This video tells about a BRAG! Connections Corporate Outreach event developed for teen girls. But don’t worry, guys, BRAG! programs are also available for you. Remember, everyone needs to learn how to brag (the right way, of course!). Click here to learn more about throwing your own BRAG! event. And to find out more about BRAG! corporate programs, just look below the video.

BRAG! CONNECTIONS CORPORATE OUTREACH

“While we've come a long way baby, even teens raised on Britney are uncomfortable promoting their accomplishments at school, on the sports field and ultimately in the workplace,” says Peggy Klaus, the Fortune 500 workplace communication and leadership expert who created BRAG! Connections. As a corporate outreach program designed to educate the employees and consumers of the future, BRAG! Connections pairs professionals from individual companies with teens from local high schools or organizations to teach valuable networking and self-promotion skills.

"By learning to talk about themselves and their accomplishments with others (gracefully, of course!), teens reinforce feelings of self-worth and gain a valuable life skill.” Klaus, who penned BRAG! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It (Warner Books), based BRAG! Connections on her popular professional development programs delivered to companies and organizations including General Mills, Levi Strauss, American Express, Pfizer, Linkage, The Harvard Business School Alumni Association, and The National Association of Female Executives, among others.

The first BRAG! Connections workshop took place in the spring of 2004, when the prestigious executive organization 100 Women In Hedge Funds joined forces with the Young Women's Leadership School of East Harlem (www.tywls.org). Held at the Manhattan offices of event sponsor JP MorganChase, the cross-generational workshop paired 80 high-school girls with members of the 100 Women In Hedge Funds. Featured on the CBS Early Show, the first event was such a huge success that many additional BRAG! Connections programs have since been scheduled around the country.

"All the girls said this was the best field trip they had ever taken—the students and teachers were buzzing about the self-promotion transformations,” said Sarah Wendt, Director of Development at the Young Women’s Leadership Foundation, who hopes to take the program to its satellite school in Chicago.

"We are so excited about this program. The more confident and prepared young women are when they join our organization, the more likely they are to succeed—and their individual success can be linked directly to our business success," noted Patrice Hall, Managing Director, Investment Bank Diversity at JP Morgan Chase.

"Many young girls are told to take pride in their efforts, but to do so quietly because otherwise it will not reflect well on them. We hope these talented girls will now feel more confident about letting the world in on their accomplishments," added Kathleen Kelley, Volunteerism Chair at 100 Women In Hedge Funds.

Innovatively expanding the line-up of BRAG! programs into the realm of corporate outreach, BRAG! Connections events are similar to the BRAG! Parties Klaus initially designed for business professionals. These interactive, meet-and-greet affairs allow participants to network and fearlessly practice tooting their own horns while Klaus reveals key self-promotion techniques interspersed with fun, experiential exercises. More comprehensive BRAG! programs for corporate training are also available that extend the focus from promoting a personal agenda to promoting the company's products and services.