BY GOH KAIXUAN
On the 27th of January 2022, the Holistic Development Portfolio organised its second Brown Bag Session, this time with Ryan Poon sharing on Public Speaking.
Did you know that around 70% of us fear public speaking? It is normal to experience some form of stage fright or anxiety when speaking in front of crowds or in formal situations. During the session, Ryan breaks down the essence of public speaking and how to tackle it on a step by step basis, with hopes that we can present with confidence.
Sharing many useful tips from how to prepare for the presentation, through understanding the audience and context as well as injecting humour, to improving one’s confidence through body language, Ryan reiterates the key idea that we can become better at public speaking through deliberate practice.
Ryan also showcased many counterexamples to help us better understand what not to do for a presentation, and naturally weaves humour into the presentation, earning lots of laughs from the audience.
Through captivating storytelling, smooth animations, use of highly relatable examples and apt dramatisation, Ryan showed us what it means to be an engaging and informative speaker, telling a story to his audience.
Now equipped with knowledge on how to tackle the beast of Public Speaking, will our scholars be better placed to handle presentations for their research projects or OFYP in the future? Only time will tell.
Check out the slides shared here.