Wagga School Leaders Program - Module 7

Forward with knowledge – I am a Wagga Wagga ambassador

Objectives:

·         To bring the team’s activities to fruition through planning their presentations.

·         To combine individual insights regarding WSLP learnings into a group presentation for the Graduation dinner

·         To develop individual leadership plans with a mentor

·         To use their presentation skills to present their learning and thanks to the Wagga Community and the C4W.

The final module of the Wagga School Leaders Program for 2022 focused on putting the skills developed throughout the program into practice and reflecting on the lessons learned through each of the previous modules.

The students were previously given the subjects they were to present on at the Graduation dinner and the first part of the morning was spend fine tuning these presentations. The students were given the opportunity to present their prepared presentation to their cohorts using the skills they had been learning through the

The group related the concept to the importance of being well prepared and appearing as the authority on a matter when speaking in front of an audience or the media. We discussed the concept of being well prepared for presentations as this will make it easier to stay calm and to feel confident while giving a presentation.

The students then began their final session with communication expert Jum Lamont. Jum encouraged the students to think about their personal branding, the “process by which we market ourselves to others” “it’s what you believe in”. The students were asked to write down 3 words that they would use to describe themselves and 3 words that others would use to describe them. The students were asked to consider who have been the people in their lives to influence them.  Most students were feeling comfortable with the concept and the majority had grown in confidence over the course of the program.

Following lunch, we began the final mentoring session and each mentor paired with two students to learn from each other. The mentors spoke with their mentees for 45 minutes and shared some valuable life experiences, passing on messages about their experiences and discussed what effective leadership means to them. The students were able to ask questions and learn from the mentor during the time.

Each student was required to then give a 3-minute presentation, which preparation starting on after module five the students first session with Jum. The topics covered for each student were the same. Who am I and What Did I Get Out of the Program? All of the students delivered strong presentations that were well prepared and it was evident how much work had gone into the preparation.  Following the presentations each student was critiqued by their peers about the quality of delivery and their non-verbal communication techniques. Jum spoke about the significant improvements in the group based on his observations since Module five, noting that all students have progressed significantly and developed a strong understanding of the link between effective communication and leadership.

At the close of the session, everyone was asked to speak openly and honestly about an experience of message, with no time limit or set structure to the talk. The opportunity was designed to be impromptu and allow the students to speak freely in a sharing circle about what they had learned during the course of the program. Importantly, the students reflected on how differently they might have spoken if given the same opportunity in front of the group at the beginning of the program.