Taking time out from daily routine and mundane work is an important ingredient in the recipe for rejuvenation. And so, ILOA served as a platform for the two sessions that were organised for the teaching staff; one which helped in the holistic and all-round development of their personality through a Personality Development Programme and the second to enhance their public speaking skills through the Toastmasters Club.
In the first session, an interactive, informative and interesting training course in Personality Development was conducted for the teaching staff of Indian Learners Own Academy on Saturday, 11 November, 2017 in the school auditorium. The objective of the course was to provide a new perspective about various personalities that would in turn help the teachers to understand behavioural traits and inherent qualities of pupils.
Mr. Praveen Madhavan of Project Seers, a professional expert, well versed in corporate training and project management was the resource person of eminence. He was warmly welcomed with a floral presentation by the Principal Mrs. Asha Sharma. Dr. Sheeba Balraj, introduced Mr. Praveen Madhavan and praised his willingness to train the teachers of ILOA and urged the participants to make the best use of the course and provide positive teaching learning experience for their students. The two-hour sessions consisted of well-paced presentations and in the core session he introduced Don Lowry’s model of 4 different personality types, namely; Orange, Gold, Blue, Green.
Mr. Praveen Madhavan is an energetic facilitator who quickly engaged with the teachers. They had a great deal of fun while learning practical and simple ways to deal with their student’s differing personalities.
The positive, unexpected spin-off was that the teachers gained a better understanding of their students’ personalities and behaviours, something that has been much discussed since the workshop. It has contributed very positively to the ‘EQ’ of our school, both staff to students and staff to staff.
Through his dynamic style and interesting anecdotes, he was able to set teachers on the road to understanding where their students are coming from and why they act as they do.
The workshop concluded with a lively question and answer session. The workshop was motivating and refreshing for teachers.
In the second session, the teachers of ILOA were introduced to the Toastmasters Club headed by DTM Mrs. Alka Kumra and her team was warmly welcomed them in an eco-friendly way.
The SAA of the club TM Mrs. Alka Kumra declared the session open by explaining the club’s mission and the benefits of becoming a toastmaster. She mentioned that the mission of the club was to provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members will be empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth. She stressed that the benefits of being a toastmaster would lead to clear communication, increased self-confidence, improved leadership skills and career advancement.The meeting of the club began with a formal introduction of the dignified guests by DTM Wafaa Salman.
The various stages involved in a session was laid emphasis on with each of them explaining their role. The role players were the General Evaluator, Timer, Grammarian, Ah Counter and the Vote Counter. The Grammarian introduced the theme “Choices in Life”and the word of the day “Determine”.The prepared speech was delivered by Baburaj Parakkal who was evaluated by John Joseph. He mesmerized the audience with a story “The 3 P’s and a C” which conveyed a lasting message in our minds. This was followed by the Table Topics Session conducted by TM Raymond Pereira wherein a few teachers had to speak impromptu on the given topic. The teachers were very enthusiastic and came forward without any inhibition. They were also evaluated and earned a chance in the voting list.
The session ended with the awards and the Q&A session.