There’s a lot of talk, by economic and education experts, about students learning entrepreneurial skills before graduating from school. But what specific skills can teachers discuss with their students?
Here are four practical entrepreneurial skills students need, even if they become traditional employees.
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Using critical thinking skills on social media sites
Have you ever seen a blog or social media post and said to yourself, “What were they thinking?” This world would be better if more people used critical thinking skills, especially on social media platforms.
Teachers already teach content creation to students. This content is called an English essay, or an argumentative writing assignment, among other things.
What if teachers discussed blogging, podcasts and similar platforms to help students apply the creative and critical thinking skills developed from traditional writing assignments?
Students would then learn how to use their favorite social media sites to promote their own business and/or other issues they care about.
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Personal branding
It’s easy to forget that the average student isn’t sure what they believe in, especially compared to the recent praise of Generation Z becoming more involved with protests and other forms of social awareness.
Teachers can help students reflect on their own personal values and identify who they truly are. This reflection makes students more self-aware. They can use this awareness to create a personal brand and make an impact in their communities in positive ways.
Students then feel more confident to create stories, products or services that are valuable and not superficial. And that’s a very valuable skill to offer to a world of customers that want to support and buy from people with an authentic brand.
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Creating products or services
Pricing can play a significant role in customer satisfaction. The biggest reason for a product’s success? It has to be something that customers want or need.
Teaching students to develop products and services they’re interested in is a good start. Teachers should also help students use the internet, social media and other tools to find out if potential customers want or need their products or services.
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Smart failure
Another big part of becoming a successful entrepreneur is finding healthy and smart ways to learn from mistakes. Even strong businesses go through at least a few failed ideas and/or projects.
A healthy attitude about failure can have an immediate positive impact on students, especially those students who are currently dealing with low grades, or other mistakes.
Seeing mistakes as opportunities to learn and start over again with the hope of getting better results is a crucial skillset for entrepreneurs. This can include being willing to change products, improve marketing strategies, transition to another industry, or rebrand.
Final Thoughts on Entrepreneurial Skills for Students
There are great curriculum programs and other resources that help kids develop entrepreneurial skills. But teachers can use their current curriculum to start encouraging young entrepreneurs.
Consider teaching these four important business skills:
- Critical thinking while using social media
- Personal branding
- Creating products and services that people want or need
- Finding healthy ways to deal with failures and mistakes
These skills will help your students long after they leave your classroom.
Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash
