blog Communication Leadership Trending | 2min Read

Why Debating Still Matters

Published on April 20, 2023

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Why Debating Still Matters

Introduction:

Debating is often associated with ancient Greece or public school, but its relevance in today’s world cannot be understated.

So, why does debating still matter?

At its core, debating teaches crucial skills that are valuable in all aspects of life:

The ability to speak confidently in public and make sense, construct a logical argument, read an audience’s reactions, and most importantly, listen to and respond to opposing arguments are all skills that are in high demand in today’s world.

Debating forces individuals to step outside of their own personal beliefs and embrace a wide variety of arguments. It teaches people to respect the other side of an argument and question their own opinions. It also encourages individuals to see the other side and to recognize that there is a commonality of capability, capacity, and sensibility among all people.

In a world where social media often encourages individuals to only seek out information that supports their own beliefs, debating is a powerful tool for overcoming the echo chamber effect. It challenges people to consider different perspectives and to engage in constructive dialogue with those who may hold opposing views.

Role of debating competitions

Debating competitions are a fantastic way to teach young people how to argue in public. These competitions require participants to construct and present persuasive arguments and to defend their positions in the face of opposition. 

This kind of training is crucial for modern life. Political events continue to remind us of the importance of persuasive arguments and good oratory that appeal not only to our rational side, but also to our emotional side.

Diversity and Debate

Debating also helps promote diversity. The more experiences and backgrounds there are on a debating team, the stronger the team becomes. This is because diversity brings a variety of perspectives and ideas to the table, which helps to broaden the scope of the debate and ensure that all viewpoints are heard.

So, should you debate?

As we move forward into an increasingly complex and interconnected world, the ability to argue effectively will only become more important. So, whether you’re a high school student or a seasoned professional, there’s never been a better time to start honing your debating skills.

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blog Communication | 3min Read

6 Habits of Highly Effective Communicators

Published on November 26, 2021

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6 Habits of Highly Effective Communicators

Communication – The bond builder

“Wise men speak because they have something to say.” This age-old adage defines the core characteristic of effective communicators. Communication is the basic bond builder among humans & the more effective the communication skill is, the better the bond will be.

Communication can make the difference between success & failure. The power of effective communication can motivate others to action and inspire new ways of thinking. It carries the potential to change the world.

But, can Communication Skills be developed? Yes!

Developing strong communication skills is especially essential when it comes to building a successful life. Effective communication, being a skill, can be inculcated & nurtured. It can be sharpened by emulating a few techniques, practices, and by participating in Effective Communication Programs.

Most of the effective communicators share a few basic traits among them. We list here a few points that are easy to practice, and when done right, can be life-changing.

1. Find resources & means to evolve

Effective communicators are always on the lookout to improve. They are well aware of their strengths & weaknesses. They think in advance about what they intend to accomplish with their words & plan accordingly. They find resources & means to constantly evolve. Among so many, one of the means is joining a Leadership Workshop or an Effective Communication course.

2. Prepare to Lead

Effective communicators are prepared to seize opportunities & lead. They find new avenues to add value, clarity & inspiration with their words & accelerate success.

3. Curiosity

How? Why? What? What if? Asking questions helps to understand the situation better & involves the people around. Soliciting suggestions is a great trait that helps them move ideas. Curiosity questions lead up to deeper conversations. This would also open up opportunities for a conversation about those conversations. You would need to stretch yourself on each conversation, this way you would come up with a variety of responses to make yourself clear.

4. Face situations

Effective communicators are ready and raring to face any situation. Their self-confidence gives them the ability to stay on top of any situation & work it into their favour through effective words.

5. Listening

Effective communicators do not just like to talk – they love to listen as much. Their interest in people & their opinions is just as genuine. They always want the benefit of other points of view. People like to be interacted with, not lectured to. Listening is as much a skill as communicating is.

6. Emotion Control

The most important trait of an effective communicator is emotion control. Emotions have a way of leading a person’s thought process. Anger, Sadness, Happiness, Fear have a way of finding expression through words. A great communicator must have control over their emotions. Clarity of thought leads to clarity in words.
Communicate better. Make a Difference.
Developing the ability to understand others helps you to connect better & make a lasting impression. Words have the power to influence & change the world. Be wise – speak when you have something to say.

Big Red Education and our Ivy Early Entrepreneur Program

In our entrepreneurial workshop – Ivy Early Entrepreneur, students go through the process of business development and leave the entrepreneur program having completed a business model canvas, competitive analysis, financial model, minimum viable product, and a pitch deck.

Students get an opportunity to learn from successful entrepreneurs who are alumni of reputed universities and are experts in their respective industries.

These experts serve as coaches guiding students through the processes of developing a business concept. Risk-Taking, Decision Making, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Communication &

Storytelling, Design Thinking & Innovation, and Opportunity Recognition are a few of the key learning areas of our program.

On successfully completing the entrepreneur workshop, the guaranteed internship will be extended to all the students within our partner firms and with most of the mentors teaching the program. Students will be provided with a certificate of participation by Big Red Education. This certificate can be used for your college portfolio.

Ivy Early Entrepreneur

11th – 17th Jan 2022

Idea Generation | Market Research | Design Thinking | Pitching

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blog Communication | 4min Read

5 Benefits of Effective Communication Training Programs

Published on May 10, 2021

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5 Benefits of Effective Communication Training Programs

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Do you hesitate from speaking in front of mass or going to a stage when given the opportunity to speak or present? Aren’t you able to express your ideas effectively? If yes, don’t worry you’re not alone.We have all gone through that fear of not being good enough or being made fun of but you know what that shouldn’t stop us from grabbing the opportunities to learn and grow.

The ability to communicate information to another person effectively and efficiently is known as effective communication. And it does not necessarily come from fluency in a particular language; it comprises information exchange, listening and understanding. Therefore, it is important for you to start at an early age to build confidence and become the strong individual youto aspire to be.

Don’t worry you don’t have to do it alone. There are many student mentorship programmes, online courses and education consultants who can help you improve your communication skills.

Especially a fully curated communication course can do wonders for you in terms of leadership development, negotiation, public speaking , presenting etc.

Here are a few reasons why you should enroll in an Effective Communication course:

Benefits of Effective Communication Training Programs

  1. Communication skills help you improve your ability to INFORM:
    Learning how to effectively convey information to an audience without leaving any holes will help you in all facets of your life, including your relationships, extracurricular activities, and, most importantly, your career. Your hefty tuition bill and endless all-nighters would be pointless if you are unable to convey the knowledge for which you have spent so much time, money and efforts, studying if you lack good communication skills.

  2. Improvements in teamwork and a collaborative mindset:
    At any stage of your life be it school, personal or professional, you will always be surrounded by people – peers, teachers, parents, friends, etc. So, in order to have a compatible relationship with all these people, you must develop the necessary emotional intelligence with all the technical knowledge to make you an all rounded personality. A good communication course can help master all these traits to improve your personality as well as social skills.

  3. Listening :
    Although speaking is an important part of any communication class, the time spent sitting rather than standing in front of other students is equally important. Public speaking workshops teach essential listening skills that will help you succeed in your career. You will gain a greater understanding of others and their expectations from you if you listen rather than just hear.

  4. Boost your confidence & Persuasive Capacity:
    We all can communicate in whichever language we are comfortable with. But, It’s no secret that there’s a huge difference in communication and good communication. A good communicator is always clear with his thoughts, ideas and is often successful leaving a mark on others. With a few speeches under your belt, you’ll soon feel confident in your writing, speaking, and creative abilities.

  5. Improves Professionalism & help in career development:
    Effective speaking skills is not only about speech but also how you should speak. Communication workshops stress on the presentation, listening, Analysis, Personal Expression, coordination and collaboration which are highly valued in the job market. There you will observe how different people interact and You’ll eventually find that everyone has their own way of speaking and articulation. Furthermore, during such training, you receive input from your fellow learners, which will help determine which aspect of communication you are already proficient in and the areas you can work on.

No matter what major you are, at some point you’ll have to persuade, influence, and inspire others to alter their opinions, intentions, and attitudes at some stage. These abilities can be honed by with a meticulously designed communication course or training programme, which usually includes a unit of convincing speeches. Here, you’ll learn important aspects of effective persuasion, such as body language, developing the ethos, voice modulation, articulation and even working on the content of your speech that appeals to the audience.

We, Big Red Education, believe that Communication skills training is important for students because communication is at the heart of successful working relationships and affirms high success. That’s why we go an extra mile for curating student oriented communication courses and training programmes guided by Shaizia Jifri Manekshaw who helps the student with her interactive session filled with visuals and drama which makes the process of learning fun and easy. There are various other indegeniuos programs that you may explore and choose as per your requirement. Also, do read the testimonials and videos by our students who have attended our workshops.

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blog Communication | 3min Read

7 Reasons for Enrolling in an Effective Communication Course

Published on April 13, 2021

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7 Reasons for Enrolling in an Effective Communication Course

 

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We have this belief at the back of our mind, that because we’ve been uttering words since we were children, we know how to communicate well.

‘Because bro.. I speak.. and words come out.. and that’s communication…’

And in a way it’s correct. Communication is something we all do, which is throwing out information. But effective communication is when that info is actually received by the listener. You could be talking to a wall for all it matters. So you think and wonder that maybe you could just learn this along the way by making mistakes. Well, you could, or you could possibly join an effective communications workshop. Here’s why:

1. Nobody teaches you this. Sadly they just don’t teach this to high school students. You learn languages in school, sure. But most of our time is spent being told to shut up and bury our heads in the books. And then there is an expectation for you to have magically learned effective communication. How? This is truly a 21st-century skill that needs to be learned somewhere.

2. Talking to people you know is easy. Talking to strangers is tough. When we’re comfortable in a group setting with friendly faces, it’s easy to relax and talk. But when you’re in a room with unfamiliar people, that is when we tense up and our worst fears come crawling. Being in a course with strangers helps us get comfortable in our own skin.

3. Your workplace is now Global. Even if you have lived in multiple cities in your own country, today’s landscape has shifted drastically in terms of your job requirements. You’re going to interact with people from different countries and different cultures. One thing might mean something here and the complete opposite elsewhere. Most courses will help you learn how to navigate these choppy waters.

4. Communication mediums are changing rapidly. At one point in time, all you could do was write letters. Even if it was to a person in a different country. Today’s tech has thrown that out the window, and we’re constantly finding novel ways to communicate. With each of these platforms, there are new rules and new obstacles which come up. Do you really want to learn it the hard way?

5. Technology has destroyed in-person communication. Sounds a little extreme, but consider why we don’t pick up calls anymore and ask people to text us instead. We’ve become too comfortable hiding behind a screen, especially with this Zoom-obsessed world. It’s made us a lot more reliant on technology and reduced our readiness to interact in person. When you’re in a course you are literally forced to speak to each other, and cannot hide behind your phone.

6. You first need clarity in your head. The biggest myth of effective communication is that it’s all about external words. But how can we forget the communication in our head? If we don’t have clarity of our thoughts, the words that come out will always be jumbled. There are tricks and methods that you can learn, which help focus the mind first, then allows the thought out to the world.

7. Because why not? This isn’t school. You aren’t getting graded. You literally cannot fail. Even if it helps you a bit, isn’t it worth it? It could provide mentorship for high school students like you. To cut out the crap and help you connect with others in a straightforward and simple manner. Maybe in university. Maybe at your future job. Maybe with every person you meet. We communicate with everyone, and that is what makes us human.

There are many ways to learn effective communication. You could do a leadership workshop, you could go through tons of videos online, or you could just create your own rules and practice on random people. The point is about always trying to improve your communication, to help get your point across with the least effort.

Can you say ‘What?’ in 10 different ways? It’s a simple exercise to learn from. Your mind is probably already running and trying different versions. We know all these things at some level, but we just don’t pay attention to them. Wouldn’t it be great if we found more ways to improve ourselves? Think and see what other exercises come up in your mind, and share below.

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blog Communication | 4min Read

What is Most Important in Public Speaking?

Published on March 6, 2021

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What is Most Important in Public Speaking?

Did you know that there is a championship for Public Speaking? People literally get on stage, talk, and then a world champion is selected. Just imagine your poetry or debate competition, but put it on a global stage with millions of eyes.

And this has probably created some pressure in your mind already – ‘Do I need to be world champion…?’

No, you don’t. We generally think of public speaking as getting on stage at a TED Talk and giving a rousing speech. Then you come off and are surrounded by hundreds of people trying to shake your hands and take selfies (pre-pandemic of course).

But public speaking is just, Speaking in public. Be it one person or a thousand, it’s about putting an idea into the mind of the person in front of you. It isn’t just about talks and speeches, it’s about getting a point across. Sure it sounds easier when it’s just one person instead of an auditorium, but effective communication is tricky either way. And the key to that is understanding who you’re talking to.

Listen. Learn. Enjoy

Most believe that public speaking it about them, the speaker. But it’s not, it’s all about the Listener. If you didn’t have anybody listening to you, it’s the same as talking to a wall. So remove yourself and your ego, start paying attention to what the listener wants. The fear of being judged also comes from not understanding who we’re talking to. What would the listener want to hear? Good speakers will always read the crowd and adjust their words. If your audience removes their phone, you’re talking to no one.

Comedians are great examples to look at. Their words need to have an immediate effect – Laughter. So they focus entirely on delivery. They understand their audience and what would be familiar to them, so they tweak their words to get an effect. Now they aren’t born with perfect lines. They try multiple versions in different settings, to see which gets the best response. They love making mistakes and being embarrassed because when they hear laughter, they know they are hitting the right note. So try the same, experiment with the way you speak in smaller groups.

Another trick is to think about your favorite teacher and your worst teacher. We all have both. Think about what is different between the two. See what makes you listen to one and switch off from the other. Be observant and maybe you’ll realize a thing or two.

But Why Should I ??

That’s a great question. Why should you care about public speaking? Maybe you feel that you’ll never be on a stage. Maybe you feel that with the tech boom, you’ll be safe behind a screen. And this is when the cliché reasons pop up – It helps in resumes, it helps in becoming a leader, it’s a 21st-century skill, it helps in entrepreneurship, it helps get you a job, blah – blah.

The main reason is that it makes you a better person. To be a good speaker you have to be concerned about your listener, so it teaches you to think about others. It makes you confident and more centered. It makes you face your fears one step at a time. Careers and work and resume, all happens later. But right now, it helps you connect with those around you.

So How?

– The more you do it, the less afraid you become.

– Be genuine. Everybody can see through an act. Even if you stumble, at least people understand that you’re human.

– Body language is key. Learn how your posture can throw people off.

– Keep it simple. You aren’t trying to win an award for the most arty-farty speech. You want to get your point across.

– Let your ideas be strong, make them interesting and worth sharing.

– Join fun workshops on public speaking.

– Speak like a person you would want to listen to. If you wouldn’t listen to yourself, why should others.

– Don’t confuse people by throwing too many ideas out there.

– Breathe and don’t be afraid of the pauses. If there is silence, it just means that you have their entire attention.

People always talk about politicians as great orators. Churchill, Nehru, Obama. Maybe look at motivational speakers instead – Tony Robbins, Brene Brown, Deepak Chopra. Learn how they inspire through their words. You can also apply for our 6-day Effective Communication course if you would like to equip yourself with communication skills.

Who has inspired you? Do you have any fears about public speaking? Share your thoughts below and see if it resonates with others as well.

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