The European University of the Atlantic (UNEATLANTICO) is launching a public speaking course to prepare students for the eighth edition of the Debate League for university and pre-university students. The workshop will bring together three experts in communication, politics and public speaking from 10 to 14 February.
Mónica Bóbeda, creator of ‘El Show de la Palabra’, trainer in public speaking techniques and with 20 years of experience in the field of communication and leadership, was in charge of opening the public speaking course under the name: ‘Learn to manage your fear of public speaking’.
The course was opened with an inaugural speech by the UNEATLANTICO Vice-Chancellor, Rubén Calderón, in which he emphasised the importance of public speaking and the ability to express oneself in any professional environment, with the public speaking course being a great opportunity to gain experience in public speaking. For his part, Luis Eduardo Prado, director of the Debate League, welcomed Bóbeda’s talk, urging attendees to pay attention and take advantage of this opportunity.
Bóbeda began by talking about the following statistic: ‘three out of four people are afraid of public speaking’. Based on this fact, she broke down the types of emotions that can be felt when faced with speaking in front of an audience, the ways in which we can identify what we are feeling and how to deal with each situation. ‘Emotions are the soundtrack of our lives,’ she said.
With the aim of reducing stage fright, interactive activities were carried out in which the students had to go on stage to talk about and act out certain situations. In addition, the speaker emphasised the importance of not labelling oneself with emotions and of always seeing the positive side of intrusive thoughts.