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Zoom in on communications Tambo Silavwe continues to provide the students with public speaking and presentation training. AMOS Associate Jean Sabwe shares his thoughts on the session: Tambo’s presentation titled “The Art of Communication” proved to be hugely invaluable for me and the rest of the attendees. He took relatively difficult concepts that are essential to effective communication (such as processing fluency) and explained it in a manner that proved to be both memorable and enjoyable. I enjoyed his insightful commentary on what creates a great speaker. He used a range of evidence which ranged from popular TedTalks to incorporating eye-opening explanations on behavioural psychology, but what I mainly appreciated was how relatable he was. He did not shy away from building a rapport with the attendees (despite how difficult it may have been due to it being via Zoom) and made us feel as involved and at ease as possible. Tambo gave great tips on how a speaker can familiarise themselves with an audience; understand the importance of good body language and what distinguishes a bad speaker to a great one. I was very grateful for this presentation.
Top communication tips We learnt that communication isn’t only about the words that we use, but also about the body language and tone of voice that we use and ways that we can tailor them according to our target audience. I learnt how to recognise and adapt to different social settings using code switching and more effective techniques such as body language and eye contact when communicating with others. I learnt that the audience you speak to determines the language that you use. A key learning for me was to stop feeling the need to carry on speaking when I have nothing to say and also stop speaking too fast. I worked on no longer rushing what I say and to take my time in order for my point to actually be received. Tambo gave me tools to help me to stop sounding disinterested by adding more passion into my speech.
