Public speaking and storytelling are essential for inspiring partners and garnering support for conservation and development goals.
The Global Wildlife Program (GWP), funded by the GEF and led by the World ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP, organized two workshops aimed at improving public speaking and storytelling skills for GWP project teams. The workshops were led by instructors from , a renowned institution in communication and leadership training, and 64 participants from 29 countries joined to learn how to engage listeners and deliver compelling presentations. Participants gained confidence in sharing their conservation stories with diverse audiences.
Five key takeaways from the workshop:
Preparation is the most important step to becoming an effective public speaker. Before you begin, ask yourself: Who is my audience? What is the purpose of my presentation? What are the
major points I will make, and with what supporting ideas and evidence?
Use an interesting opening such as a surprising statement, a question, or a story to draw your listeners in.
Delivery makes presentations come alive. Use techniques such as word emphasis, pauses, pacing, voice modulation, phrasing, and movement to capture your audience¡¯s attention and communicate with greater impact.
Handle a question-and-answer session confidently. You can invite questions during a discussion round by saying ¡°Who has the first question?¡±, or if there are no questions, you can state and answer your own question to start a discussion.
Take time to craft closing remarks that leave a positive lasting impression and fulfill your objectives, whether that is to inform, persuade, or inspire the audience.
With these tips, participants were trained to use the power of presentations to deliver memorable and effective talks, share the impacts of their conservation work, and communicate with partners and stakeholders. Additionally, participants from India, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Panama, and Tanzania had the opportunity to attend small-group coaching sessions to deliver mock presentations and practice these skills with the instructors.
¡°The session was very useful. I learned more on being concise with presentations, structuring them based on the simple tips that David shared with us, and on the flow of ideas for the presenter to meet intended objectives of the presentation with the audience.¡± ¨C Damas, Tanzania
¡°David¡¯s coaching helped me re-connect with the WHY and keep the presentation simple to connect better with the audience.¡± ¨C Ricardo, Panama
