VISTA Higher Education AmeriCorps*NCCC (10 months) RSVP

17. Where does my living allowance come from? (AmeriCorps State) + OTHER FUNDERS

18. AmeriCorps Terminology AmeriCorps member not AmeriCorps volunteer, AmeriCorps staff, or AmeriCorps worker Living allowance not salary or paycheck Serve or service not work Service position not job Service Site not job, work, or jobsite Position description not job description Education Award not scholarship

19. What is AmeriCorps? AmeriCorps provides opportunities for more than 85,000 Americans to give back in an intensive way to their communities and country each year. It consists of three main programs: AmeriCorps State and National, whose members serve with more than 2,900 national and local nonprofit and community groups; AmeriCorps VISTA, through which members serve full time fighting poverty; and AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), a team-based residential program for young adults 18 – 24 who carry out projects in public safety, the environment, youth development, and disaster relief and preparedness.

20. Intro to Minnesota Programs What we do is… We do this so that…

21. The Elevator Speech

22. Elevator Speech Format You know how… (state the problem) Well what we do is …. (feature – description of what we do) So that…. (benefit – feature translated – what happens because of what we do) We’re kind of like … (metaphor – something funny or startling; make it memorable) I would love it if you… (Call to action/engagement) Lunch activity – Write a personal elevator speech, find a friend, deliver speech, ask why 5 times

23. The Basics of Public Speaking

24. “According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” ~Jerry Seinfeld

25. Common Worries “My heart races,” “I turn red,” or “I sweat a lot.” “I speak too fast.” “My mouth goes dry.” “I’m afraid I’ll go blank.” “I tend to ramble or go off on a tangent.” “I’m afraid I’ll be boring” or “I can’t tell jokes.” “My accent or dialect may be hard to understand.” “I say um and ah too much.” “I don’t know what to do with my hands.”

26. Handling Your Fear Prepare effectively and have useful notes Practice, practice, practice! It’s good to be nervous. Don’t try to be perfect. Visualize your success. Breathe. Remember the audience wants you to succeed. Involve your audience. Focus on your message.

27. Don't worry over what other people are thinking about you. They're too busy worrying over what you are thinking about them. – Source Unknown

28. Three Tips to Build Your Confidence Know the: • Room - become familiar with the place of the presentation. Check out the seating arrangement, AV equipment and where you will be standing. • People - greet or chat with the audience before hand. It’s easier to speak to friends than strangers. • Material - increased nervousness is due poor preparation.

29. “To do the common thing uncommonly well brings success.” ~John D. Rockefeller

30. Effective Communication Preparation Practice Presence

31. Effective Communication • Preparation • Research - research the subject • Format - speak on what you know - Notes - outline main points - Create useful note cards

32. Effective Communication “Practice is the best of all instruction.” • Practice - Practice makes perfect - Get timing right - Make revisions - Use all your visual aids and deliver your talk idea-for- idea, not word-for-word.

33. Effective Communication Presence - Nervousness - fear is natural - Positive attitude - Body language

34. Your Delivery Voice Gestures  Eye Contact Enthusiasm  Articulation  Breathe  Posture  Tone  Language  Work the whole room Smile 

35. David Greenberg's Simply Speaking

36. Things to Avoid Don’t: Read directly from notes Read directly from screen Turn your back on audience Slouch with hands in pockets Fill pauses with um, ah, okay Exhibit repetitive nervous gestures Talk too fast or too quietly Apologize

37. Tips for Humor and Telling Stories • Consider using a bit of humor if you are comfortable doing so. • Tell a short embarrassing moment in your life that you might have thought not funny at the time. • Avoid long stories or jokes. • Skip the joke books—look at your life. • If in doubt, leave it out. • Practice your delivery.

38. Visual Aids • Easy to see • Easy to understand • Look professional • Should demonstrate something • Should be explained clearly • Should not be distracting • Choose visual aids that have relevance to your audience • Should be appropriate. Question: What visual aids might you use to enhance your AmeriCorps presentation?

40. Handling Questions • Invite questions - don’t just ask if there are any. • Ask your own questions. – “One thing people often ask me about my AmeriCorps experience is…” • Anticipate potential questions including the tough ones • Repeat or summarize the question. Also, reinforce their questions with ‘that’s a good question.’ • Do not bluff or panic. Saying ‘I don’t know’ is okay.

41. Common Questions • How did you hear about AmeriCorps? • Why did you decide to join? • What doubts did you have about joining? • Were your friends and family supportive? If not, how did you convince them that this is a good opportunity? • What is it like to be an AmeriCorps member? • What have you enjoyed most? • What challenges have you faced? • What have you learned about yourself? • What have you learned about your community?

42. “Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things, which renew humanity." ~The Buddha

43. Creating your Presentation

44. WIFM?

45. Knowing and Adapting to Your Audience Why is your audience interested in what you have to say? What’s in it for them? Why should they care? What’s the call to action? What can they do?

46. Group Question What three things would you want to know about AmeriCorps if you had never heard of it before?

47. Introduction: Establish rapport with your audience Smile Have a attention grabbing opener

48. Attention Getters • Eye contact • Stories • Intriguing questions • Startling facts or statistics • Quotations • Challenging statements • News items • Props

49. “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” — Martin Luther King, Jr. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

50. Body: • Tell your story • What’s your point? • “Most people are more deeply influenced by one clear, vivid, personal example than by an abundance of statistical data.” ~Eliot Aronson, Social Psychologist