About this document
![Characters Ashley and Abeeku in a discussion with a third character in a modern room with a mountain view, built-in shelves, and a TV displaying the word](https://support.bodyswaps.co/hs-fs/hubfs/JIS_1.jpeg?width=1152&height=648&name=JIS_1.jpeg)
Bodyswaps’ VR simulations are a great way to develop and practise public speaking and presentation skills. But to help learners make the most of these opportunities, we have created some offline exercises for them to complete before they put their headset on.
Ideally, learners should complete these exercises a day or two before starting the simulation to have sufficient time to reflect on what they discover.
If learners aren’t able to complete these exercises beforehand, they can still benefit from taking a few minutes to think about them just before they start the relevant activity in VR.
Once learners have completed an activity, the best way to boost learning outcomes and maximise chances of success is by practising what they have learned - a lot!
We have also suggested some exercises they can do once they take the headset off to extend the benefits of the training.
This document collates the offline exercises in relation to each individual activity.
Learners can do these exercises alone or in discussion with others. It may help them to keep notes on these activities.
Introduction
Introduction
Say Something
Objective
Learn how to effectively communicate with an audience
Goals
- Feel calm, focused and in control of your body, mind and senses when speaking for an audience
- Use your voice and body language to enhance your words
- Build a genuine connection with your audience
- Deliver a message that your audience won’t forget
Countdown to calm
Composure: Grounding activity
Whenever you feel anxiety rising, you can use this technique to help you to feel calm, focused and in control of your body, mind and senses.
Look around you and make a mental note of…
- 5 things you can see
- 4 things you can feel
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 thing you can taste
Following this practice can help you to break the downward spiral of negative thoughts and anxiety by reconnecting with the present moment.
Now, you’re ready to begin.
Non-verbal basics
Performance: Body language observation
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Mastering good body language
Whether you’re speaking to one person or a whole crowd, here are four easy ways to improve your performance:- Upright, open posture
- Make eye contact with everyone in the room
- Show the palms of your hands
- Compliment your words with natural gestures
Vocalises
Performance: Vocalises
Vocalises - Vocal Exercises
Here is a reminder of the vocalises we did in the session, plus some new ones for you to try at home.
- Inhale, exhale
- Big yawn
- Boh, boh, boh, boh…
- La, la, la, la…
- Weee ahhh, weee ahhh…
- The lips, the teeth, the tip of the tongue…
- Pa ta ka, pa ta ka, pa ta ka, pa ta ka…
- Ka ta pa, ka ta pa, ka ta pa, ka ta pa…
- Red leather, yellow leather, red leather, yellow leather
- A big black bug bit a big black bear and the big black bear bled blue black blood
Voice shaping
Performance: Voice shaping
Using volume
An engaging speaker varies their volume throughout their speech to enhance engagement levels.
- Increase your volume to build excitement or enthusiasm.
- Use a meduim volume to show confidence and for comfortable listening.
- Reduce your volume to emphasise an important point or gain attention.
Projecting your voice
To speak more loudly without straining your voice or shouting, learn how to project your voice from your diaphragm. Here’s how:
- Stand with one hand on your chest and one on your belly
- Breathe deeply and focus on moving the belly hand with your breath - not the chest hand
- Take a deep breath and speak from your belly, your voice should be loud and strong.
How to speak for 1 minute (or longer)
An engaging speaker varies their volume throughout their speech to enhance engagement levels.
- Your answer doesn’t have to be true - be creative with the truth!
- Ask yourself a question out loud (e.g. “My favourite food is ice cream. Why do I like ice cream so much? Well, for one thing…”
- Talk about the who, what, why, where, when and how of your answer
- Add details
- Describe your emotions
- Be silly and have fun!
Using intonation
Exaggerated intonation - associated with joy, enthusiasm and energy, but can become tiring after a while.
Medium intonation - easy to listen to, associated more with neutral attitudes, confidence and calm.
Monotone - harder to understand, often related to negative emotions.
Verbal pacing
Performance: Verbal pacing
If you want to learn how to command an audience, check out these famous speakers.
Martin Luther King Jr. - I Have a Dream - slow and deliberate
Steve Jobs - Standford Commencement Address - a measured pace
Tony Robbins - Why Do We Do What We Do? - Rapid-fire delivery
Michelle Obama - 2016 National Democratic National Convention - A masterclass in body language and pacing
Brené Brown - The Power of Vulnerability - Speaking to connect
Malala Yousafzai - Nobel Peace Prize Speech - Speaking to persuade
Olivia Coleman - 2019 Oscar Acceptance Speech - proof that being your authentic self can get a standing ovation
Greta Thunberg - 2019 UN Climate Action Summit - An emotional performance on the world stage
How to speak for 1 minute (or longer)
- Your answer doesn’t have to be true - be creative with the truth!
- Ask yourself a question out loud (e.g. “My favourite food is ice cream. Why do I like ice cream so much? Well, for one thing…” Talk about the who, what, why, where, when and how of your answer
- Add details
- Describe your emotions
- Be silly and have fun!
Verbal pacing
Transcript of ‘Speaking fast and speaking slow’
Why is speaking pace important?
If you want people to listen when you speak… if you want to have the power of persuasion, pace is important. But what is the ideal speed for maximum effect?
Well, that depends…
Your rate of speech is a highly individual thing and influenced by many factors. For example, some cultures naturally speak faster than others. If you grew up in a large family where you had to compete for attention, you might have learned to speak fast in order to get your words in.
Even your personality influences how fast you speak. Extroverts often speak more quickly because they think as they speak, while introverts are more likely to think before they speak and hence, speak more slowly.
But which is best?
Well… Some studies show that speaking more rapidly makes you seem more intelligent because speed implies certainty. While others show that speaking at a more measured pace makes you sound smarter because you seem more confident and thoughtful.
If you’re thinking a mile-a-minute, you might find you need to speak fast just to keep up with your own thoughts. But fast talking is often interpreted as a sign of nervousness - hurrying your words in order to ‘get it over with’ as quickly as possible.
Speaking more slowly gives more weight and power to your words and it can help your audience by giving them more time to process what you are saying. But if you speak too slowly, their attention could waver. More rapid speech conveys energy and passion.
So what to do - speak fast or speak slow? The answer, of course, is to mix it up!
Your authentic voice
Charisma: Your authentic voice
If you want to learn how to command an audience, check out these famous speakers.
You can think on your feet, excel at helping people to understand complex information and are good with facts and figures.
You might find that you feel most natural and authentic presenting well-researched factual information in a logical and easy-to-understand format.
You’re diplomatic, thoughtful and inspiring. You like to help people to work out their own solutions rather than just telling them what to do.
You might find that you give your most authentic performances when you’re speaking on an emotional level - human to human - and presenting practical information that your audience can apply in their own lives.
You gravitate towards conversations about theories and concepts rather than thoughts and feelings. And you like to use your knowledge to give advice to others.
You might find that you’re most comfortable presenting recommendations, reports and case studies that are supported by research and data.
You know what you like and want to share your thoughts with others so they can benefit from your experience.
You might find that your most authentic - and persuasive - performances come when you use metaphors and stories to share ideas and perspectives that really mean something to you.
Beginning, middle, end
Content: Structuring the beginning, middle and end of your presentation
For this activity, we looked at three TED Talks:
Jamie Oliver - Teach every child about food
Amy Cuddy - Your body language may shape who you are
David Blaine - How I held my breath for 17 minutes
Watch the talks and think about how each speaker approached the beginning, middle and end of their speech. What are the similarities and differences in their structure?
Speaking to inform:
- Start with a hook - a question, a joke or an interesting fact or statistic.
- Three key points - a trio of events has more impact on your audience than any other number
- Close with a call to action - what do you want your audience to do with that information
Speaking to influence:
- Identify a problem - something your audience cares about
- Present your solution- evidence your claims with examples, comparisons, metaphors, case studies and stories
- Say it again- reframe the problem and solution in case they forget
Speaking to inspire:
- Set the scene - who’s the hero of this story? What is their mission?
- Introduce the conflict- this is what holds people’s attention
- Describe the climax - What was the outcome? And what was the point of it all?
Simulation
Simulation
Key public speaking skills
- Compose yourself - You’ll perform best when you’re calm, focused and in control of your body, mind and senses
- Remember your non-verbal basics:
- Upright, open posture
- Expansive, friendly, functional gestures
- Eye contact
- Shape your…
- Volume
- Intonation
- Speaking pace