PUBLIC SPEAKING & COMMUNICATION Kashmala Qasim SPICES @ - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

PUBLIC SPEAKING & COMMUNICATION

Kashmala Qasim SPICES @ McMaster University Initiative

The SPICES Team

• What is SPICES
• Student Proposed Project for Intellectual Community

Engagement Scholarship

• A community engagement program to benefit from research done

at McMaster University, Hamilton

• Our goal: To promote healthy active living in the Islamic Community

across the Greater Toronto Area

• Who we are
• Kashmala Qasim; MiNDS (Neuroscience), MSc, PhD Candidate
• Naushin Sholapur; HRM, MSc Candidate
• Asim Siddiqui; MiNDS; MSc
• Undergraduate team

Outline

• What is Communication?
• When do we Communicate?
• Eye contact, Body Language
• Introducing the Talk
• Voice
• Humor & Anecdotes
• Improvisation
• Audience needs vs. Speaker needs
• Empathy, Safety, Non-judgmental – Counseling Tips
• Practice – Your Turn!
• Resources: ToastMasters Public Speaking Training

What is Communication

• The imparting or exchanging of information or news
• To express what you are feeling
• Means of connection between people or places, in

particular

• KEY WORD IS CONNECTION: Whatever we are saying,

it should always be a means of connecting the speaker with the audience

Qu’ranic Approach & Intention

• Surah Rahman: Allah SWT gave us the ability to speak
• Our words can provide a refreshing, enlightening

perspective

• With the permission of Allah SWT, our words can change

hearts, minds, relationships, families and lives

• Dua for Public Speaking
• EXAMPLE: Musa A.S. à fear of public speaking; how did

he handle it?

Fear of Public Speaking

• Some fear is good and even normal!
• Adrenaline rush, flushed skin à shows excitement
• TIP: Breathe deeply before starting
• TIP: Have water before and during presentation
• DISCLAIMER: Speaking is a lot of work for many people;

its draining so reward yourself!

When do we Communicate?

• Announcements (in class etc.)
• Short Talks
• Speeches
• Lectures
• Dawah
• Role Playing/Acting
• Spoken Word/Poetry
• EVERYDAY WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS

Effects of Social Media on Communication

• Texting, emoticons J ;) L LOL OMG!!! TTYL
• Being heavily involved in fiction, anime etc.
• When communicating without a screen/page/book:
• Things have to be spontaneous
• Eye contact
• Real smiles and frowns
• Body Language
• COMMUNICATION EPIDEMIC: Many of us are not

able to look each other in the eye, smile, move our hands and get our point across clearly and concisely

Before Starting to Speak…

• When we get up to speak, before we say a single word we

should be mindful of:

• Eye contact
• TIP: Look right above the eyes (forehead, or just above

that if you are feeling shy)

• TIP: Rotate head slowly to cover all parts of the room
• Body Language: Moderate movement of hands; nodding
• f head; blinking normally; smiling; laughing etc.
• DISCLAIMER: Depends on Culture as well

Using Slides/Props

• LOOK – POINT – LOOK
• Ensure entire body is towards the audience not the screen
• DO NOT READ OFF LAPTOP OR SLIDES

Introducing the Talk

• Formal Speeches:
• Time
• Addressed to Who
• Personal Intro
• Topic Intro
• Example: Good morning staff, students and fellow peers;

my name is Kashmala Qasim, from McMaster University and I will be talking about Public Speaking.

Introducing the Talk

• For other talks, follow this pattern:
• Introduce yourself (background etc.)
• Introduce topic (what, why & how)
• TIP: Nouman Ali Khan – always gives a verbal outline of

what he will talk about (time limit, topic, reason of topic choice, and lessons learned)

Voice – Volume & Tone

• Microphone – Testing, Testing…
• No Mic – No Problem: Using a louder voice (but not

screaming)

• TIP: Ask audience for feedback; can everyone hear me?
• Tone of Voice:
• Beware of a monotonous tone
• Beware of an overly animated tone
• Neither too formal nor too casual
• Conversational Style works well J

Humor & Anecdotes

• Both come with practice
• Sensible amount of humor is good
• Ensure that jokes are not offensive and relatable to most
• f the audience
• TIP: for a demographically varied audience, use a

balanced approach to humor

• Anecdotes: Putting in personal stories or experiences to

ENHANCE the talk

• Ensure you are connecting the story to the topic because

the audience may get sidetracked

Dress Code

• General Tip: Business Casual
• Dress similar to or one level above what the audience is

wearing (better to be more formal than more casual)

• Modesty works great in Public Speaking!
• Wear something comfortable
• Not fidgeting with sweater, hijaab pins, hair coming out etc.
• Not wearing heavy jewelry or makeup
• No change in pocket
• No cell phone vibrating

IMPROV

• Technical Issues
• Know your material beforehand
• Be passionate about your topic so you always have

something to discuss

• What if time runs out? Pick whatever is most important for

the audience at a given time; learn to skip over content and details

• PRACTICE: My dog ate my homework example
• TIP: You don’t have to cover everything in your notes/

slides

Audience Needs vs. Speaker Needs

• When speaking, always ask, whose need is this?
• Does what I’m saying make sense to the audience? Is it

relevant to the audience?

• EXAMPLE: Khutbahs – are we talking about relevant

topics; translating the Arabic?

• TIP: IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO TEACH THE WAY YOU

WERE TAUGHT

Feedback & Criticism

• As a speaker, you have to be open to constructive

feedback

• People may approach you after the talk and mention:
• You’re boring!
• You’re speech was too confusing/difficult to understand
• You talk too fast or too slow
• ASK YOURSELF: Whose need am I fulfilling and don’t

take it personally!

• TIP: Ask trusted family and friends for feedback for extra

words such as “Like” “Uhh” or any awkward hand movements

COUNSELLING CONNECTION

• Counselling has a lot to do with communication and public

speaking

• 4 Concepts:
• Empathy – feeling what the other is feeling; journeying

with your audience

• Safe – providing a safe space for communication of ideas
• Non-judgmental – no superiority of the speaker
• Validation – positive reinforcement
• TIP: Try to encourage, inspire, and motivate NOT

preach your ideas

PRACTICE

• Groups divided into different types of communication:
• Announcement for Class
• Make an announcement for your class that there is a bake

sale happening tomorrow; include all the relevant information

• Improvisation – in 1 minute, prepare a 1 minute speech on

“I am having a bad hair day”

Resources

• TOASTMASTERS PUBLIC SPEAKING
• Available at many high schools and universities
• Recruit a teacher/supervisor/professor
• Also available at many companies for staff
• Practice!
• Join a drama class/club; practice role-playing; watch on

YouTube award winning speeches and speakers

• www.spiceshealthyliving@gmail.com
• Make lots of Dua!!! This talent is from Allah SWT, so

why not ask Him directly?

QUESTIONS? J J