Steam greetings everyone!

I hope we're all doing fantastic today.

It was a beautiful day at work today. I had one of the most rewarding public speaking training sessions I've had in a long time.

My audience today included five teachers from the Government Bilingual Teachers' Training College Mbengwi, a clinical nutritionist from the University of Bamenda, a nurse from Florence Nightingale Higher Institution of State Registered Nurses, the principal of a government technical college (the oldest in the room at about 65 years old), and the sports director of the Government Bilingual Teachers' Training College Mbengwi.

We discussed "How to Sell Yourself" or how to properly introduce yourself so people are eager to buy what you're selling, whether it's your services or products. We also looked at "Different Kinds of Speeches." I'll be writing a post about that here soon.

After the lecture, it was time for practice, which is when the fun and engaging part of the session began.

I gave the participants exercises to help them stretch their thinking. One of them, which I call "Think on Your Toes," involved participants going to the stage one by one while I threw words at them. They had to talk about the word for a given period without any preparation. As each participant went on stage and spoke, I took notes on their strengths and weaknesses, provided them with feedback, and encouraged them to try their best not to repeat the weaknesses in the next exercises.

For the next exercise, participants had to choose a letter of the alphabet each. Once everyone had chosen a letter, I asked them to come up with any word that started with their chosen letter and give a 5-minute presentation to the audience about how that word would help them overcome adversity. Some participants started wishing they had chosen a different letter, as it was difficult to come up with a word that would help people overcome adversity. I was kind this time, though! I gave them 15 minutes each to prepare their speeches.

When it was time to present the speeches, I couldn't believe how quickly these people could adapt. They were quick learners, as everyone quickly corrected the mistakes made in the previous exercise. Not only that, but they also acted on a specific statement I made while giving them feedback on the previous exercise. I said that "speakers are actors, because 55% of effective communication is body language, and so you must act what you say." I must say, I was entertained!

Everyone incorporated their acting skills and greatly improved their energy and storytelling. They did it so well because the acting didn't take away from the message they had to share; rather, it enhanced it as everyone was entertained and informed at the same time. I was particularly impressed with the pastor/principal's session. She had us all laughing hysterically with her humor and kept us captivated by her presentation from beginning to end. When she finished, of course, she received a standing ovation because she did an excellent job.

It was a rewarding session for everyone, and we all parted ways with smiles and a sense of fulfillment.

I love this job.

Until next time,

Cheers! ✌️