Launchpad Activity 1

Introducing and talking about yourself is something you’re called on to do a lot in the business and corporate worlds and even in personal or community situations , but it can be nerve-wracking, so this activity will help you to structure and deliver a short piece about yourself, easily.

Activity 1 – About Me

Duration: 3 mins
Pre-requisites: As this is the first activity in the Core Development Program, there are no prerequisites except that you need to be a paid up (active) member of a Rostrum Club.

Outcomes

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

  1. Stand up and speak to an audience (about yourself)

Objectives

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

  • Tell the audience something about yourself
  • Choose 3 points that will be of interest to the audience
  • Keep the speech under 3 minutes

The Why…

The purpose of this activity is two-fold:

  1. to help you break the ice
  2. to help club members get to know you

Introducing and talking about yourself is something you’re called on to do a lot in the business and corporate worlds and even in personal or community situations , but it can be nerve-wracking, so this activity will help you to structure and deliver a short piece about yourself, easily.

Where do I start?

Start preparing this activity by thinking about the interesting or unusual aspects of you and your life. Ask your partner and close friends and work colleagues what they think is unique or unusual or interesting about you. You can start with things like your job or occupation, or your cultural background, or your hobbies or interests. Just choose 3 or 4 main points, and expand on each of them.

The How

Specific guidelines on how to tackle this activity.

Your objectives:

To tell the audience something about yourself

  1. Think about your background, your interests, your travel or work history, anything that relates to You – decide on 3 things you are comfortable to talk about.
  2. Choose the things that you enjoy talking about and feel comfortable about sharing; this will make for an easier, more relaxed delivery.

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

  1. Avoid including too much information
  2. Avoid a chronological list of events
  3. Choose something that people would find surprising or wouldn’t expect
  4. Beware of ‘oversharing’ (it could be embarrassing!)
  5. Avoid things that may be inappropriate or offensive
  6. It is wise to avoid topics around religion and politics
  7. Rostrum is not a platform to market or sell your products or services

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

Resources that may be helpful

  1. Links to speaking hacks (#7, #9 etc)
  2. Video links
  3. How to sheets