Thoughts on the Lapdog Communication training

            Over the past week in HMP, we have been participating in personality exercises (what type of communicator we are) and learning how to talk to others. I’ve participated in these in the past, but the Directionality and Communication training we did at Lakewood, thanks to Lapdog, really helped me get to know myself, and others, better. Naturally, I’m a shy person. When I’m around people that I’m unfamiliar with I feel too awkward to say much, and I believe it was because I haven’t thought about how to REALLY talk to someone. Natural leaders can subconsciously take the information that Lapdog gave us and apply it in their everyday speech, which is why people are attracted towards them. This is a vital ability and one that Lapdog helped us hone.

            I feel that I’ve always been able to communicate with people well enough, whether they are considerate, systematic, spirited, or direct. I’m a considerate person myself, so my conversations with people come across as caring and interested. For the most part, I’d rather listen than talk. I try to be a leader more by example than talk. At school I’ve been able to be more patient around other spirited or considerate people, because Lapdog showed that these groups require patience, and when they receive it they are much happier.

            For me, my biggest fear in myself is failure. A lot of times I won’t do some sort of event because I’m afraid of the consequences of not being able to complete it. I like to be trusting in others, as sometimes I’m afraid that if they trust me I will let them down. A big personal project I’m working on is pushing myself to do things that risk success and failure. Speaking to people that I don’t know more often is a task of such magnitude, and one that is tough for me. I participated in Lapdog just in time to assist with the project, and they’ve helped me understand myself and others on a more personal level, and have allowed me to leave my comfort zone the past week or so.

            The Lapdog training itself was really fun for more reasons than just missing school. I was able to get to know some of the other people from different schools better, breaking down that invisible divide that’s been there in HMP for a couple of weeks. We also played some really fun, challenging games that I’ve never heard of before. Overall, the training wasn’t another personality seminar, but an engaging experience that I definitely benefited from.