PUBLIC SPEAKING
Public speaking is one of the vital skills in this day and age. For some, this skill seems like a natural talent, but for most others, it is an acquired one. Age cannot be a barrier to learn any skill.
“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death” – Albert Einstein.
Every sphere in life requires you to speak effectively: be it at a job, or to make videos, or at a virtual conference; the skill is for everyone, from a student to a teacher to anyone who wishes to communicate well.
I’ve always admired people who speak at different platforms. Their body language oozes confidence, their voice is well-modulated, their pauses and intonation set the right mood, they make their story so dramatic, and the content flows so smoothly! I have always wondered how do they speak for a long stretch, continuously peppering the content with interesting facts and anecdotes.
I found a lot of information on the Internet, but AASHA’s public speaking course changed my life. Their well-structured course aims at achieving three primary goals using the golden 3C concept of Clarity, Confidence, and Coherence:
(1) How to deliver a powerful and captivating opening
(2) How to keep the content flowing naturally with lots of incidents, examples all connected to the main point
(3) How to wrap it up with a satisfactory conclusion.
The course highlighted crucial preparation tips. The first part is to develop content, and the second is to have a list of key points written down to keep us on track and help to navigate, in case we lost track. This tip also ensures that the audience is kept engrossed throughout. At the end of the course, we were given the task to present an impromptu speech, to be reviewed by peers, using all the tips and tricks learnt during the course.
The volunteers of AASHA are periodically offered opportunities to upskill and diversify their growth prospects through AASHA’s courses (free of cost for volunteers). I consider myself very fortunate that I could avail of their public speaking course and improve my presentation skills.
I can see the change, already. I’m more self-assured, confident, and bold while speaking. I love the new me!
THANK YOU
– R R Shriya
Aasha Infinite Foundation 