Public speaking

Right now we're preparing to give "lightning talks" related to space.

Most students are nervous about public speaking, and here's a test to see what might be causing that:
https://hbr.org/2016/11/assessment-whats-feeding-your-fear-of-public-speaking

I'm encouraging the use of Edward de Bono's 6 Thinking Hats as a way to improve the quality and appeal of talks:

White hat: Give information - "The facts, just the facts."

Yellow hat: A bright and optimistic attitude, exploring the positives, demonstrating value and benefit.

Black Hat: Exercise judgement - spot the difficulties and dangers; where things might go wrong. Probably the most powerful and useful of the Hats but a problem if overused.

Red Hat: When using this hat you can express emotions and feelings and share fears, likes, dislikes, loves, and hates.

Green Hat: Focus on creativity; the possibilities, alternatives, and new ideas. It's an opportunity to express new concepts and new perceptions.

Blue Hat: Manage the thinking process and bring everything in your presentation together.

When it comes to creating slides, why not try the Takahashi method? Masayoshi Takahashi came up with this method as a way to reduce his own nervousness and help him focus when speaking in public. It's very simple: you can have as many slides as you like, but each one can only contain up to 2 words - preferably simple and short words.

The lightning talk requires great discipline. Every bit of the talk must pass the "so what?" test. Here's an example:

Sputnik 1 was launched in 1957.

So what?

It was the first human made object to be put into space.

So what?

It was the start of the "space age" in which countries raced to explore space,
the USA created NASA and scientists gained access to new ways to study the earth.

Ok...

So now you can create a single sentence, summing up that "so what" conversation:

In 1957, as Sputnik 1 circled the earth, the space age was born,
opening up new ways to learn about the universe and our own planet.