The Great Silence

I heard a remark recently and it makes great sense, I quote, We live in a world of great advances in the area of communication and technology and there is no communication on another level. We will examine this more closely, because I feel we are all the poorer. One day last week I travelled on a number of buses here in the city. On them all were passengers who exchanged no words of greeting, mobile phones ringing non stop, others listening to their own world of loud music.while others just gazed out the windows. All this adds up to lack of friendliness, no time for one another, isolation and alienation.

Progress is great, has many benefits but as a society are we losing something that money cannot buy. I have no doubt we are losing something we all aspire to, the friendly hello. It can mean so much and is never forgotten rather it is cherished and preserved. For some people it can make their day. for others a vital tonic for living daily life. As a nation we have come a long way in progess that affects every facet of life. I finish with this quotation, "No man is an island," we all need people.

Civic Engagement

This morning I attended an event in the DCU. The theme running through it was Civic Engagement, and an occassion for DCU to show its appreciation of the ongoing process. As somebody involved in the Intergenerational Learning Project since it started in 2008, I can really say it was great to be among really committed staff and students involved in the different projects on display. The day is gone when access to third level education centres was limited to sons or daughters of professional people. I think in rural areas especially this was in no small way contributing to discrimination and class distinction. Fast forward we live in the 21st century and a new era in this respect has begun.

Viewing those projects today it was very interesting to see the different headings and their outreach potential for the local community. The beneficiaries young and old which is very encouraging. As was pointed out the committments of the tutors and students to the different projects. Personally I was unaware of the great student involment in the projects. This is the programme for the future and betterment of society, we can all take a bow and assess our role and benefit. I congratulate the winners, the rest of us by participation are all winners.There is always the next time.

Learning Age Conference

On Wednesday last June 9th I attended the above conference in Belfast. It was a learning experience in that there were people attending mostly from Northern Ireland, the Uk and a small number from central Europe and as a result a much broader picture emerged in the context of Lifelong Learning. One or two observations at this stage, a great interest in Northern Ireland particularly in rural areas. and in the UK the age group 50-75 lifelong learning policies and funds directed at this age group. From 75 upwards no incentives available at any level. Intergenerational learning regarded as one component of learning process. there was mention of The Forsythe Review in the Uk which encouraged on going learning, skills update, and training. The 18-25 age group accounts for most expenditure in the education area.

As I stated already Northern Ireland has a lot going for it, after the troubles daily life returning to normal, adult learning playing a major role. Another observation women more interested than men. In this context learning means coping with retirement, bereavment and health issues. There are a number of cross border groups U3A and others involved in the process. I was delighted to give my testimony of a senior learner which was well received and commented on.

I attended a workshop about adult learning in Australia. There the situation is a small ageing population. Here there is an organization called Cota which looks after the needs of senior citizens on many levels including education. On line learning very common with senior citizens,people have a preference to learn at home.

For women in middle age Beyond Maturity Blues is peer education dealing with depression,bereavement, retirement as an identity. Most of this brings about self learning groups. For men there are special groups which deal with unemployment, health issues relevant to men. An example was given of a group interested in astronomy who bought a telescope for viewing events in space, they meet on a regular basis for an exchange of views and are interdependent. Walking clubs. community based activities common in Australia.

Finally to say here in Ireland learning in later life is in its early stages and making great progress. The future is very promising. I enjoyed the conference and would be willing to give a feedback in more detail sometime in the future.

Speech criteria

In this blog i will deal with gestures in the context of public speaking. Gestures are an important ingredient,they convey a message, they focus attention on the speaker, they also can enrich a speech. When a speech is delivered from behind a lectern gestures can be limited, best to move around and use simple and natural gestures. Body language should be comfortable for the speaker and enjoyable for your audience. We all have heard the expression, he talks with his hands. Next time you see a public speaker take note of the gestures, are they simple, natural, add meaning to the message.? If yes enjoy them.

A Donegal Afternoon

On yesterday May16th I attended a very enjoyable event in Temple Bar. It was Donegal Live- a showcase of Donegal through music and song. I first heard about it on "Morning Ireland" on Friday morning. As was correctly stated on radio Donegal was so long referred to as the forgotton county owing to its geographic situation and access, now the situation has changed owing to a better road system and its local airport. The event yesterday really consolidated all that is positive about the county in its cultural and musical tradition. Donegal has a great record in this sphere, mention Bridie Gallagher, Daniel O!Donnell among others. Music transcends all barriers and especially traditional irish music played in any location. Pakie Bonner who will ever forget Italia 90 in Genoa. As I already stated it is great to be in a position to showcase your native county in all its positive aspects. Every county in the country would benefit from such an occassion. We live in a multicultural society, everybody is welcome to savour our great Irish culture. Failte gach duine.

Organize your Speech

Greetings hope you are enjoying my blogs (Public Speaking) so far. The last blog dealt with the first speech to a toastmasters club. (The Icebreaker) There are ten projects in the basic manual. I will now deal with Project 2, the main criteria here is to organize the speech. This means to select an outline. a clear message and conclusion. Outline: Opening sentence, quotation or maybe a question. the purpose here is to capture the attention of the audience. All this leads to the body of the speech, (main point, support material.) After this is the conclusion, (review or summary, maybe a memorable statement) Time for this speech is 5-7 minutes. The main word to describe this project is organization. The technical elements described in a previous blog(voice projection and speaking rate, eye contact apply to all project speeches. I will leave it at that for the moment. happy speaking.