Another week in University Studies 311A, and this week was even more eventful than normal (and it's ALWAYS eventful) because this was the week that Josh and I facilitated the lecture discussion. I thought it went very smoothly, and I actually was not nervous at all - surprising!
This week's topic was leadership and how to effectively lead a group. I hope everyone enjoyed our "question of the day" -- I certainly was cracking up when I first read the idea on the Internet! If you were a contestant in the Miss America pageant, what would your talent be?
Me and Josh's takeaway thought that I've decided to blog about was "in your opinion, is a leader born or made." For me, I definitely think that a leader can be made, and is not born with the ability to lead a group. It's takes a lot of training and experience to be able to stand in front of a group comfortably and facilitate a discussion or lead a group, and even the most seasoned leaders need improvement with their communication and presentation skills. For me, I also look to my personal experiences; when I was a freshman in high school, I was as shy as it gets. But I became involved in FFA and student government as the freshman class president, and slowly became more of a leader. By the time I ran for and successfully became the FFA secretary in November of my freshman year, I had learned what it takes to be a leader and learned that talking in front of a group can be scary but can also be rewarding. I owe all of my leadership abilities to what I experienced from FFA!
Today (Sunday) was also our March retreat, which featured some more fun icebreakers. The first icebreaker especially was a great way for us to get to know each other more fully, and the second was almost like a cross between the trust exercise and telephone! We also got to explore our coloring and creativity skills with making a group logo. It was definitely a great time (until we saw the monstrous snowflakes falling outside.) On a more depressing note, I found out a little more than I wanted to about my personal college debt. Hopefully I can figure out my finances so that I can be confident and secure come graduation time!
Brady,
ReplyDeleteI loved our question also. The answers were really good. And I have enjoyed reading blog posts so far to see what everyone got out of class.
I would have to agree on the leaders being made idea. I went back and forth on it in my post, but that is definitely where I have always leaned.
And the retreat was really useful. Fun icebreakers and new knowledge on finances. I am kind of glad the snow shortened it since I had so much to do, but it was less time to spend with the group.
Joshua