It's Been Critical Before, But Now with COVID...

I'm often encouraging when camp folks prefer to say and present things in a different manner than I. But for this topic, I have no flexibility.

Imagine that you are giving a tour of camp to a mom and her son, David. She turns to you and asks 'How big is your camp?' And you proudly answer ... 'In each session, there are 200 campers!' or 'We have 400 acres!' or 'We serve 1,000 kids in a summer!'.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

• Get It Right! Smile, establish eye contact and confidently say, 'In David's cabin, there will be 9 other boys and 2 counselors. Notice I didn't say there will be 10 boys in a cabin because the smaller number has a more positive impact. Using the child's name also heightens the connection.

• Leverage the Reality. Even moms of the most confident and especially parents of reticent kids appreciate the sense of 'individual attention' that is conveyed.

• Train all to Respond. Especially in this time of so much uncertainty, this question will be asked again and again. Those who speak on the phone with parents, communicate via email and have in-person, socially-distanced conversations must respond in an identical way.

One of the benefits of the 2020 Camp Experience that the 64 parents in my Focus Groups identified was the 'tightness' of the small cohort at camp between Counselors and Campers. Help parents see that this will happen naturally in your environment as well. After all, camp is the quintessential antidote to the pandemic.

Want to chat? Call 760-619-3851 or email campconsulting@charter.net

(Note from Travis:   We are so thrilled to be posting the always brilliant HINTS from camp consultant Joanna Warren Smith!  If you don't already you should sign up to receive these HINTS in your email - in the left-hand column of Joanna's website: http://camp-consulting.com/)