My College Students overcome fear via “The Four Trials of Western Kentucky University”

Is going to college about acquiring knowledge, or skills? In decades past, before the internet, learning and memorizing facts had greater importance than it has today. With the rise of information on the web, and now the rise of AI (to sift through such information quickly, and then to present information in a desired fashion), the mere acquisition of knowledge – while important (in order to spot issues, concerns, and provide a framework for analysis) – is only a part of the mission of a sound business education.

In addition, tasks and projects that used to be done independently is now undertaken via collaborating teams. And this requires strong interpersonal communication skills.

Working successfully with others – not just others within the workplace, but also with vendors, customers, and clients – means possessing a vast array of interpersonal skills. These skills form part of the domains of what is now often referred to as “emotional intelligence” – and these skills are increasingly tested by employers as our students undergo interviews for internships and jobs.

Yet, changes in our technology, and our use of it, have posed some significant obstacles for today’s youth. Gone are the days of long in-person conversations. Even phone calls have become rare. Instead today’s teenagers and young adults send and receive snippets of information – via TikTok, Snapchat, Intagram, and other social media platforms. When going to restaurants together, many of today’s youth often are immersed not in conversation with each other, but rather to what is appearing on their phones’ displays. Students may have many “friends” on social media, but few truly deep friendships. And students are often perplexed at how to approach others, and/or how to form and maintain business relationships.

The result of these technological changes upon our college-age students today? Increased personal fear when in-person social interactions are required. And, as a result, a greater need for college students today to “expand their comfort zones” – especially with respect to the development of socialization skills.

Over the past decade of teaching undergraduate students, I have attempted to tackle these challenges … I have adopted techniques that I hope will spur on students to adopt a mantra of continual development of their skills. Including the essential interpersonal skills that will empower them to be more successful in their careers.

I. myself, while in college as a student long ago, suffered from severe social anxiety and presentation anxiety. I overcame such, with time. Today I give presentations to gatherings of practitioners, often hundreds or even a couple of thousand at a time. Hence, to begin the class session which tackles “The Four Trials of WKU,” I share my experiences which led me to overcome two of my own fears.

I first explain how I followed a mentor’s wise words (“Rush Toward Your Fear”), which led me to climb the rigging of the tall ship Eagle, despite my severe fear of heights. And how that experience led to an even greater one a year later – climbing the rigging to bring more line up, in order to tie down the royal (top sail) in the middle of the night, during a minor hurricane when the ship was in the middle of the Atlantic. Rush toward your fear … for life can be great on the other side.

And I share how a friend from law school, a few months after graduation, shouted out loud during our lunch while standing atop his chair in a restaurant, “I love all of you very much.” And how my friend, upon sitting down, then instilled in me the realization that those few who rejected what he had done were no longer part of his universe – and that such was just fine. Hence, I did not need to fear the judgment of others. I could, and should, live life on my own terms – not consumed with fearing what others thought.

So begins my introduction to students of “The Four Trials of Western Kentucky University (WKU).” Along with showing a short video by Kalina on “Big Talk,” this prepares the students for the four activities, each designed to stretch the comfort zones of students. Some have no anxiety as these activities are unveiled during a class session. Most students have a high level of anxiety for one or two of the activities, and mild apprehension when facing the other required other activities.

After completing “The Four Trials” – students post to a discussion board about their experiences. And they also read and comment on other students’ posts.

Here is the recent post of one student:

When coming to class today, I had no idea what we would be doing. Nor that the class would challenge me in ways I never expected.

The first activity we did was introduce ourselves to one another and learn each other’s names, hometowns, activities, and interests. Landon, Jamison, Ashton, and Parker are my teammates. Ashton is originally from Marion, whereas Landon is from Bowing Green. Parker’s passion is cooking, while Landon and Jamison enjoy sports both as spectators and participants in their spare time. Even though we are in the same class together, I was worried before the activity because I had never spoken to them or even learned their names. After participating in the events, however, I came to the conclusion that they are a laid-back bunch with pleasant personalities.

For our second activity, we were instructed to walk from our classroom in Grise Hall to the Downing Student Union (DSU), 1st Floor, near the Big Red Statue, with a friendly expression on our faces and a greeting for everyone we pass by, as part of the second team-building activity. I realized that it wasn’t weird or humiliating to welcome people as I watched my teammates do it during the exercise. Before and during the exercise, I worried that strangers would judge me harshly if I tried to strike up a conversation with them. However, when I observed a member of my team doing just that, I decided to give it a shot. The experience has also bolstered my self-assurance to the point where I feel capable of facing any challenge head-on, including striking up a conversation with a complete stranger. I learned that putting on a friendly face and greeting people with a grin is a surefire way to win their affection.

During the third activity we have to shout out and say something in public. On the stairs of Downing Student Union, as many other students and others (not from our class) sit nearby, or walk past. My teammates and I climbed to the fourth stair. My heart was pounding, and my whole body couldn’t stop shaking. But when my teammate was called upon, I forgot my nervousness, and I realized that wasn’t as bad as I thought it should be, and it made me think back about why I was so nervous about something that isn’t a difficult thing to do. I also learned that if you are familiar with the audience you try to speak to, you will get less nervous or not nervous at all. It helped that after each one of us shouted out our own statement, everyone in the class supported that person with a loud collective “Hoo-Rah“!

The fourth activity is meeting someone new – a stranger – and interviewing them. I approached a girl in the Downing Student Union who is a finance major with physiology as a minor. Before she changed to finance, she was a nursing student, and we went on to talk more about finance, and we found out that we had a lot of common interests. During the activity, I noticed that it’s not easy to go up and talk to someone, and it took me a lot of courage to do so. But after doing the activity, I learned that it’s not hard at all, and when you meet a new person and talk to that person, you don’t have to have fancy questions. The important thing is doing small talk, such as about their hometown, their major, their favorite class, and so on. Then move on to ask “Big Talk” questions, such as “What do you like most about WKU?” and “If you had one day left to live, what would you do?” I think I will do this activity again because it will not only reduces your social anxiety but also can result in new friends and new connections.

I believe that everything we did with “The Four Trials of WKU” is perfect, and I wouldn’t recommend any changes. Also, I will absolutely recommend that future classes undertake “The Four Trials” because I think that it can help them in their future careers and lives. Again, in any career you pursue, you will be interacting with new people every day and trying to build connections and trust with your clients, so “The Four Trials” can help you build the experience you need and give you the knowledge of soft skills.

Of course, not every student has such a grand experience as the student who wrote the discussion board post above. But well over 90% appear to appreciate the benefits of these exercises, which I perform in a single class session (1 of 42 during the semester) in my freshmen-level Personal Finance course, and in my junior-level Applied Investments course (a course designed to assist all business majors in making sound investment decisions, particularly with mutual funds in their 401k or other retirement plan accounts).

[My other upper-level classes are so full of learning objectives that a day cannot be set aside to tackle The Four Trials. Although teamwork and presentations are emphasized in those classes, as a means of further developing necessary skills. And four outside-of-class “Expand Your Comfort Zone” activities (students choose from a list) are assigned.]

If you are teaching or mentoring today’s youth, I encourage you to tackle the deficits in emotional intelligence – especially socialization skills – that may exist in the young person before you. Encourage them to do one thing each day that “scares” them – e.g., smile when entering a room, strike up a conversation with someone standing or sitting nearby, saying “hello” to someone passing by, asking to sit with a student who is eating alone, performing random acts of kindness, and expressing gratitude.

The business world of today is not the place for those who lack social skills. Let’s find new ways of developing these skills in our students, to combat the negative impact of social media and other technologies upon the youth of today.

For those interested, here are my instruction sheets to students for: “The Four Trials of Western Kentucky University.”