1. Where
will you go?
I went to a
residence hall where most people tend to be located at night.
2. What kind
of people will you approach?
I approached
the RA (Resident Assistants) on each floor who weren’t expecting me to walk
towards them.
3. What will
you say to get the conversation started?
I walked up
to them and asked if they were the RAs on the floor.
4. What is
your plan for the conversation?
I walked up
to people who were in the commons area to see if they are the RAs. If they were, I told them that they were appreciated
for being a resident assistant in the dorm and asked if they would accept my
dollar of appreciation.
5. Out of
five attempts, how many dollar bills do you think you will be able to give away?
I thought I'd be able to give away at least 3 dollars and I was able
to give away all 5 dollars.
6. Second,
be sure you record these encounters. Feature at least 2 recordings.
Here are two
of my customers who gave a very positive response:
7. What are
your reflections on this exercise? Was giving away a dollar easier or harder
than you imagined? Were your predictions correct or incorrect? If they were
incorrect, why? What assumptions did you make about the people you planned to
talk to, which were wrong?
I realized
that complimenting people on their rarely recognized/ appreciated performance
helps put people in a better mood. Giving them money also made all of the
customers smile. Giving away a dollar was much easier than I imagined because many
people weren’t opposed to accepting free money. I assumed that people would be
super cautious and hesitant on accepting money from a stranger unexpectedly.
You took a really neat tact, asking if the person was the RA. I wonder if your success leaned on that a little (and if so, it was smart!) because people instantly felt warmer toward you -- and therefore your offer. It also would have provided some ownership of your dollar: they earned it through their hard work, and therefore they'd be less likely to question your giving it to them!
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your approach to this project. I think it was cool how you recognized RAs for their hard work, and you can tell they definitely weren't expecting it! Also, some people's approaches have been a little awkward, but you seemed totally comfortable which made the other person more comfortable too! Good job!
I like that your targets were RAs, they are usually under appreciated, so I bet they really enjoyed this. When i was out adventuring, I also thought that people might be a little more cautious or even kind of creeped out when approaching them to give them a dollar. But of course, people love money! Check out my experience: http://thedailyschlak.blogspot.com/2016/02/free-money.html
ReplyDeleteHello Cindy,
ReplyDeleteThough the RA's may be strangers to you, they most likely knew that you were a student and that (i would assume) would put people at ease and accepting your dollar would be non-confrontational. I believe the exercise was to approach people you would not be comfortable with, or at least not as comfortable with, to boost your self-confidence in approach such people. Good job on completing the assignment though, not many did.(including myself)
Good luck with your semester,
-Dallin
Hi Cindy,
ReplyDeleteI think your post is really great. I really liked your approach to this exercise. Asking them if they were an RA is an excellent way to give away the dollar. It's a very believable reason for an exercise like this one. I simply went up to random students walking and tried to give them a dollar as a simple, kind act. No one took them. When you get a chance, take a look at my post:
https://principlesofentrepreneurship.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/free-money/
Good luck!
Your videos were awesome! The RAs really seemed to appreciate it. Telling them it was because you think they're doing a great job probably made them more comfortable accepting money from a stranger. I think you should've filmed more of their reaction though, instead of just cutting off the vid once they take the dollar. Keep up the good work! Here's a link to my blog http://jdlopezent.blogspot.com/
ReplyDelete