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 of 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

of 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