Making A Difference
Mere months after his two-week voyage with Students on Ice, Benjamin organized a film festival at his high school to raise money for children’s education. Students produced short movies to be screened, and tickets were sold. Around 3000 euros were collected and donated to Mission Enfance, an organization that promotes schooling as a step towards peace and development.
Benjamin is currently making a difference through his research. He looks into verbal and nonverbal behaviour that is perceived as charismatic, and the reaction of followers when a charismatic leader breaks a promise. Moreover he investigates whether or not charisma can predict the popularity of a TED talk or social media post. The applications of this analysis includes being able to train people to be a more motivating speaker, thereby inspiring action from their audience. Benjamin already coaches MBA students to deliver persuasive speeches. He plans to expand on this engagement by instructing entrepreneurs to sell their ideas to the public.