This LDR class has expanded my view of how media and leadership connect. Through discussing media and its pros and cons, I have become more aware of how it affects me in my daily life. I think my favorite part of the class was learning through student presentations and helping to make the telegraph presentation, just how complex and interesting past forms of media were back in the day. It has shown me that certain issues are not just relegated to our current dominant forms of media and have been an issue across time, particularly with fake news. This class has also pushed me outside my comfort zone with things like public speaking in the debate. With that and the strengths quest, it has helped me strengthen my strengths as well as my weaknesses.
I participated in my first ever debate and have come away knowing what to do better next time, and also proud of myself for doing as well as I did. Speaking and expressing an opinion is something I struggle with, so closing out the debate was tough, and I feel like if I had a little more time I would have done better, and spoken more clearly. Still, despite my stammering over points and trying to find my words, I spoke slowly and with conviction, something I believe is important in a debate.
When we did the strengths quest, I mostly agreed with the results I got back. The mix of strategic thinking (#1 and #5) and relationship building (#2-4) fit me well. I saw qualities that I have recently recognized in myself from doing personal growth work, like my ability to introspect and my empathy for other people. It was nice to talk to the relationship group in class too because I found that we had things in common, like code-switching (switching how you act around different people). I wish I had gotten the chance to meet with the strategic thinking people as well, to see what other traits I might have shared with them. I think out of all of my traits the one I disagreed with most is positivity. I don’t think of myself as a positive person, even if I may come off that way to other people. Simply saying that I am positive I feel detracts from the nuances of it, and gives an impression that I am a happy go lucky person who doesn’t see the bad in the world. I think seeing different strengths was useful, because I often doubt my own strengths so having reassurance in them is always very helpful for me, and gaining the confidence to better use them.
My ability to work in a group and speak up has improved a lot thanks to this class, and I feel much more prepared for a debate than I did previously. This class has helped me gain confidence in myself and my strengths, and I feel like now I can better show off my leadership skills with my increased self-confidence.
