I confess I often check my messages and make quick calls while walking between appointments. My school has a lot of interconnected buildings, with halls wide enough for pedestrian traffic to flow in both directions occasionally connected by a doorway only wide enough for one person.
I find students who are on the other side of the doorway waiting for their turn are often perfectly willing to let me sail through. Maybe because I have my phone in my hand and I’m striding purposefully I don’t look like I’m giving off the vibe of someone who’s likely to slow down?
I enjoy these little moments, when it’s clearly their turn to go, and I slow down to let them through, making eye contact and inviting them through with my free hand.
Sometimes they even say, “Sorry!” as they pass.
“No need to apologize,” I will say. “You get to occupy space!”
Drury University has had some success gamifying the campus culture of saying “Hello.”
Administration selected 10 anonymous greeters—faculty, staff and students— to document how many students do or don’t greet them throughout the day.
Participants must say hello (or some other salutation, hey or hi is also fine) to one of these anonymous greeters and they must initiate the interactions. The surveyors don’t speak first, Beuerlein explains, requiring the student to kickstart the interaction.
To opt-in, students, faculty and staff visit the Findlay Student Center to receive their Great Game of Hello Coin, a special poker chip with their raffle number on it.
Every Friday in April, students are entered to win a different giveaway prize (all funded by an anonymous donor), which include tickets to Springfield Cardinals and St. Louis Cardinals games, a $200 Drury bookstore gift card, a $500 Visa gift card shopping spree, a $250 Lululemon gift card and more.
