Volunteer Conduct
Standard Practice
The following professional practices should be followed on competition day, regardless of your role:
- Take responsibility – recognise that your ultimate goal is to deliver a fantastic event for the students, so do whatever is necessary on the day to achieve this
- Be punctual – arrive before the agreed time (there is no such thing as ‘on time’, you can either be early or late); adhere to agreed break times (this can vary on the day)
- Be honest – if you are running late, communicate that with other volunteers as soon as you realise via the WhatsApp group-chat
- Dress appropriately – wear UKSDC merchandise (if owned); the event is run for children, so bear this in mind when choosing attire
- Communicate respectfully – be polite and refrain from swearing or being sarcastic when speaking with students or teachers; you are representing the SSE²F and are responsible for upholding their image
- Be helpful (positive attitude) – be willing work with other volunteers to resolve issues; don’t find yourself on your phone doing your own thing all day
- Be reliable – if you agree to do something, do it; this includes doing your role well, so if you are the CEO of a company, spend the majority of your time with them rather than floating between teams
Student Interactions
You have impact. Conduct yourself responsibly.
As a volunteer, students will idealise you. Your words and actions will hold weight. You must therefore act accordingly. The following tips address how one might approach scenarios where students ask for the opinions of volunteers on ideas, but the principles can be applied generally to all student interactions.
What to do
- Introduce yourself
- Be friendly – smile 🙂
- Pay attention – remember names and listen to questions carefully
Implement the ‘C sandwich’ – compliment, critique, compliment
- Compliment – identify what the students are doing right (e.g., ‘asking questions demonstrates a good designer’s attitude’)
- Critique (gently) – point out a fault in a non-insulting manner (e.g., x is a very innovative idea but it does not directly address any RfP point, how about adapting it to fit [arbitrary RfP point]’)
- Compliment – identify a second positive (e.g., ‘you’re asking questions early, which shows good process management’ or ‘your questions have identified errors quite late, but this means you will be well prepared to respond to any concerns raised in the Q&A’)
What not to do
- Appear unapproachable – this could entail laughing at ideas you see, spreading negativity (e.g., saying that a company is doomed) or simply being on your phone
- Be sarcastic – this may make students feel belittled; this extreme negativity could cause students to stop asking questions out of fear
- Swear – the students in this setting aren’t your friends; uphold decorum
Signs of Stress
Obvious signals
- Outbursts (e.g., shouting, crying)
- Shaking hands/excessive leg bouncing
- Significant loss of energy
- Short temper
- Unexplained headaches
Discrete signals:
- Refusal to take breaks
- Reclusion from others
- Refusal to eat/drink
- Disproportionate reactions (strategic or emotional) to constructive criticism
How to Help a Stressed Competitor
Gain their attention
If you talk without gaining the focus, of the student your words will only cluttering their thoughts more. A strategy: ask the student to stop what they are doing and maintain eye contact
Feedback
Praise work strategically – positive feedback will encourage us to repeat behaviours that lead us toward our goal when it signals our commitment, but not when it signals that we’ve made sufficient progress
- A good example of praise – “You’re doing amazing and working so hard, there’s no need to worry”,
- A bad example of praise – “You have made so much progress, you only have a few more hours to go”.
Offer help or advice
Help delegate work
- Some competitors will take on too much responsibility e.g. “You’re doing so much for your team. What I need you to do for me is try to delegate some tasks, any tasks.”
- If stress is due to feelings of being ignored or disrespected, seek out department heads or SSE²F staff to mediate a discussion.
Get students to take a step back
- Suggest a time-out for 5-10 minutes to get air/refreshments with the friend.
- Orchestrate some off-topic regular conversation by asking questions such as “what do you do for fun?”
- Ask the student to stand up and walk with you to a quieter spot; they might not have moved for hours.
Help pinpoint smaller details
It can be hard to think of all the small details when working, so try to help pinpoint areas the competitor might have missed. Present that to them gently in a way that reinforces the good work they have done.
If you need further help, talk to an SSEF staffer to come and have a chat (they can assess and intervene if necessary, freeing volunteers to continue advising technically)