Launchpad Activity 2

In your day to day life, you will frequently need to answer questions and give your opinion in a structured way. This activity is deliberately programed before the “asking a question” activity because it enables you to speak comfortably about a subject by giving your opinion.

Activity 2 – Answer a Topical Question (with Notice)

Duration: 2 mins
Pre-requisites: Activity 1

Outcomes

By the end of this activity, you will be able to:

  1. Give the audience an understanding of your point of view

Objectives

To do this, you will need to keep the following objectives in mind:

  • Form an opinion

  • Prepare and provide two supporting arguments

  • Give an answer to the question

The Why…

In your day-to-day life, you will frequently need to answer questions and give your opinion in a structured way. This activity is deliberately programmed before the “asking a question” activity because it enables you to speak comfortably about a subject by giving your opinion.

Where do I start?

There’s no preparation required for this activity prior to the meeting. You’ll be told at the beginning of the meeting what the question is so you can start thinking about your point of view once you are told the question. Don’t actually prepare an answer – wait until the question has been delivered to you at the meeting. Once you’ve heard the question, have in your mind the 2 or 3 points that are the centre of your opinion. (You might want to jot down a couple of bullet points.)

The How

Specific guidelines on how to tackle this activity.

Your objectives:

Form an opinion

  1. As soon as you hear the question, decide what your opinion is, and why. Find as many reasons as possible to back up your answer. If necessary jotting down some notes and putting them into a logical sequence may help.

  2. If your ‘answer’ is conditional (i.e. under these circumstances I agree, under those circumstances I disagree), try to give solid reasoning for your opinions.

    .

Choose 3 points that will be of interest to the audience (for example, your biography, your hobbies, your career path, your family).

  1. You may choose to expand on one topic (think of 3 points to expand on, within the same topic), for example:
    1. I’m a teacher trainer, and also love travelling, so I’ve worked in lots of places overseas:
      1. year in Indonesia, studying in Yogyakarta, (getting caught in civil unrest)
      2. 2 years in Japan, living in Nagoya then Matsumoto and what I taught there
      3. Summer schools in Hong Kong, Dubai and England and the people I taught there
      4. 2.5 years in Kiribati and the project I was working on there.
  1. You may choose 3 different topics and choose the most interesting points to discuss for all of them.
    1. A little bit about my background, and interests:
      1. Country upbringing, boarding school education
      2. Career Progression: Language student (exchange programs in Indonesia and Italy), to English Teacher (countries I taught in), to Teacher Trainer, to Curriculum Developer
      3. Interests: travelling, photography (camera collection), singing (choirs and solos), cooking, culture and language learning

Keep the speech under 3 minutes

  1. Remember that 3 minutes isn’t a very long time. After you’ve allowed for an introduction and an ending, you’ve only about two minutes left for the core of your speech.
  2. Use the structure outlined above to help you construct a speech that flows naturally for you, and that you can see yourself using outside of Rostrum at work or in the community.
  3. Practise it aloud, time yourself, and adjust the content if you’re more than 30 seconds under or over 3 minutes.

Hints, tips and traps

  • Listen really carefully to the question
  • Your personal experience with the topic is a good source of material.
  • Answer the question!
  • Don’t overthink your responses – usually your first response is the best one to build on.
  • Come up with 2 or 3 points that support your argument
  • Keep your comments relevant to the question.
  • Avoid the temptation to ramble. (You will only have 2-3 minutes).
  • Don’t digress from the original question unless you can form a strong case for an alternative – but it should still be relevant.
  • Remember to give your answer clearly – at the beginning or end of your speech. (As you become more practised you’ll be able to provide your reasoning in a clear structure, finishing with your answer to the question, as part of a logical sequence of argument.)

Guidelines for Program Director:

  • When a person is allocated the activity in the Program (i.e. with notice), tell them they will be called upon to answer the Topical Question (TQ) on the day and remind them to:
    • Listen carefully to the question
    • Form an opinion
    • Prepare and provide supporting arguments
    • Give an answer to the question.