Public Speaking

Training objectives of the course

After passing the exam, the student should:
- understand how to design and prepare a public speaking
- know how to become more engaging in front of an audience and choose the proper strategies to become an effective public speaker
- discover the importance of emotions for influencing people through a speech
- use slides and visual clues as a tool for being more persuasive

Course programme

In line with the learning outcomes, the course content includes:
- Communication theory applied to Public Speaking
- Finding the right idea: a creative process
- How to strategically design a speech: Start with the end in mind
- How to start BIG: the importance of the first minutes
- Storytelling made right: the power of a good story
- Presentation vs conversation: involving the audience
- Emotions: the king of persuasion
- Anxiety management, balance and emotional stability
- Questions: how to use them and how to manage them
- To slide or not to slide - that is the dilemma
- Delivering your key message: rhythm, timing and speed
- How to end BIG: the power of the Call To Action

Didactic Methods

The lessons are organized interactively and practically, based on continuous feedback.
The comments of the group and the teacher are valid as a comparison and as identification of the most effective solutions, also to encourage students to become familiar with the dynamics of feedback, positive or negative, with beneficial repercussions on professional awareness and the sense of teamwork.
The course will use an online community to share information and materials.

Learning assessment procedures

The exam procedure is the same for attending and non-attending students.

The exam is an individual test. It consists of a blended test: a video part (the student should record a few minutes of video), and a verbal part (explaining the sense of a particular behavior, critical feedback on the video, the confidence with the basic tools presented during the lessons).
In line with the learning outcomes and method, active participation in lessons and exercises will be considered an essential part of the assessment.
The final grade is expressed on a scale from insufficient to 30 cum laude: 1/2 of the grade is related to the quality of the video, 1/2 to the live discussion.

Students with specific learning disorders and with disabilities are invited to contact the head of the course to agree on the examination methods on the basis of their personal documentation prepared by the DiversaMENTE Office.

Reference Texts

Booklet provided by the teachers: "Public Speaking: How to win and change the world one speech at a time"

Gary Reynold, Presentation Zen
Scott Berkum, Confession of a Public Speaker
Julian Treasure, How to speak so that people want to listen (TED Talk)
Tim Urban, Inside the mind of a procrastinator (TED Talk)
Seth Godin, How to get your ideas to spread (TED Talk)
Lawrence Lessing, Laws that choke creativity (TED Talk)
Hans Rosling, Global population growth, box by box (TED Talk)

There is no program differentiation between attending and non-attending students.