Our speaking in public course has matured over the last seventeen years of development. I was delivering an IT course in Seattle when I saw a speaking in public course advertised in the university’s halls of residence. The course ran at the weekend which was ideal timing for me. I signed up for the class and I was struck by the creativity of the course design, the speeches and the activities were great fun and fully engaging.
The trainer did a great job with his opening exercises of building rapport and bringing the group together in a supportive manner. Meeting multiple people in quick succession builds a great ambiance when the questions are simple and easy to remember. Warm smiles and encouragement were held throughout the entire weekend.
Though I didn’t have a fear of public speaking, being a trainer I wanted to improve my delivery skills and become a better trainer through further study, and this speaking in public course really opened my eyes to the possibilities. The impromptu speeches were well explained and delivered with panache by the trainer who seemed confident in speaking on any subject. That was something for me to consider; spending more time reading the newspapers and watching the news so that I could fully discuss topical issues; familiarise myself with unfamiliar themes and topics, and to reach a point where I could convince myself that I had something significant to say on the matter. The trainer also talked about his interest in psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience. He had a great influence on my studies from that moment onward.
The speech themes were cleverly disguised to allow the student to discuss themselves, their values, their preferences, and priorities. Some people don’t like talking about themselves, but in this speaking in public course, talking about everyday philosophical themes was so easy.
