Screening and debate: “À voix haute : la force de la parole”

Eloquence at the heart of the debate

The evening began with a sketch on the theme of speaking, which was performed by the young organisers. The screening of the documentary film “À voix haute: la force de la parole” then launched a long debate on public speaking. The debate was moderated by Mr. Gérard and Mr. Roiné, President of the student association Amicale LEA. The audience had the opportunity to ask questions to two specialists of the theme: Delphine Crubézy, actress and director, and Sylvie Ret, personal development coach.

An inspiring documentary on eloquence learning

This documentary relates the experience of young people from the University of Saint-Denis preparing for the Eloquentia competition. The spectators discovered the thrilling journey of the young competitors and how they grew up through the progressive learning and mastery of public speaking. The audience also seemed to be interested in the large number of exercises seen in the documentary. One of them entailed speaking as if your conversation partner is at the other side of the room.

Tips to improve public speaking skills

Both speakers provided many tips for public speaking. Ms. Crubézy presented the basics: how to use silence to capture everyone’s attention, how to connect with the audience and how to efficiently prepare for an oral performance. Mrs. Ret gave “tricks” to fight stage fright. She advised the students to always embrace their stage fright and to adopt an optimistic attitude, for example by picturing a positive image in order to better manage their stress.