If You Program, They Will Come

Hey there wonderful RAs! 

Your are probably now getting into the flow of things and finally figuring out where that one class actually is. (We're looking at you, Jill.)  Now you're starting to think to yourself, what should my next program be?!? Now I understand some of you may have had a little bit of difficulty with attendance with your floor. Maybe you had a few no shows happen. So now you're probably thinking, "well what's the point of planning a program now if no one is going to show?" 

Well you're right. Because if your attitude is, "no one is going to come," you'll probably be right. Why would I want to come to a program that the RA doesn't even want to be at? 

But that may have just been one program that no one could come to or maybe something last minute came up. RAs can plan programs that are easy to put together and are engaging. You may have to think outside the box sure, welcome to the 21st century. So if you're feeling stuck or what some creative ideas, talk to your SAHD, they've put on plenty of programs. They have numerous ideas. Go to Jessica. Go to reslife.net that has roughly two thousand ideas. Whatever you do, don't rule out your floor programs just because of one or two no shows. Work hard. Be innovative. Move away from just a simple flyer for advertisements. Because just going through the motions is the most disadvantageous thing that you could do. 

Okay. Off my soap box. 

Here are some quick, simple, concrete tips you can try to give that one last nudge and get people to attend when you're having trouble.

1. Send out a Doodle Poll! Doodle.com is a free service that helps you send out a user-friendly tool that lets your residents quickly and easily let you know when they're free.  Next time you're deciding on a date and time to program, send out one of these bad boys and get some quick feedback on what days work best for most people on your floor.
2. Get a commitment from people!  Next time you pass a resident in the hallway or find yourself brushing your teeth next to one another, ask the resident if they're coming to your floor program.  Having a direct, face-to-face invitation makes folks more likely to attend, due to reasons that I'm sure some of our Psychology majors would be happy to explain.
3. Send out a "RIGHT NOW" email!  Some RAs have had great success sending out a final reminder email just a couple minutes before or during their events.  It snags the folks who maybe lost track of time or forgot that your program is happening, and can help to prod people out of their cozy rooms in search of food and company.

What's helped YOU get better attendance at programs?  Tell us in the comments!

XOXO,

David