Public speaking is a big part of MUN conferences. When you join MUN, you will quickly realize how important it is to give effective speeches. There’s an opening speech where you make your first impression. You will also speak on various topics and try to convince your fellow delegates to work with you and vote in your favor. Some questions you might ask yourself when it comes to public speaking are: What should I do with my hands? Where do I look during my speech? And is it just me or is my voice kinda weird?
Enter Melchior Glatthard. Melchior is a (TEDx-)Speaker, Coach and Audio-Speaker who has won the European championships of public speaking several times and hosts different events and workshops on public speaking. We were delighted that he was carrying out this year’s rhetoric workshop and excited to see how the new members and seminar participants would adopt his tips and tricks.
Like so many of our workshops, this one was held over Zoom. Thankfully, Melchior made sure to incorporate this into his program and explained what we should consider when giving speeches online. From positioning the camera the right way (no one likes unflattering angles or a messy background) to testing the microphone before the meeting instead of awkwardly asking if everyone can hear you before your important speech, we got enough insights to help us navigate virtual conferences in the future.
The main part of the workshop consisted of different exercises. Melchior made us stand up and showed us how to stand correctly, what we should do with our hands (I personally like his tip to think that you’re holding a ball), and how to flirt with the audience. We also warmed up our voices. Then it was time to practice some speeches. We were all impressed by how easy it was for Melchior to come up with an argument about literally anything (he gave a full speech on why it’s important to have dessert) and some of us got to put what we had just learned into practice.
With his structure of arguments and his tips on how to deliver them in mind, we are sure that everyone’s public speaking skills will improve. We thank Melchior for this fun and informative workshop!