International prefects complete leadership and communication course
Posted on February 29, 2024
On Thursday 15 February, an afternoon of training was held for the 2024 cohort of Macleans College international prefects.
The international prefect position provides an opportunity for international students in Years 12 and 13 to play an active leadership role in supporting fellow students from overseas at Macleans College.
The training was structured into three components, starting with a focus on leadership. To kick off the afternoon, prefects were presented with a self-evaluation where they assessed their individual strengths and identified potential challenges they may encounter in this leadership role. Through this introspective exercise, the setting of leadership goals was facilitated.
This was followed by an exploration of Daniel Goleman’s article from the Harvard Business Review, ‘Leadership that gets results’, where prefects studied the six styles of leadership presented by Goleman. A focus was placed on understanding how each modus operandi functioned, particularly in regards to the underlying emotional intelligence competencies involved. Furthermore, prefects delved into analyses of when each modus operandi worked best and the overall impact on others when utilised to lead. Overall, the first component helped the prefects understand which leadership styles they were more comfortable with and which aspects of their leadership they needed to work on.
The second training component was effective communication strategies. The session focused on cultivating assertive verbal and non-verbal communication skills, particularly when engaging with new students. It explored approaches to handling cultural as well as gender diversity; allowing prefects to better serve the melting pot of cultures at Macleans College with international students coming from all over the world.
Concluding the training was an engaging and interactive activity – the classic ‘tricky scenarios’ exercise. Prefects were sorted into teams to collaboratively address potential challenges they might encounter from interactions with other international students. This exercise encouraged the development of creative and effective solutions to navigate these situations successfully before the training was wrapped up with a spread of pizza for dinner.
The comprehensive training equips prefects with valuable insights into their leadership and allows them to hone their skills in effective communication as well as problem-solving; preparing them to support Macleans College’s diverse international student community.
‘Great gathering and socialising opportunities while setting some goals for us as international prefects. Excited about this year.’ - Quinn Zhong, Year 13 student.
Congratulations to the students who were selected for this year’s prefect cohort and a special thanks to Mrs Lum and Mrs Ashby for providing this invaluable experience for the prefects.