Week 6

Week 6

Week in Review

Monday February 4, 2019

We started the week off with Toastmasters. Toastmasters is a public speaking class and a very important part of PEP. Throughout its history, Toastmasters has helped over four million people with public speaking. Today, the organization serves over 352,000 members in 141 countries through its 16,400 member clubs. Toastmasters’ membership increased rapidly around the turn of the century, nearing 16,000 clubs worldwide by 2016. PEP has blessed us with an opportunity to be a part of such a wonderful club.

Toastmasters will help us prepare for and present our elevator pitches. We will have our Venture Capital Panel event on Friday where we will deliver our elevator pitches to the executives and receive their feedback.

The elevator pitch is used to generate initial interest in our proposed new businesses. I’ve learned that the name “elevator pitch” means that it should be possible to present the business proposal in the timespan of an elevator ride, or within approximately 30 seconds to two minutes.

We continue to strive to be the best we can be and take advantage of all that PEP has to offer us. We are focusing on being men – and businessmen – of character.

Caleb F. (a.k.a. “Barney”)

Tuesday February 5, 2019

Today we had our Computer Lab class, where we are learning Microsoft programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.  We always look forward to Tuesdays when we can go to the Computer Lab. Some of us move slower than others, but there is always a Servant-Leader there to help when we have a question. In PEP, life is all about helping each other out.

We can’t wait to put what we have learned into action when we are released. We are really looking forward to making it to graduation and walking across the stage.

Marcus F. (a.k.a. “Flying Squirrel”)

Wednesday February 6, 2019

Many of us woke up early study for today’s test.  For the Conquerors of Spring ’19, Wednesdays are typically test days. This week, we had to study Chapters One and Two from our entrepreneurship textbook. We were nervous because we have to take two tests today. But we came to class prepared, and most of us got a passing grade.

Following the test, our instructor, Brain T., lectured on the next chapter from our textbook. Brian T.’s lectures usually last for about one and a half hours. These lectures give us insight into the next chapter, but this week was different because we have the Venture Capital Panel event on Friday. So in preparation for the event, we broke up into several different groups and practiced our Venture Capital Panel elevator pitches.

After class, we went back to our dorms, where some of us checked our test scores. Others started their homework, while still others practiced their elevator pitches. We are grateful for PEP, which is a blessing to us all.

Edger F. (a.k.a. “Bert”)

Thursday February 7, 2019

Today, we were asked to do pray-outs for our fellow brothers who are going home. Before we started the pray-out process, we were given a course on resume writing. Our assignment for next week is to write a one-page resume that will be included with our business plans.

After we learned about resume writing, we moved on to doing this week’s pray-outs. We had seven pray-outs to do, and I think that brother Mike G. made a cameo appearance on every one of them. One of his fun names “Richard Simmons”; this fun name will be forever ingrained in all of our memories.

Tomorrow is our Venture Capital Panel event. All of the brothers have been working diligently to fine tune their elevator pitches for this event. Tomorrow, all this hard work will pay off. We are so thankful for the opportunities PEP has provided us. I believe that we will all make our families proud.

Clayton G. (a.k.a. “Hank Hill”)

Friday February 8, 2019

The Conquerors of Spring ’19 woke up today both curious and nervous about the Venture Capitals Panel event. We have been practicing our elevator pitches now for a few weeks, and today was the big day. We stood before the executives and presented our elevator pitches. We were extremely worried that we would not do well. For many of us, this was our first time to speak publicly. However, the executives were very understanding, patient and encouraging, and they provided us with must-needed feedback, which is a real blessing.

We will continue forward as conquerors on a quest to become entrepreneurs and better men. Each of us is enjoying the process. Daily, we are noticing both growth and change in our lives as we progress through this program.

Leonard G. (a.k.a. “Red”)

Expressions

“Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you. Listen in such a way that others love to speak to you”

~Unknown

Many people are blessed to have beautiful voices that express words of wisdom. A speaker must always remember to uplift his or her audience members and never belittle them. A speaker should always make sure all listeners know that the speaker cares about them and sees them as worthy of respect. A good speaker makes others love to hear him or her speak. To truly master the art of speaking, one must be a good listener. You have to hear the pain, woes and concerns of the people. A speaker should be able to hear when losing an audience and pick up the pace. The speaker should be able to hear the silence as the crowd attempts to soak everything up. Love to speak, but also love being an active listener.

Freddy H. (a.k.a. “Kung Fu Panda”)