Effective Public Speaking (POSTPONED)

This weekend courses for adults is designed to help you develop your own unique style when speaking in public.

Over two days you will build your confidence speaking in public by developing your preparation and delivery skills, developing techniques to cope with performance anxiety and learning to speak with confidence and assurance.

Experienced tutor Ann Russell will help you learn to structure and organise your ideas to maximise your impact.

Let’s start thinking of presenting as a pleasure not a chore!

We all want to be able to express ourselves with clarity and ease. However, many people are hampered by nerves which limit their ability to communicate. Over many years Ann Russell has worked with people from various walks of life and has developed a programme which has helped them overcome their fear of speaking in public.

A successful speaker is one who is:

- Clear and confident
- At ease with his or herself
- Flexible and Responsive
- Varied in tone
- Audible!

This course will help you to develop awareness of habits that limit you, to understand and address performance anxiety and assist you to speak with confidence and assurance.

This is not about getting you to speak in a particular way; our aim is to help you develop your own unique style and express your individuality. You will be introduced to exercises designed to help ease of delivery, to eliminate unnecessary tension, improve posture together with techniques to improve the quality and tone of the voice and to develop greater flexibility, resonance and depth.

You will also be helped structure and organise your ideas to maximise your impact and make your message clear and direct.
Participants are asked to come with a short presentation prepared (5 minutes max). A laptop and overhead projector will be provided if you wish to use these for your presentation or feel free just to use notes.

To get the most from the sessions:

• Please come dressed in clothes that allow freedom of movement. Track suits are fine and flat comfortable shoes essential.
• Make sure you have access to water.
• We can offer suggestions for your first presentation if you wish, however feel free to choose your own topic if you prefer.
• For your second presentation you can (again if you wish) choose the type of subject matter you would present in the course of your work.
• Please feel free to use visual aids for either presentation as you see fit.
  

List of (suggested) subjects for presentations:
1. Is advertising a necessary evil?
2. Are school days the happiest days of your life?
3. Does society need rules?
4. What are the advantages of being married/single?
5. Is it wise to trust news/facts on the internet or the news?
6. Is reality TV making us stupid?
7. What’s in a name?
8. Privacy – is it overrated?
9. Arts Festivals – are they a waste of time and money?
10. Is education the key to success?
11. Can money buy happiness?
12. Staycation – holidaying at home, the advantages and disadvantages.
13. Should organ donation be compulsory?
14. Is beauty only skin deep?
15. The battle of the Sexes – has the war been won or lost?
16. Is education the key to solving the crime problem?
17. Political Parties – should they be funded by the state.
18. Are we becoming slaves to fashion?
19. Computer games should carry a health warning!
20. Shopping – is it the religion of the 21st century!
21. Is honesty always the best policy?
22. Does TV deaden or broaden the mind?
23. Life gets better as you get older.
24. Style not honesty is the key to success.

About Ann Russell

Ann Russell is a free lance actor and director. She trained with the late Deirdre O’Connell at the Focus Stanislavski Studio and at The Strasberg Institute in NYC. She has an MA in Modern Drama from UCD and a Licentiate Diploma from the London College of Music and Drama. She has her own school Russell Academy (www.russellacademy.ie) where she trains specialist drama teachers. In the area of public speaking, Ann has developed courses for individuals and organisations that have helped speakers improve their technique, manage performance nerves and eliminate unhelpful habits.