Personal and Professional Development Session: Building Confidence Through Public Speaking
The Department of Business Economics, Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, successfully conducted a Public Speaking and Effective Communication Session under the BEC 3180 – Personal and Professional Development course for third-year undergraduates.
The session was conducted by Mr. Nuzki Ahamed, representing the Gavel Club and Career Guidance Unit of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, with the involvement of the Toastmasters – Gavel Club, University of Sri Jayewardenepura (USJ).
The programme was held on Tuesday, 18th August 2026, from 1.00 PM to 3.00 PM at the Faculty Board Room, with the participation of third-year students of the Department of Business Economics.
The session focused on strengthening students’ effective communication and public speaking skills, which are essential for their academic, professional, and personal development.
The programme began with an interactive discussion on common communication challenges experienced by individuals, including fear of judgment, nervousness, overthinking, lack of confidence, and difficulty in clearly expressing ideas.
Students were introduced to several practical communication techniques, including the 2-Second Rule, Name Game, and 70/30 Rule. These techniques encouraged participants to become more comfortable in conversations, improve interaction with others, and communicate their ideas with greater confidence.
The second part of the session focused specifically on developing effective public speaking skills. Students were introduced to important techniques such as:
- Maintaining effective eye contact
- Using appropriate body language and hand gestures
- Developing meaningful facial expressions
- Managing stage movement
- Applying effective voice modulation
- Using power pauses to create impact
- Using storytelling and humour to engage an audience
Through demonstrations, storytelling, humour, and interactive activities, participants gained practical insights into how a speaker can capture audience attention and communicate messages in a more engaging, confident, and memorable manner.
The session emphasized that effective communication is not merely the ability to speak fluently. It involves the ability to connect with people, listen actively, express ideas clearly, manage emotions, and communicate with confidence and purpose.
Public speaking and communication skills are particularly important for university students as they prepare for presentations, interviews, internships, networking opportunities, leadership responsibilities, and future employment.
The programme therefore provided students with practical exposure that complements the objectives of BEC 3180 – Personal and Professional Development, which aims to develop well-rounded graduates who are prepared to meet the expectations of the modern workplace.
Overall, the session highlighted communication as an essential personal and professional competency for building meaningful connections, creating opportunities, strengthening self-confidence, and effectively expressing ideas.
