On October 5th, Alan Devine came to the school in the hopes of improving our Transition Year's public speaking ability and skills. As he is a well-known actor; portraying the character of Louie Gleeson on the Irish television 'Fair City', I am sure Alan turned quite a few heads walking around the halls of Portumna Community School. Alan's high status meant that it was easier to pay attention to his presentation and our class was on our best behavior.
We began the morning concentrating on our first impressions and what they say about us. We learned that first impressions are very important in environments such as job interviews where the employer has made up their mind about your employment in just five seconds of your introduction. Alan taught us how to stand properly when delivering a speech to a crowd. He put emphasis on stamping out 'jelly legs' which most of the class suffered from. Alongside Alan's talk, we played fun interactive games. Our first group activity was 'Here's a good one'. Every member of the class had to stand in front of the audience and recite a pre-written joke. This improved our walk and boosted our confidence.
After break we returned and started the session with fun game called 'Old King Cole'. This was a more challenging game which involved concentration, a good memory and commanding the body. After a long game, a lone victor was finally crowned and we returned to our seats. Alan proceeded to work on our 'eye connection' as it is vital in delivering an interesting speech. Different students were chosen from the group to stand in front of their audience and hold eye contact with each peer for at least three seconds. Many people found this task challenging and some found it a bit nerve-wrecking. After a tough two hours, Alan released us for lunch.
After lunch, we played a verbal game of 'charades'. Everyone had to describe a word written for them on a piece of paper and then the rest of the class had to guess the word they were describing. This was very fun and we saw certain people's compeitative streaks as no-one wanted to lose. Alan continued to tell us about our task to be completed for Friday 13th. I immediately set about composing my speech to be prepared for delivering my speech in front of my class. Alan gave us some inspiration for our speeches as he told us about some other speeches that stood out in his memory.
We closed the day playing a game incorporating hand gestures, strong walk, eye contact and speaking. I found the game funny as it was clear to see who found it hard to command their arms at the same time. Overall the class passed with flying colours and enjoyed ourselves in the process.
We began the morning concentrating on our first impressions and what they say about us. We learned that first impressions are very important in environments such as job interviews where the employer has made up their mind about your employment in just five seconds of your introduction. Alan taught us how to stand properly when delivering a speech to a crowd. He put emphasis on stamping out 'jelly legs' which most of the class suffered from. Alongside Alan's talk, we played fun interactive games. Our first group activity was 'Here's a good one'. Every member of the class had to stand in front of the audience and recite a pre-written joke. This improved our walk and boosted our confidence.
After break we returned and started the session with fun game called 'Old King Cole'. This was a more challenging game which involved concentration, a good memory and commanding the body. After a long game, a lone victor was finally crowned and we returned to our seats. Alan proceeded to work on our 'eye connection' as it is vital in delivering an interesting speech. Different students were chosen from the group to stand in front of their audience and hold eye contact with each peer for at least three seconds. Many people found this task challenging and some found it a bit nerve-wrecking. After a tough two hours, Alan released us for lunch.
After lunch, we played a verbal game of 'charades'. Everyone had to describe a word written for them on a piece of paper and then the rest of the class had to guess the word they were describing. This was very fun and we saw certain people's compeitative streaks as no-one wanted to lose. Alan continued to tell us about our task to be completed for Friday 13th. I immediately set about composing my speech to be prepared for delivering my speech in front of my class. Alan gave us some inspiration for our speeches as he told us about some other speeches that stood out in his memory.
We closed the day playing a game incorporating hand gestures, strong walk, eye contact and speaking. I found the game funny as it was clear to see who found it hard to command their arms at the same time. Overall the class passed with flying colours and enjoyed ourselves in the process.