What a jam-packed three days!
I, along with eight other individuals who all work in the agricultural sector, completed a furiously fulfilling three-day course at Madingley Hall. The course, hosted by Susie Emmett, explored a wide range of essential communication skills, from crafting a memorable first impression when introducing yourself to mastering the art of conducting interviews and delivering presentations. The course, which was fully funded by The Felix Cobbold Trust and The Morley Agricultural Foundation, empowers individuals from all areas of the sector to confidently communicate their work and discoveries to anyone.
Building body language and beating nerves
A massive take-home message for me was the importance of body language when communicating. Often, I focus too much on the words I speak and forget how I am physically presenting myself. Using hands gestures enables me to emphasise points, clarify messages and convey emotions that I may not be able to express when just speaking. Eye contact enables me to establish a connection with the audience which helps to keep them absorbed in what I am saying. It’s not just about the words we say, it’s about how we say them!
I have always struggled with nerves when participating in in any form of public speaking- an increased heart rate, brain fog and that uneasy feeling in my stomach would take over, even when presenting to a small group of people! However, the environment that Susie created throughout the course was wonderfully relaxed and supportive which enabled me to manage those overwhelming feelings and focus more on my communication performance! By embracing every challenge Susie set over the three days, I gradually broke down those barriers of nervousness and began to genuinely enjoy speaking to others about the topics I know best.
Communication is a performance
Using language deliberately and concisely is essential in communicating successfully. We practiced this by describing photographs of random objects to the team under timed conditions without them seeing the photograph. We then scored each other’s performance out of 20 – we were all incredibly competitive so improved greatly throughout the exercise! On the third day, we created a short video on our take-home messages of the course. Not only did this put our performance skills to the test, but filming ourselves doing it was something completely out of our comfort zone!
Putting it into practice
This course has significantly boosted my confidence and enhanced my communication skills. As a data analyst, my role depends on presenting findings and results to a wide range of different audiences. Thanks to this course, I now have the right tools to competently engage and tailor my message to any audience!