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Course dates

Due to the developing Covid-19 situation, Goldsmiths has unfortunately had to suspend all face-to-face teaching, including on Short Courses. Many of our courses are already available via live distance learning, and we are working towards offering most courses online going forward. For more information about taking short courses remotely, please get in touch using the email in the Enquiries section below.

Starting date, Saturday 23 May 2020
10-5pm | 1 day
Book now

Course overview

Effective public speaking is one of the most powerful communication tools, and yet many of us fear it. This course will help you identify and overcome the barriers holding you back from your full public speaking potential. Fear of public speaking is not something to fear, but something to challenge, control, and defeat.

Distance Learning

This course will be taught via distance learning in Spring and Summer 2020, and we are pleased to offer participants a 20% discount for sessions starting in April and May 2020. Please email us at the email below to request a discount code.

Learn to face your fear of public speaking

This course covers public speaking techniques, methods and skills effective in strengthening confidence and combatting your fear of public speaking.

It will help you understand the origins of nervousness, where yours stems from, and how to use this knowledge to combat it. Similarly, you will develop your understanding of confidence, its origins, and how to use this knowledge to build natural confidence when public speaking.

You will also learn to minimise the negative impact an audience's reactions can have on your nervousness, and how to remain confident. The course will teach you techniques for gaining control over a talk, both in terms of delivering the talk with minimal notes, and managing content on the fly to accommodate changes in the available time.

As every person is different, the course also equips you with methods to combat your specific fear of public speaking, techniques suited to improving your confidence. You will have the opportunity to practice your public speaking and be given personalized feedback. The course will teach you immediate and long-term techniques for dealing with your lack of confidence and fear of public speaking.

Who is this course for

This course is for anyone and everyone! Anyone who experiences anxiety at the thought of speaking publicly, and wants to learn to combat it, as well as those wishing to improve their confidence in public speaking. 

Previous participants have included executives, managers, researchers, bankers, advertisers, lecturers, solicitors, and other professionals, as well as students.

Why study our public speaking courses

Effective public speaking is rooted in a knowledge of human psychology, including how the human mind processes, accepts, and rejects information, and how this process can be influenced.

Our public speaking courses are designed by multidisciplinary specialists. Our tutors have experience in advocacy (e.g. the English Bar), psychology, cognitive science, and influence/persuasion.  They also have extensive international experience with public speaking delivery and teaching.

Class sizes are limited to eight per group, which allows every participant multiple opportunities to practice, and lets our tutors give lots of personalised feedback. 

Related courses

If you are interested in this short course, you might be interested in the following:

Public speaking and presenting – a one-day course, covering all key aspects of public speaking.

Decision making and the mind: weaknesses, biases and persuasion – a one-day course suitable for anyone wishing to learn about persuasion and mind influences and how they penetrate our mind to affect decision making. Understanding psychological processes at the core of decisions and communication are essential to effective public speaking.

Fees

£275

Booking information

Disability Support

We are committed to providing reasonable teaching adjustments for students with disabilities that may impact on their learning experience. If you require adjustments, please complete the relevant section on the booking form and also contact us at shortcourses (@gold.ac.uk) so we can respond to your requests as soon as possible. 

Please note our short courses sell-out quickly, so early booking is advisable.

Discounts

  • 10% if you are taking two courses in consecutive weeks
  • 20% UK students
  • 25%Members of the UK Law and Society Association (UKLSA) 
  • If five people register from the same institution for the same intake, the fifth place is free
  • Goldsmiths students, staff and alumni - email us for current discounts

Refund policy: See AIR courses main page 

Starting date, Saturday 23 May 2020
10-5pm | 1 day
Book now

Enquiries

If you have any questions about this course please contact air (@gold.ac.uk) or call +44 (0)20 7078 5468.

For information on our upcoming short courses please sign up to our mailing list.

Tutor information


Fatos Selita

This course is directed by Fatos Selita, an English barrister and a New York State Attorney with training in Psychology, Genetics and Mind Influences. Fatos has more than nine years of experience in delivering public speaking training internationally, and is a trainer in Mind Influences on Decision making. He is also the director of the 'Psychology for Lawyers: Brain, Mind and Behaviour' and 'Decision Making: Brain, Mind and Behaviour' courses.

 

Learning outcomes

On this short course, you will: 

  • Learn public speaking techniques and methods effective for overcoming nervousness and improving confidence
  • Learn to distinguish between inner and external confidence, understand related benefits and disadvantages, and how to use this knowledge to develop inner confidence
  • Learn how to gain control over the talk and deliver a talk with minimal notes or slides, and how to build a positive atmosphere in the audience and connect with audiences in a way that helps with confidence and combatting nervousness
  • Learn techniques specific to you for improving public speaking. You will also be given the opportunity to work on specific areas of interest such as presentation in board meetings, viva /exam presentations and conference talks

Course structure

Day One: Developing your public speaking skills

You will learn the key skills needed to become an excellent speaker, including:

  • Voice 
  • Pronunciation/clarity of words
  • Intonation 
  • Articulation
  • Language during a speech 
  • Body language

Day Two: Preparing for a talk and speaker personality

You will be taken through how to prepare for a public speech step-by-step. This will include:

  • Elements of public speaking 
  • Order of preparation 
  • How to have control of your speech, including how to tailor the length of a presentation to
  • unexpected changes in the time available.
  • Understanding audiences 
  • How to adapt public speaking to diverse audiences
  • How to write an impactful speech (how to plan the wording of a talk), including techniques

You will also explore personality in relation to public speaking, including.

  • How to improve understanding of oneself (e.g. personality characteristics, views) and designing your public speaking accordingly
  • How to identify personal barriers to public speaking and work on their removal
  • How to use own personality strengths effectively to build a positive atmosphere in the room
  • How to develop own brand

Day Three: minimising nervousness, building confidence, protecting from unwanted influences/propaganda

You will be taken through a step by step guide on how to minimise nervousness and build confidence, including:

  • What is nervousness
  • Distinguishing nervousness from shyness
  • Techniques for immediate solutions for dealing with nervousness
  • Techniques for long term solutions for reducing nervousness
  • Techniques for improving confidence 

You will also learn about powerful techniques used by public speakers and influencers, and how to identify them.

Day Four: speech delivery

Participants will learn to apply all skills, techniques and knowledge for effective public speaking, including:

  • Clarity of expression
  • Talking without aids
  • Resistance from the audiences
  • Effective sequence of information
  • Understanding of attention span
  • Working memory resources and energy of the audience
  • Dealing with questions and media
  • Public speaking as persuasion
  • Public speaking in specific contexts

Day Five: Intensive practice, personalised feedback and guidance

You will practice putting together all the knowledge and techniques acquired during the course. This is a day of intensive practice and feedback, and focuses on how to enjoy public speaking and presenting.

You will get help with your specific areas of interest, such as conference preparation and classroom presentations, oral exams, short tours (e.g. museum), speaking in meetings, job interviews, and everyday communication.

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