A few years ago successive District Governors noted an increasing unwillingness among Rotarians to step into Club and District leadership positions. An informal survey revealed that there was a large decrease in numbers of those who had received basic leadership instruction. It was also determined that instruction in leadership skills was not available in most of the communities in which the majority of our Rotarians live. The PRLS sessions were designed to meet this need.
THE GOAL OF PRLS is to provide a set of training sessions wherein current and future Rotary leaders can learn to be more effective in their leadership roles. The program has been designed to encourage those whose goals include a basic comfort with a leadership position. Furthermore, most of the subject matter is deliberately designed to be generic, not just Rotary-specific.
PRLS is not designed to teach leaders everything there is to know about the leadership role. Rather, it encourages participants to seek out other sources of information which will, in turn, prepare them even better to carry out their leadership roles with more efficiency, charisma and effectiveness.
The Basic PRLS program includes five hours of classroom instruction split among five courses: Communications, Basic Leadership Principles, Leading a Meeting, Basic Public Speaking and Rotary, Your Club and You
Those Basic PRLS graduates who desire to continue their leadership training may participate in five more classes: Master PRLS 1 & 2 – Public Speaking is presented during two interdependent, full-day sessions spread three to four weeks apart. The classes include a rigorous program of evaluated practical public speaking exercises designed to improve almost anyone’s ability to present ideas to a group. The sessions are limited to 30 students each, and students must be Basic PRLS graduates.
Master PRLS 3 – Facilitation Skills is presented during the morning session preceding Master PRLS 5 (Communications). The instruction is designed to give students the training necessary to conduct more effective goal-setting meetings. The course has no pre-requisite.
Master PRLS 4 – Situational Leadership is presented during one full-day session. It deals with judging the leadership capabilities of associates, fitting the right people into the right jobs, and defining leadership principles. Students must be basic PRLS graduates.
Master PRLS 5 – Communications is presented during the afternoon session following Facilitation Skills (Master PRLS 3). The course deals with the advancement of effective communications using all types of media and all levels of communication. This course has no pre-requisite.
One Rotary Club, The Rotary Club of Luanshya, (my club) has made this a part of our personal training and almost every member has completed at least through MPRLS3 ond half have completed throught MPRLS4. We are planning to complete the entire programme by the end of this Rotary Year. It has revolutionised our Rotary Club!
There are other leadership programmes in the Rotary world. The advantage to PRLS is that the training is not limited to Rotary. The “graduates” of the PRLS programme are effectively using the information in the PRLS in their business, community and family life to make them not only more productive, but better leaders in their respective areas of responsibility.
For more information in Africa (Zone 20A) contact PDG Derrick McDiarmid at derrick.rotary@gmail.com.
