Tra (Tracie) Pham - Online Workshop

EXPERIENCE THE PROJECT

This project is part of a public speaking workshop series, which aims to help people improve their public speaking and presentation skills.

Note: This is only the narration of the workshop content. The actual recording of the workshop involves learners and cannot be published publicly.

Audience: Anyone who is new to Public Speaking and looking to craft their first speech
Responsibilities: Instructional Design, Content Design, Presentation, (For the live version) Workshop Facilitation
Tools Used: Microsoft PowerPoint, (For the live version) Zoom

Problem

A great speaker knows how to pick a suitable topic and craft a memorable message. Based on desk research from Vietnam’s leading university in language teaching and in-depth interviews with the learners in the community, I found out many people lacked the skills to choose a topic and a message that would make their speech effective.

Solution

Since the learners were geographically dispersed, I proposed a series of synchronous online workshops. This format also allows learners to receive real-time feedback for their performance and see immediate progress.

EXPERIENCE THE PROJECT

My Process

I used the Backward Design model to guide my process. Each step was tested and iterated until approved.

1. Learning Objectives

I created learning objectives using Bloom's Taxonomy and focused on higher-order thinking: Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. This ensures that the content directly supports learners in performing public speaking, rather than just knowing about it.

After the workshop, learners will be able to:

1. Choose a suitable topic for their speech using a six-question process

2. Evaluate if a message is memorable

3. Make their speech message more memorable

2. Assessment

Next, I designed the assessment for each learning objective.

I chose assessments that matched the learning objectives, stimulated critical thinking and creativity, promoted online social interaction, and were relatively easy to execute in an online synchronous workshop.

Objective 1: Choose a suitable topic for their speech using a six-question process

I used Short-answer Questions, presenting mini situations where learners needed to pick a suitable speech topic and justify their decision. They would receive feedback from their peers and myself.

Objective 2: Evaluate if a message is memorable

Objective 3: Make their speech message more memorable

I created different speech messages and had learners vote on which ones should belong in the “memorable” bucket. Learners then refine the ones that need improvement.

3. Content Design

Based on thorough research, I pinpointed the most important content that would be presented in the workshop. The content has to be concise and directly contribute to the learning objectives stated above.

Then, I structured the content of the workshop, incorporating elements of Gagne’s 9 Events of Instruction.

After that, I came up with ways to present the content. I used different learning strategies such as:

Worked Examples
Entertainment Education
Story-based learning

To reduce learner’s cognitive load and help them understand the content more easily I also applied Mayer’s Multimedia Design Principles, such as:

Signaling Principle
Spatial Contiguity Principle
Multimedia Principle

4. Activities Design

Note: This isn't fully demonstrated in the shown project due to non-public learner information.

I based my choices for the learning activities on three key aspects:

1. Learners’ preferences: Learners seek opportunities for active engagement, and tangible progress, and have limited attention spans.

2. Strategic Alignment: Does the activity align with the learning objectives and enhance interest in the content? The answer must be a Yes.

3. Implementation Ease: Can the activity be smoothly and easily implemented? Technically complex activities might not work as well in an online learning setting.

In the live workshop, I used activities like:

Poll
Short-answer questions
Group discussion

5. Delivery & Facilitation

To prepare for the online workshop, I made sure to:

Check the tech in advance. Clear audio, neat visuals, and a stable Internet helped keep the learning experience seamless.
Get real-time feedback from participants. I checked if they understood everything or needed more explanation, using reactions or the chat. This helped me quickly adjust the content or activity if needed, helping to engage learners until the end.
Manage unexpected interruptions. This is a common occurrence in an online setting. For example, when a participant had an audio issue, I quickly addressed it with a light-hearted remark, moved on to the next participant, and returned to them when the issue was resolved This ensured minimal disruption to the workshop flow.

EXPERIENCE THE PROJECT

Results

The workshop was well received by participants. Here were some of the feedback.

"It was really fun. I've learned how to pick a good topic for my speech."

-Participant

"I love that the session was engaging. I've made the mistake of having a long message to end a speech, but I understand a message needs to be concise to be memorable."

-Participant

"I've learned to pick a topic that I have enough knowledge to talk about and a message that's short and memorable. Really enjoyed the session."

-Participant

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