Ref: PR/AFWB/2013/005
The Africa Federation Women’s Board along with the Africa Youth Network in collaboration with the Youth Affairs of KSI Jamaat of Dar-es-Salaam, conducted the above course on the 29th and 30th of June 2013 in Dar-es-Salaam, with the intention to groom the women of our community in public speaking. Br. Mujtaba Peera of Mombasa gracefully facilitated this 2-day session.
Public speaking is an important skill in today’s world however most people have the fear of speaking in public, the phobia holds them back and keeps them restricted from expression. A special course called “Purposeful Speaking” seeks to empower an individual to speak in public confidently and effectively.
It consisted of a training session and a speech delivery session where the participants were told to give a 3 minutes speech in presence of an audience. This allowed them to utilize the tips and techniques they learnt during the training seminar.
These included:
Fear Factor
Participants were trained on how to conquer the fear factor:
- How to push oneself outside their comfort zone and learn to build their confidence.
- What are the obstacles/ fears that block one from speaking in public?
- How to overcome these fears and achieve confidence?
Many people communicate but few connect
This guided the participants on how to prepare their speeches:
- We hear many speeches/lectures, but only a few inspire us, hence we should consider what is it about that persons presentation that was inspiring, and try to take those points and implement it into your own speech.
- How do address the audience and what they expect to hear (content), time duration of the speech
- Have a well structured sequence for the speech so that the listeners can follow you
- Aspire to inspire (quotes and touching stories drive the message)
It’s not what you say it’s HOW you say it
This part taught the participants how to present themselves whilst making their speeches:
- Do not read
- Make eye contact, stand up straight, it shows sign of confidence, smile
- Gestures
- Vary your tone – it overcomes monotony
- Analyze successful speakers and try to adopt their habits and traits of speaking.
Overall, the program was very educational and a lot of positive feedback was received from the participants. We would like to congratulate all the participants for facing their fears and accepting the opportunity to speak in public. We would like to wish them success as they continue their journey in public speaking.
Comments from Participants:
Sidika: …to a friend I would say: I really benefitted from the 2 day Seminar and enjoyed every moment of it despite sacrificing my weekend that also after returning back from a strenuous trip! It was worth it.
Swaleha: …I have already emailed a friend of mine to tell her how wonderful the program was and I hope they can also be part of it next time.
Masuma: …assisted with great techniques on speech writing and delivery i.e. from preparation to delivery… the lessons learnt such as conquer fear of failure, connect with audience, focus, process vs. purpose and so many more, not only can be used when speaking to an audience but also on personal level too.
Shahista: …the facilitator was encouraging and helpful. He gave individual and personalized feedback that enabled us to improve on our weaknesses and become better. Overall the whole seminar was very educational and organized.
Akila: ...the program was good and quite informative, especially the tips on how to deliver a speech and conquering your fears. It was good experience talking in public…
On behalf of the Africa Federation’s Women Board jointly with the Africa Youth Network and the Youth Affairs of the KSI Jamaat of Dar es Salaam wish to thank the Dar es Salaam Jamaat for accepting to host the program, and we are grateful to the Africa Federation for supporting this program.
We also wish to thank the Facilitator, Br. Mujtaba Peera from Mombasa, Kenya for his efforts and dedication. Thanks to all participants for being wonderful and resourceful people in the program.
SECRETARIAT
Africa Federation Women’s Board