Confident Teenagers!

Does that blog title sound like an oxymoron to you? It doesn’t have to be! Many of you know that I led a “Generation Next” communication and leadership training last week for teenagers ages 15 to 18. Normally, the Dale Carnegie office, housed on the Champs-Elysées, remains reserved for business professionals from a variety of impressive French and international companies in Paris. However, last week, our offices welcomed another group of valuable individuals.

These high schoolers wow’ed me with their can-do attitudes and bravery as they took on every challenge that the “Generation Next” training threw at them. At the end of the training - which involved at least a dozen speeches, discussions, group work and “leaving one’s comfort zone” - the results were astounding. Group members who had timidly entered the training room on the first day, unsure of what to expect, now stood confidently in front of their peers, speaking enthusiastically about how their self-image and understanding of others had improved over the last three days. They also got to hear their peers’ rave reviews of their improvement during the training. Their evolution included honing public speaking, human relations, stress management, and leadership skills. The underlying change was a sharp increase in self-confidence. As a result, they felt ready to take on new challenges at school and amongst friends (hey, even the concept of a second lockdown didn’t scare them!). These students left the training more aware of their strengths, and thus more willing to tackle their weaknesses. I was so proud of them.

Overall, these high schoolers were a breath of fresh air and had everyone on our Dale Carnegie team smiling during the three days we spent together. I applaud their efforts, and congratulate them on completing a very successful business-level training! The next “Generation Next” training is set for February 16th - 18th, 2021, during the winter school vacation. Registration is now open. Please contact me for more information, or visit the Dale Carnegie website. See you there!

Dream Big, Work Hard,

Meg