Example.

Context: The student’s chosen project is working with a local small business as a consultant. The student envisions himself joining LACI at USC. LACI provides pro-bono consulting services to socially-minded organizations.

Be creative. Envision yourself undertaking this project. Answer with something you’re dynamically doing in mid-action.

In my greatest moment of peak…

  1. enthusiasm, I’m: getting paired with my first small business client
  2. determination, I’m: researching about the client’s internal operations
  3. optimism, I’m: making a presentation to the client, delivering my group’s recommendations 
  4. empathy, I’m: listening to a manager in the business talk about the difficulties she has had with employee motivation
  5. gratefulness, I’m: accepting a gift basket from the small business owner
  6. intrigue, I’m: researching human psychology and the trend of silent quitting
  7. curiosity, I’m: speaking to the workers to get their perspective of management
  8. focus, I’m in the library putting together my proposal
  9. inspiration (tip: think of lateral thinking), I just had the idea to: look into anthropology or sociology to understand the impact of culture on tribe and group behavior
  10. excitement, I’m almost running to meet with my business professor to share my findings
  11. innovation, I’m: working on a powerpoint that draws the connection between workplace teams and tribe behavior
  12. confusion, I’m: listening to the client say our recommendation won’t work
  13. creativity, I’m: talking to managers at another small business to learn how they’ve overcome similar problems
  14. sensitivity, I’m: interviewing a worker about his perspective of work expectations
  15. hope, I’m: learning good things from the conversation with the worker I can present to management
  16. anxiousness, I’m: not sure if there is a way to motivate the workers with the current management team
  17. vulnerable, I’m: speaking to my group mates about my doubts about the project’s success
  18. hesitant, I’m: wondering if management even wants to change
  19. risk, I’m: deciding to be radically candid with the owner
  20. tight-knit/closeness, I’m: with my group mates in the library, joking while sharing our ideas and assessing our individual analyses
  21. nostalgism, I’m: wishing I did something like this for my football team in high school
  22. fear (as in: do something everyday that scares you), I’m: preparing for my first big presentation to the owner
  23. passion, I’m: researching how to change the culture of an organization. In fact, I’m researching the similarities between changing people’s sense of humor and changing culture because both seem equally difficult.
  24. skeptical, I’m: doubtful people will change without new incentives

 

Choose your favorite mid-action moments:

#6 researching human psychology and the trend of silent quitting
#21 wishing I did something like this for my football team in high school
#23 researching how to change the culture of an organization. In fact, I’m researching the similarities between changing people’s sense of humor and changing culture because both seem equally difficult.

The student’s first scene will combine these elements! Voila! The student can also get creative with how he’s learning in this opening scene. For example: he could be researching in the library or his dorm, having a class discussion on the topic, speaking with a professor in office hours, before or after class, over lunch, listening to a lecture or guest speaker, etc.

Additionally, the moments that were not used might inspire student later parts of the narrative. 🙂

 

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