Class: Mon. March 30

Today’s class we discussed 2 way communication. There was an exercise done at the beginning where we had to draw shapes according to what a girl in another room was telling us. At first I did not know how Dr. Feinberg was going to relate the experiment back to the leadership topic. Once 2 way communication was integrated, almost every person in the class drew the figures correctly. We were given 2 ears and one mouth because we need to listen twice as much as we speak. Each person in the class listened to the instructions on what to draw closely, and then asked a few questions in order to make sure we were drawing it correctly.

This experiment also demonstrated the importance of active listening. We were so engaged in the exercise that we wanted to listen to directions, and ask questions. I think that I am one of those people that asks a ton of questions. Sometimes I think it probably gets annoying, but I am the type of leader that wants to succeed in all that I do. I want to make sure that I have all of the information and that I am completing my assignment correctly.

I liked how we were taught that there are not 2 sides to every story, but rather we should think of it as a circle. Each thing that is said affects the next. Words can get changed around as they travel through the grapevine, so it is important for members of a team to clearly (and actively) listen to one another.

Finally, we discussed the importance of reviewing what you’ve heard. I thought that Feinberg just gives us 10 points of extra credit sometimes to help us out. While I am sure that this is true, it is also his way of verifying his teaching methods. He wants to make sure that he is getting through to us, and getting his point across. I think it’s great that even though he has been teaching for a long time, he still wants to review his effect on his students. A great leader never stops learning or improving on their method. It is just as important to review the lesson as it is to teach it.