Galactic Activity 5

This can be a think on your feet activity together with interpreting imagery. A person is given a picture either before the meeting or at the meeting and needs to prepare a speech that is relevant to the picture.
OR
It can be a presentation which describes and analyzes or critiques a picture which is provided before or at the meeting

Activity 5 – A picture tells a thousand words

Duration: 3-4 mins
Applicable Streams: Personal challenge, Sales, Learning & Development, Inspiration/Motivation

Aim

In this activity you are aiming to:

To entertain or inform your audience about the subject matter of a picture, converting visual images to words.

Objectives

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

  1. Structure a speech around a number of concepts linked to a visual image.
  2. Provide information to your audience to understand (a version of) what the image represents
  3. Convince your audience of the credibility of your description

The Why…

You may be asked to comment on something which you have not had time to research or have little or no knowledge of; this activity is good practice for when you’re put in those situations and need to:

  • Think on your feet,
  • Draw on your own knowledge to build a story,
  • Be creative, and
  • Be persuasive.

Where do I start?

  • Study the picture as soon as you have it.
  • Look for items that tell a story, or that you have a story to tell about.

The How

Specific guidelines on how to tackle this activity.

You will be provided with a picture; you will have either minimal or no notice before you must begin presenting. Your goal is to give a speech/presentation based on the picture.

  • Look for details which stand out about the subject matter of the picture and pick two or three things you will focus on. Try to come up with two or three things about each of these key details.
  • If you have knowledge of the subject matter, think about how to put this knowledge together and present it in a meaningful (and interesting) way.
  • Quickly decide on a structure – opening (what will grab people’s attention) and conclusion – and then fill in the middle.

Tips and traps

Tips:

  • Know what you are going to end with for the most convincing or powerful impact.
  • When describing the image to the audience, think about describing it to someone who is vision impaired – what features would you point out? Consider these prompts:
    • What’s in the foreground? What’s in the background?
    • Is it inside or outside?
    • What colours are there? What shades are those colours? (Earthy? Bright? Pastel? Dark?)
    • If there are people or animals, what emotions do you see?
    • Why do you think that? What tells you about the mood of the image?
    • What does it remind you of?

Traps:

  • Rambling because you’re not sure what to say. If you can’t think of anything to say, pause and let your thoughts catch up with you.

Guidelines for Program Director:

  • Provide a resource list for pictures.
  • For variation, give the picture at the beginning of the meeting, or just before the activity, to be more challenging.