I once again found myself in a difficult position. It was Friday afternoon and I was between 800 teenagers and freedom. I was the keynote speaker for Pizitz Middle School career day on February 2, 2024. I was the last event on the schedule for the day.
This would require a bit of empathy and strategy. The empathy part was talking to them in terms that would resonate with them. This meant the presentation had to have a Taylor Swift slide, a Foo Fighter slide, a reference to League of Legends as well as a reference to riding horses. The strategy part was to shorten the presentation, not use the podium, and walk the room engaging them up-close and personal. I only had four main points and I bet the middle schoolers to recall one point that resonated with them an hour after the presentation.
By all accounts, the presentation was well-received. There is a LinkedIn summary of the presentation from one of the parents who invited me to give the presentation, Will Choat. Unbeknownst to me, the Bradley Barnes, UAB’s Vice Provost for Enrollment Management’s 6th grade son was in the audience. Bradley send me a note the next day which read:
Dr. Carver,
Just so you know, my 6th grader said that you did a fantastic job……and it takes a LOT to impress him!
About 200 of the middle school kids took the time to write me a personal thank you note and the school sent all the notes over in massive pile. It was heart warming.