Everyone knows how to shake a hand and hold a conversation, right?
Not so fast.
Students of all ages benefit from a foundation in communication skills as they pursue college and career opportunities.
That’s why students at Payette River Regional Technical Academy rely on Rubin to gain in-demand skills for the world after graduation.
Led by teacher Patti O’Maley, students use the Rubin Emerge online program to write effective emails, resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles as well as hold meaningful face-to-face conversations.
O’Maley, a business teacher, has used Rubin resources in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years. She intends to do so again in 2019-2020.
“Emerge is an amazing tools for my classes,” she said. “I can tie the activities into curriculum I already have or use them as standalone lessons.”
In the photo at the top, students Karina (right) and Will practice a proper handshake, an activity in the module called Life Skills 101 in the online curriculum.
Below, listen to teacher Patti O’Maley discuss the value of Emerge.
Do you want to teach your students “adulting” skills like teacher Patti O’Maley?
If you tried to access this site by typing DannyHRubin.com and wound up here, don’t worry.
You’re right where you should be.
Welcome to the brand-new RubinEducation.com, a major departure from the previous website (DannyHRubin.com) and start of a new chapter for the educational company I have steadily built the past two years.
DannyHRubin.com was an author platform, a place to showcase my books, blogs and speaking engagements. It was not a “business” but more of a professional profile.
RubinEducation.com is, first and foremost, a company website. The site goes into great detail about our products, chief among them the All Access online curriculum that features all three of my books along with activities, videos, quizzes and more.
Yes, I’m still on the site too, and you can learn more about my background and speaking engagements here.
But make no mistake: RubinEducation.com is designed to step out onto the world (wide web) stage and proclaim, “We are the go-to resource to teach business communication skills to students of all ages.”
DannyHRubin.com hinted at such expertise; RubinEducation.com shouts it from the rooftops.
Student Drew Coffin: “Thanks to Rubin , I know how to be more professional whether I need to write an email, submit my resume or complete another formal task. I believe every student should receive the instruction I did because it set me apart in a competitive application process.”
Teacher Janet Brophy:“The Rubin Emerge online program is easy to use and gives the kids an advantage with any writing challenge. What Drew and others learned this year will translate to emails, research papers and other real-world skills for years to come.”
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As Drew Coffin went through the application process for Colorado School of Mines, a top-tier engineering school located in Golden, CO, he noticed a section for “optional” material to submit.
Coffin’s “optional” choices: a resume and an example of personal success.
Good thing the 18-year-old was prepared with both.
Coffin, who hopes to one day work in robotics, graduated in spring 2019 from Haxtun High School in Haxtun, Colorado, a city in the northeast corner of the state near the Nebraska border.
Throughout the 2018-2019 school year, Haxtun High School teacher Janet Brophy used Emerge to train her students – including Coffin – to write and speak with professionalism.
The online curriculum features 100+ self-paced activities for email etiquette, resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, thank-you notes and more.
“I have worked in human resources and know the value of a well-written application,” says Brophy.
With each new lesson, Coffin paid attention and his effort paid off.
Drew Coffin works on his “storytelling” cover letter (a clear example of his work ethic) inside the Rubin Emerge online program. As a high school senior in Haxtun, Colorado, Drew used the cover letter in his application to Colorado School of Mines, a top-tier engineering school. Drew was accepted and is now on campus studying robotics.
Resume
Rubin teaches the importance of quantifying success on a resume. Whenever possible, add numbers to show the reader how much or how many.
In Coffin’s case, he listed a community service achievement in which classmates raised money for a family who had gone through health issues. How much money did the students collect with Coffin at the helm? $250.
U.S. News & World Report ranks Colorado School of Mines as the 32nd best public university in America. It’s selective. It’s tough.
Details like $250 matter.
Student Drew Coffin smiles with his high school teacher, Janet Brophy. The Colorado business instructor relies on the Rubin ebook, Wait, How Do I Write This Email?, to teach critical writing and speaking skills for employment. The book is provided to students as an ebook as part of a broader online curriculum.
Success Story
The other “optional” submission is a story of personal success. Thanks to Rubin, Coffin was ready again.
Coffin shared a story of how he revived Haxtun High School’s Student Council Association (SCA), which was shut down in his junior year.
Coffin worked hard during his senior year to gather interested students and prove to two skeptical teachers why they should serve as advisors (and why the SCA would not fold again).
After months of diligence, Coffin restarted the SCA, served as president and leaves behind 20 excited members who will carry his legacy into the 2019-2020 school year.
Consider Colorado School of Mines impressed.
What can the Emerge online program do for your students?
Listen to Sehrish Zafar, a native of Pakistan and recent graduate from George Mason University, talk about how Rubin Education helps her communicate with employers via email and in person.
The Full Story
Every time Sehrish Zafar sat at the computer to send a professional email, the same emotion would resurface.
Frustration.
A native of Pakistan, Zafar moved to the United States in 7th grade and spoke no English. Through ESL classes, Zafar slowly learned the language as she attended Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, Virginia (suburb of Washington, DC) and then Northern Virginia Community College for an associate degree in applied science and information technology.
Zafar then pursued her bachelor’s degree at George Mason University in Northern Virginia and settled on a major in the health sciences. All the while, Zafar, now 27, worked (and still works) full time as a manager at a CVS Pharmacy.
During her years at George Mason, Zafar continued to struggle with business communication in American English. She often resorted to googling answers and scrolling through YouTube channels.
“I knew what I wanted to say, but I didn’t know how to put my thoughts into words,” Zafar said.
At George Mason, Zafar took a health administration course led by instructor Kathie Westpheling.
Westpheling incorporated the Emerge with Rubin online program throughout the spring 2019 semester so her students (some born in America, others who came as immigrants) would learn to write and speak with professionalism. The online curriculum provides 300+ templates for common writing and speaking scenarios and 100+ simple-to-follow assignments so students can practice the scenarios in the classroom.
Right away, Zafar felt Rubin Education was the resource she had needed all along.
“As an immigrant, Rubin Education gives me the tools to start professional conversations with confidence,” Zafar said. “I have learned better ways to write my resume, cover letter and outreach emails as well as job interview strategies and even how to give a proper handshake.”
Westpheling saw her students’ positive response to the material right away and plans to use the Rubin Education All Access online curriculum in fall 2019 as well.
“The Rubin Education online curriculum is reasonably priced for the students,” said Westpheling. “It’s a great way to introduce the materials as part of lifelong learning and an ideal fit in any degree program.”
Zafar hopes to pursue a master’s degree in health informatics and work in the fast-moving field of electronic health records and data management.
With a foundation in strong communication skills, her world is wide open.
In 2019, Hillsdale High School students achieved major milestones in regional and state competition — and Rubin Education proved a critical resource to make it happen.
Here’s the story:
For the first time ever, Hillsdale students reached the Michigan state competition for Business Professionals of America (BPA) in two sought-after categories: Interview Skills and Advanced Interview Skills.
For background: BPA is a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) with chapters in high schools and colleges across the US. BPA is for students pursuing careers in business management, information technology, finance and office administration. The organization has 45,000 members in over 1,800 chapters across 25 states and Puerto Rico.
Hillsdale students first took top honors at the regional level in the Interview Skills and Advanced Interview Skills categories. Two other students from the school placed in the top three.
All four students then headed to the state competition where one student placed in the top ten — a new benchmark for the Hillsdale BPA team and feather in the cap for teacher Mindy Eggleston.
Melanie Foust (red shirt, glasses) receives her award as regional champion in the Interview Skills category for Business Professional of America (BPA) student group. Foust went on to win 10th statewide (Michigan). Teacher Mindy Eggleston believes Rubin Education techniques gave her students an edge in the regional competition (where they had never before won for Interview Skills).
Eggleston feels the Emerge online program played a significant role in her team’s historic competition performance. During the 2018-2019 school year, the accounting and graphic design teacher used the curriculum to teach her students professional techniques for writing and speaking.
Eggleston paid particular attention to the self-directed Rubin Education activities on job interviews and storytelling. She had the students practice how to ask smart questions of the employer and share compelling stories of personal success.
When it was time to compete at the regional and state levels, the preparation showed.
“Rubin Education techniques made my students stand out immediately during CTSO competition,” said Eggleston. “I am thrilled with my students’ performance and grateful to have the Rubin Education online curriculum in my corner.”
Hillsdale student Ella Lewis agrees. Lewis, who graduated in 2019, believes Rubin Education made her better prepared for community college in fall 2019.
“The lessons helped me understand how to communicate with adults and be more confident in myself,” said Lewis.
Eggleston now has even bigger plans for BPA competitions in 2019-2020.
With Rubin as a key resource, the sky is the limit.
Do you want to help your students win at competition and beyond?
f you live the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area, listen up!
Starting the week of April 29, 2019, Rubin Education founder Danny Rubin will appear on 89.5 WHRV, the NPR affiliate for Norfolk/Va Beach, with his new segment called “Take My Word for It.”
During the 60-second feature, which airs every Monday morning at 7:30 a.m., Danny shares a piece of communications advice for either job seeking, entrepreneurship or leadership. He draws the lessons from his three books of writing and speaking templates.
Every tip or technique is simple to absorb and easy to apply in our own professional lives.
To be sure, the advice is unconventional and not what you typically “hear on the radio.” Hopefully, that’s why “Take My Word for It” will have staying power.
Here’s a sample clip on why you should never use acronyms in your writing on first reference.
The segment is now available in the NPR podcast directory and through iTunes!
Rubin Education founder Danny Rubin appeared this week on the “Secret to My Success” podcast hosted by Shelby Skrhak.
In the interview, Danny talks about how he developed a personal blog into what is now Rubin Education and discusses how to find the “signal in the noise” as an entrepreneur. As he says, the ultimate goal is to make the greatest impact on others by doing what you love.
In spring and summer 2019, Rubin Education founder Danny Rubin will hit the road to lead workshops on communication skills and share information about Rubin Educationbooks and online curriculum available to teachers nationwide.
The travel features a mix of conferences for high school and college educators.
On the high school front, Danny will speak to various audiences within the Career and Technical Education space. He plans to visit conferences in Pennsylvania, Illinois, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky.
The college opportunities will take Danny to Rhode Island, Florida and Michigan.
In late May/early June 2019, DannyHRubin.com will become RubinEducation.com.
The decision will pivot the website from an author platform for Danny Rubin into an educational company in which the products are front and center (and Rubin plays a supporting role on the Meet the Team page).
The new website will explain how Rubin Education books, ebooks and online curriculum are ideal for educators, workforce development professionals and corporate trainers.
The site will also feature curriculum samples and Rubin’s extensive blog of writing guides known as THE TEMPLATE.
Danny Rubin’s newest installment in the Wait, How Do I…? series is almost ready.
The book, Wait, How Do I Lead My Team?, is 100+ writing templates for classic leadership situations. Here’s the table of contents.
The reference guide complements Rubin’s two other books, Wait, How Do I Write This Email? (writing for internships and jobs) and Wait, How Do I Promote My Business? (writing for entrepreneurship).
Here’s an early review:
“While I was reading, I often found myself screaming ‘Yes!’ in my head because I’ve seen many of these mistakes come from colleagues and people in leadership positions, and the gaffes do discredit them. I recommend this book to any person who wants to be taken seriously and gain respect from their colleagues/clients/employees.”
— Angela Blue Editor-in-Chief, Coastal Virginia Magazine / CoVa BIZ
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Thanks, Angela! The book will be available on Amazon in April 2019. The ebook version will go into the Rubin Education online curriculum in mid-February and help students across the country (middle school, high school, college and adult education) to learn effective writing and speaking skills.
Stay tuned for the official book launch this spring!
