Oklahoma Intercollegiate LEgislature

O.I.L. Recruitment Guide

General Recruitment

Scott Chance

5/12/2011

This Recruitment Guide will help provide direction and everything that have been proved as productive measures for recruitment.

1

Table of Contents

I. Basics

II. Operational Information

III. Flyers

IV. Classroom Speeches

V. Events

VI. Technology

VII. First Meeting

2

Chapter 1: Basics

One of the most important parts of any organization is recruitment. Whether it is a fraternity looking to recruit men or whether it is a Fortune 500 company, recruitment is absolutely vital to any organization’s survival. This is true with Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature. Recruitment is vital to our mission of providing an educational and beneficial experience with State Government. Basics of Recruitment are as follows:

Don’t do it all yourself. This is especially important because one person cannot hit every opportunity available. Make sure you have others in your delegation help you, or if needed contact the Director of Recruitment.

Develop an “Elevator Speech”. An elevator speech is a 2-5 minute speech where you outline what our organization stands for, what we do, and how we are beneficial to students, as well as why they should join. These will be used time and time again as you recruit.

Dress. At least wear business casual when you are recruiting. If you try to recruit in a full suit and tie, sometimes people are put off by it, but will not take you seriously if you wear a t-shirt and shorts. Dress your part. You are promoting and representing O.I.L. and people tend to want to be a part of an organization that is represented well.

Recruitment Packets. Take advantage of all the materials that are included in the recruitment packets that every delegation chair should have.

Other organizations and clubs. Besides classroom speeches, talking to other organizations and clubs is a great way to recruit people. Make sure that you keep in contact with the leaders of the clubs. People who show leadership in clubs are a lot more likely to join O.I.L. than people who are just apathetic, class-only students.

Chapter 2: Operational Information

When it comes to actual operations for recruitment there are several things you need to establish:

You must make sure you are in contact with whoever administers club or organizational policy on campus. They are the law when it comes to what

3

you can do and what you can’t. So make sure before you start recruiting you know who it is you need to talk to about getting flyers approved, being involved with organization fairs, and etc.

Having a group of reliable people. This is especially important because there is no way as I mentioned in chapter one that you can hit every class. So make sure you have a committee of sorts of people who will help with recruitment. If you are the only one recruiting, it is possible but it is a lot of work.

Create a poster board with pictures that you will need for any fairs, events and etc. Also if you have a laptop or digital photo frame, use it. People will be more likely to have their interest piqued if you include pictures and slideshows.

Chapter 3: Flyers

Flyers are especially important because they do the work that you don’t. Flyers should catch peoples’ eyes and be able to provide some basic information as well as some benefits that bring them in. With Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature we have a lot of benefits including renting out the Capitol for five days, to making friends that you will keep for a lifetime, and developing communication skills that will benefit any major. Incorporate these in your flyer, and also pictures included are always nice but if your delegation is on a budget do what you can. Make sure you put these flyers in high traffic areas!!!! And ALWAYS TARGET FRESHMAN AREAS. Included in the next pages are examples of flyers.

I would also include with posting your flyer that you talk to the student organization or other administration on getting a mass email sent out with the flyer front in center in the email. This has been a successful tool at OSU-OKC, and should be able to benefit you at your campus. If you can’t send it out to the whole school try to get the College of Arts and Sciences where most of the majors that would be normally interested are located.

4

Been interested in politics, but think there’s no way for your voice to be heard?

NOT ANYMORE!!!

Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature is an organization that promotes the beneficial educational experience of government by bringing students from all over the State of Oklahoma together to participate in the processes that allow our government to function, as well as providing a forum for ideas that affect us here in our great State of Oklahoma. Starting with a weekend session each semester at the State Capitol building, students learn how to legislate, build lasting connections with student leaders from all over the state, as well as experience a direct way of speaking to our state legislators. THEY DO LISTEN!!

For more info or questions contact

Scott Chance @ (405) 620-6397

5

6

Another thing you can do besides flyers is chalking. For the schools that allow chalking be creative and fun. Don’t always just have meeting information. Stimulate interest in one chalking and then put the meeting information in another later on in a walkway. Always include the website. Target the buildings that have high numbers of freshmen in them along with buildings that have high numbers of political science or journalism or history students going near them. Make the chalking unique and noticeable above all other things people will see on the sidewalk. Draw pictures, do hopscotch courses, or do anything distinguishable and fun.

Chapter 4: Classroom Speeches

Classroom activities actually involves to areas: Professors and the actual speeches you give. Talk to some of the Political Science professors and ask them if you can go talk to their classes about OIL and what OIL does. If they do not want to do that, give them flyers to give to the students in the classes. Some professors have a negative impression of what we do (i.e. hotel). Be sure to not address that unless they bring it up and focus on the positive such as the networking with other student leaders and writing /presenting of legislation that state legislators see. If you have an advisor, use them to your advantage. Have them talk to the other professors for you.

When it comes to classroom speeches make sure you have your elevator speech as described earlier. This is enormously important that you have a clear message and not winging it, because I don’t know about you, but winging it induces more ums and less confidence. Try to include the benefits foremost. Also another thing that students want to know is the time consumption of the organization. Also try and bring an example of at least a bill with you or the newspaper that we publish since physical material is always more influential than someone talking to you.

Chapter 5: Events

Every semester there are usually events held that involve welcoming new students or organizational fairs. Make sure that you find out when these are and

7

also that you are ready for them. Things to help you with your events such as these include:

That all important elevator speech A poster board as discussed earlier At least two or three people manning the booth at all times. I have found

that the more people you have the more likely people are to visit and learn about your organization.

Tons and tons of flyers. Candy or something edible. People love snacks!

Another thing to remember is to look into hosting some events on campus such as public service gatherings. Call your local congressman to talk about public service and sponsor it with O.I.L. Events like this draw a lot of faculty and allow you to give back to your campus by doing something other than just going to session.

Chapter 6: Technology

In today’s world technology is very important. Facebook has revolutionized the way that we interact with each other. Technology is a vital part of your recruitment toolbox because everyone uses one of the types of social media it seems today.

Use Facebook and its networking opportunities to your advantage. Think about purchasing ads and be sure to have an event for your first meeting. Invite everyone you can think of that would be interested. Be sneaky and delete the people who say they are “not attending” so it doesn’t look like a lot of people are choosing not to go.

Chapter 7: First Meeting

Make sure your first meeting is really good, informative, enjoyable and FUN for new people. Having just information about an organization is boring. It is difficult to convey what OIL does in a descriptive setting – instead show them. Go through a bill in simplistic form. Have fun with it.

8

Always have plenty of bills, parli-pro cheatsheets, information sheets, and sign-in sheets with name and email to hand out. DON’T FORGET NAME TAGS!!! Make the personal connection with the people who may be interested in joining. Announce the next week’s meeting time and place at the end of that meeting and personally invite everyone back for the next week. Never let the meeting go over an hour!!! Always email everyone new the next day and thank them for coming and remind them of the next meeting time and place. Send another email a day or two before the next OIL meeting inviting them to come join us.

Invite people from other delegations to come and visit and participate in the bill you go through, but make sure they know that they will not be recognized by a certain title, because that scares the new kids off. Make sure older members don’t do any inside jokes during the meeting (even if that means being a little rude to them). Keep the bill and parliamentary procedure fairly simple, but fun. Having someone there to cause a bit of havoc eases tense moments, just make sure it isn’t overboard.