Situation:
Like most institutions, the University of Oregon provides campus tours and introductory presentations to prospective students and parents led by student ambassadors and admission counselors. The Duck Preview is intended to help students and their family’s determine if U of O is a perfect fit.
After conducting stakeholder interviews and reviewing surveys of how the presentations were being received by guests, Moxie discovered that the scores were below average relative to the university’s expectations.
They were in need of a talk track and presentation training to share a confident, cohesive and clear message to potential students and their families. They needed to highlight why students should want to attend the university. The second goal was to ensure that each presentation remained authentic to the presenter while maintaining consistency in messaging.
Approach:
During an iterative and multi-phase process our Moxie staff speechwriters created a 45m talk track followed by group workshops and individual coaching. Moxie master trainers entrenched themselves in campus life during the customized multi-day on-site training to have a better understanding of the campus experience. Part of the program was designed to create internal feedback groups within the teams. Creating a culture of feedback allowed the team members to rehearse with each other and build their skills beyond the Moxie training timeline.
Result:
The clear and compelling custom talk track has now been adopted by all university ambassadors and counselors. After only three months of Moxie Institute training, survey scores were up for every campus tour. Employees were able to effectively communicate to their audiences U of O’s uniques, why students love attending, and why parents should send their children there.
Our one year follow-up feedback from the University stakeholders regarding the program indicated that employee engagement and satisfaction is running strong, accountability partners and a culture of rehearsal and feedback was a noteworthy addition to the programs, and the ultimate litmus test… enrollment is up.
