On Thursday, April 21st, I attended the second Broward League of Cities General Meeting and Workshop. I expected this event to be equally as interesting as the first workshop I went to; however, I was proven incorrect. It was better than I had anticipated! The workshop was led by Mr. Daveed Snoll of Dale Carnegie and was titled “How to Win People Over to Your Point of View.”

Based solely on the title I was excited to learn about the topic. The workshop began with the members forming small groups to discuss general obstacles we have when convincing others to agree with our viewpoint. After that, Mr. Snoll went through twelve methods to abide by in order to get individuals to agree with your beliefs. The method that I found most effective was to smile. I strongly believe that smiling at a person as you meet them and when you communicate with them will go a long way. A smile is the ideal way to indicate to a person that you are fond of them and care about what they are saying. The method to win people over to your point of view that I found most surprising was that when you are wrong you should admit it emphatically and quickly. I never thought of admitting my faults as a way to cause individuals to agree with me. However, once I gave it consideration I realized that sometimes when you are wrong the best thing to do is to make it clear that you have made a mistake and that you will learn from it. The workshop was thoroughly enlightening and fascinating. Considering that all people are put into situations in which they want to convince others, this workshop was ideal and very beneficial for everyday life. At the conclusion of the workshop a Dale Carnegie book entitled “Lincoln the Unknown” was raffled off and I was shockingly the winner! I cannot wait to begin reading the prize book.

Following the workshop, Mayor Eisinger assigned each Student Ambassador a mentor they could shadow throughout the remaining evening. Commissioner Benjamin Williams of Lauderdale Lakes was my mentor. I was able to interact with Mr. Williams throughout the networking reception. I was very thrilled that Mr. Williams introduced me to many elected officials. I was also able to see the various educational displays during the Educational Partnership Showcase of Excellence.  I was very thankful to be able to meet Mr. Williams and I learned a great deal from talking to him as we viewed the various displays.

Although I was not able to stay for the entire dinner I saw the scholarship winners and congratulated them on their achievement. I also decided to apply for the Broward League of Cities Scholarship next year as a senior. Overall, the workshop and the interaction during the showcase was definitely impressive and valuable.

By: Feyaad Allie