By: Delaila Irma T. Calindas, Project Technical Staff II

The Commission on Higher Education – Cordillera Administrative Region through its UniFAST Unit continues its series of learning and development webinars dubbed the SEEDLING Project or Skills Enhancement, Engagement, and Development: A Learning Intervention to Nurture Grantees. On May 26, 2023, the unit conducted the third episode of the series focusing on overcoming public speaking anxiety. The webinar entitled Quest – A Journey Towards Confidence and Eloquence was able to give strategies and tips to PINASkolars on how they can develop the skills and confidence to communicate effectively in academic, professional, and personal settings.

Running in Zoom and Facebook Live platforms, a total of 157 PINASkolars attended the webinar and were given discussions on the following topics: Benefits of Public Speaking; Turning Fear into Confidence; The Basic Speech Patterns; Delivering Your First Speech; and Tips to Improve Your English. Four (4) distinguished Toastmasters from the Los Baños Toastmasters Club graced the event as resource speakers.

Lecturers included Mr. Lester Avan Andrada who discussed the benefits of public speaking and provided tips on how to improve one’s English-speaking skills. He emphasized that public speaking is an important skill in all kinds of professions.

Mr. Andrada was joined by Ms. Arlene Balingbing who discussed how one can turn their fear into confidence. She highlighted the importance of practice and the objectives of the speech in order to make the talk effective.

Joining the bunch of lecturers is also Mr. Roberto Bautista Jr who discussed the different patterns of speech. He further advised the participants to use the different speech patterns in their academic and daily life endeavors for them to enhance their public speaking skills.

The last lecturer to discuss was Mr. Jef Menguin who gave strategies and tips on how one can deliver their speech. He emphasized that a speech can be delivered effectively through the acronym IMODE which stands for Intention – Message – Organization – Delivery – Evaluation.

Ms. Ana Katrina De Jesus, also a member of the Los Baños Toastmasters Club, joined the webinar and facilitated an energizer.

The SEEDLING Project is bi-monthly learning and development activity initiated by the UniFAST Unit under the supervision of Ms. Menzie O. Kuengan, OIC – Chief Education Program Specialist, and Dr. Bernadette C. Pal-ec, Education Supervisor II and UniFAST Focal Person, with the support of Dr. Demetrio P. Anduyan Jr, Director IV of CHED-CAR. It aims to impart academic support aside from the provision of financial assistance to its beneficiaries and grantees.

Watch the recorded live stream of the SEEDLING Project 2023 Series Episode 3: Quest – A Journey Towards Confidence and Eloquence through this link: https://fb.watch/kPQyFiOIXT/.