Public Speaking to change the world

The new Public Speaking class from our Madrid campus graduated last month with the traditional challenge: a 5 minutes speech on how, each student, is going to change the world in front of a live audience. In these troubled times where the news are a constant invitation to pessimism, the speeches provided a unique vaccine of hope on how to become more productive, free, responsible, caring and sustainable, or even running for politics. “It is such a moving experience to see the evolution of our students throughout the course, to become such a confident and engaging speakers“, says Professor Pinto. And the big question: Who won this time? After careful deliberation, including with some members of the audience, the winner for this edition was Jorge García de la Peña with his moving experience for a simple call for action: adopt a dog. It will change the world by changing you.

Speaking in Public is one of the top greatest fears that all of us share, no matter what your cultural background is. And yet, the ability to verbally communicate is always at the top of the most demanded skills when employers are looking to hire recent University graduates. This is why learning to speak in public has become one of the most demanded and attended classes by even students that are not registered in the class.

The new Public Speaking class from our Madrid campus graduated last month with the traditional challenge: a 5 minutes speech on how, each student, is going to change the world in front of a live audience.  Students come dressed for the occasion, with their best suits and clothes as that day, they will “marry” the audience. The event was promoted as a “vaccine against pessimism” with no side effects.

Indeed, in these troubled times indeed where bad news dominate the headlines,  the graduating speeches of the class provided a vaccine of hope. Our students showed the attentive audience how to become more productive, free, responsible, caring and sustainable, or even run for politics and change, eventually, the world. They all chose a particular reality that they did not like, and offered a possible solution.  “It is such a moving experience to see the evolution of our students throughout the course, to become such a confident and engaging speakers; It is no surprise, that former students always tell me that if they could back to University, if there is class that they would like to take again is, without a doubt, Public Speaking”, says Professor Pinto.

And the big question: Who won this time? Because as in real life, in this class a winning speech is selected. After careful deliberation, including with some members of the audience, the winner for this edition was Jorge García de la Peña with his moving experience for a simple call for action: adopt a dog. Without reading a single line, Jorge delivered an extraordinary speech based on his experience when adopting a dog. He first introduced us to a terrible reality: 80% of the dogs in the world are abandoned. Adopting an abandoned dog not only will help repair that terrible reality; but it will bring so much positive change to your life, as Jorge seduced us with his experience.  Adopting an abandoned dog will change the world for the better; but most importantly, it will change you.