Year 7 class captains recently completed a formal leadership and public speaking course provided by volunteers from Lilydale Toastmasters, called Taming of the Butterflies. The course was held on eight Saturday mornings through Term 2 and ended with a presentation night in McAuley Hall at MLMC on Thursday 28 June.
The course involved learning more about public speaking, making speeches, listening, questioning and responding as well as timekeeping, “ah” counting and hark-mastering. The course also included round robin events, awards and evaluations. The College has been involved in the program for about 10 years.
"We are involved with the program to help develop the Year 7 captains’ leadership skills and to help them be more confident in their own abilities to better engage their peers," Year 7 Assistant Level Leader Matt Reilly said.
Here are some student reflections on the course:
Some of the skills we learnt in the leadership and public speaking course were writing speeches, evaluating one another, listening to each other’s speeches and asking questions. Some of us were lucky enough to be assigned to a special role. These roles were timekeeping, “ah” counting and being a hark-master. At the end of our eight-week journey, we had a presentation night where we performed in front of our teachers, parents, family and friends. The class captains involved in this educational program are now confident with public speaking and we all appreciate being offered this opportunity. — Louisa Inglese (Year 7 Blue)
In this class we learned how to manage meetings, speak confidently and how to be a leader. After all the work we did, it was time to present our work in front of parents, students and teachers. Overall, I enjoyed the lessons and I appreciated all the volunteers who gave up their time. — Malindu Chandrasekara (Year 7 Jade)
