New Delhi: The Student Islamic Organisation of India (SIO), Delhi Zone, in collaboration with Shafi Moonis Academy of Resource Training and Development (SMART), organized a two-day certificate course on ‘Effective Public Speaking for Islamic Workers’ from 31st August to 1st September 2024. The event was intended to equip the participants with all necessary public speaking skills while infusing the touch of Islamic values.

The course started with a ‘Tazkeer bil Quran’, followed by a brief on the course objectives and the mission of SMART. Imrul Qais, President of SIO Delhi, and Dr. Shadab Munawwar Moosa, Director of SMART, gave the inaugural speeches to set the ball rolling for comprehensive learning.

Participants discussed various topics that aimed at harnessing their confidence and eloquence in speech delivery. There was an icebreaker session led by Zonal Secretary of SIO Delhi S. Razi Ulhasan, wherein participants could introduce themselves. The session started with Mohiuddin Shaker discussing the importance of public speaking at a personal and professional level.

Further sessions covered key aspects of speech preparation and structuring by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Vice President Ameen Ul Hasan, where enlightenment was given on developing an effective introduction, body, and conclusion, and the participants prepared speeches. Hasan conducted a session on the art of communication with an emphasis on clarity and audience-engaging techniques.

JIH Secretary Ateeq Ur Rahman explained in detail the constituents of effective communication; these included the role of body language. He also briefed on using visual aids and technology in the form of PowerPoint and videos, while making it clear that respect and appropriateness to the situation must be kept in mind while doing so.

Day two of the course started with a session on Islamic avenues of speaking by the JIH National Secretary, Dr. Mohiuddin Ghazi. He addressed various speaking platforms, starting from mosques and community events to guiding how the messages are to be delivered before different Islamic audiences.

Participants participated in an Islamic topic impromptu speaking activity, to develop spontaneous speaking skills. The other main focus of the workshop was on media proficiency: Prashant Tendon and Aditya Menon elaborated on how to appear on television and radio.

Other sessions included narrative building by JIH Media Secretary Salman Ahmad, where he focused on how to build powerful stories; and the usage of social media by Masiuzzaman, where he shared strategies for effective audience engagement on social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The course wrapped up with reflections of participants and a final address where JIH Delhi State President Salimullah Khan asked participants to put the learned skills into practice at their respective places. The event provided valuable tools and insight, helping participants enhance their abilities for public speaking while adhering to Islamic principles.