The Northeast Conference sponsored a speaker to present to the student-athletes here at Robert Morris University. The speaker was Dr. Derek Greenfield, who is a motivational speaker specializing in inclusive excellence and positive change. Dr. Greenfield travels around the country speaking to people about improving relations among groups of diverse individuals. At Robert Morris, his goal was to bring the athletic department together as a whole by helping everyone to become more accepting of others, therefore bringing the athletes together much like a family. This is important because studies show that athletes who feel accepted and important among their peers perform better in his or her particular sport. Dr. Greenfield spoke at Robert Morris on Tuesday, October 28 in the Sewall Center. Dr. Greenfield began with a small introduction of himself and what he does. He then picked a student to come to the front to lead everyone in singing “Lean on Me”. Predictably, the student was nervous so he allowed others students to come to the front and help this student lead the group. Because this student had others to help him lead the group, he was more calm and confident. This scenario was supposed to illustrate how people perform …show more content…
Greenfield came to RMU to speak to us regarding inclusive excellence and positive change. He led us through a variety of activities that helped the athletic teams bond together and become more like a family. These activities included having a group lead the audience in singing, splitting us into small groups and learning more about people outside of our sport, and the chance to open up to the entire audience about a personal experience that has deeply affected us. He also shared his personal experiences that related to the program he was presenting to us about. Dr. Greenfield’s presentation was a great experience for the athletic department, and the principles he taught us will allow us to grow closer and perform better on the