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Tag: ideas

  • Communicate your ideas: Public Speaking Icon (4)

    Communicate your ideas: Public Speaking Icon (4)

    One of the easily identifiable traits of wise people is their ability to improve on their knowledge. They realise that no one knows it all. There are always people who are more experienced than us and knowledge is progressive. Whatever information we have today may be obsolete by tomorrow because the only constant thing in life is change. Whoever closes his/her mind to new information is heading for a life of isolation. Hence, we have constantly emphasized the need to keep learning in this column. In agreement with this commitment, it is my pleasure to bring you another Public Speaking Icon today. I admire him because he is multi-talented. His leadership style is also worthy of emulation, and he has great people skills. Hey, why should I tell you all about him when you can meet him yourself? For your reading pleasure and enlightenment, I bring you Mr. Alfred Olomukoro.

    Alfred Olomukoro

    Alfred Olomukoro is a theatre art practitioner and a comedian. He owns a training academy known as Ekwebility Professional Academy, where he is the principal facilitator. “Ekwe” in Delta means laughter, so the academy focuses on developing the ability to make people laugh in its students. The Academy has had the privilege of consulting for the United Nations. Alfred is also an actor, a director, and a professionally trained compère. He also recently authored a book titled, Scores to Settle, a collection of short stories. I leave you with Fred Olomukoro.

    Factors responsible for interest in comedy

    While in primary school, I always loved to tell stories in class. I even narrated movies to my classmates. Gradually, they got so used to it that during any free period, they would gather around me and expect me to tell them the latest movie- most of them were boarders, while I was a day student. But unknown to them, there were days I didn’t have a story to tell; so I would create some make believe stories on impulse. A title would evolve right there and then, and I would tell them the story, which they always believed. They were always quite captivated by the stories. I was gradually building myself in speaking without knowing. Comedy came into the scene because, in the cause of telling those stories, I added my own humour, my own flavor and I saw them laugh- I love to see people laugh. Also, my sisters enjoyed me reading a book or watching a movie instead of them doing it; they would wait for me to tell them the story. They believed my own version was more interesting than the original. All these developed my creativity in terms of humour and speaking. I seize every opportunity of an event to make a presentation, such a reciting a poem. That was how I got used to facing a crowd.

    First time before a crowd

    My first time before a crowd was in my primary school days. I participated in a drama presentation, and I did quite well. I wasn’t too shaken by the crowd. I had already rehearsed in the class, so I was not a victim of pressure or stage fright. In secondary school, I continued like that. Though a little fear would naturally come, but as long as I am prepared, I will overcome it.

    Difference between facing a crowd as a master of event (compère) and as a comedian

    There is a big difference. In the Nigerian context, most people simply assume that if you are a comedian, you must also be a compère, but it doesn’t really work like that. This has robbed a lot of compères their jobs because people expected that they must make people laugh. You can be a compère, but you may not be a comedian. A comedian’s basic job is to make people laugh. Nevertheless, a comedian should train as a compère to learn how to observe protocols appropriately. As a comedian, your humour must apply to your audience. It has to impart the people because humour speaks volume. They will laugh, but there should be a message. Your major goal is to hear the outburst of laughter. So, you must put in the required humour ingredients that will stir up people to laugh. A speaker needs to have a very good opening; it could be via humour, or statistics on the subject matter, or stories, people love stories. Also, as a comedian, your first joke is your major joker. If you give a fantastic first joke, even if the next one is not as interesting as the first, the initial one will linger in their minds, so they will still laugh. It is also good that you leave them with the humour that will cause them to ask for more, so that you can leave the stage when the ovation is loudest. These are some of the things we teach at Ekwebility Academy.

    How easy is it to be funny?

    A lot of people think comedy is easy or cheap, but it is not. It is not easy to be funny. Comedians do say this and it is true; I have been on stage as a comedian, and I am also a trainer, so I’ve seen both sides of it. Nigerians are passing through economic depression, so sometimes when they come to events like that, you don’t know what’s running through their minds. And you want to make such people laugh? They may have been through a terrible traffic, or be experiencing delayed salaries, or victimization at the office, and they want a comic relieve at the event. As a comedian, it is your task to make them laugh. You must have that natural ability in you- there is something in you that makes you original and funny. This interesting interview with Fred Olomukoro continues next week by the grace of God, please make it a date.

  • communicate your ideas

    communicate your ideas

    Aids Statistics

    Last week, we examined how multimedia can be used as an aid for technical speech delivery. We described multimedia as containing a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video and interactive content forms. We also focused on the use of PowerPoint presentation.

    This week, we shall be taking a step further by discussing how statistics can be used in technical speech. Believe me; our topic for today is not as boring as it sounds. I’m aware that a lot of people tend to shy away from anything that is mathematics inclined. It’s alright if you feel that way too because I do sometimes. You can breathe easy though, because we will not be doing any major calculation here. We only want to find out how statistics can help simplify our presentations.

    In a very simplified form, let’s define statistics as a branch of applied mathematics that focuses on gathering quantitative information and interpreting it for easy understanding. The major aim of statistics is to count the number of items in a particular group and to classify those items into smaller groups according to specific characteristics. For instance, if you are a salesperson and you are given 20 bags of rice to sell in three months, at the end of the period, you will be expected to give a report (an account) of your sales. Let’s assume you soldfive bags in the first month, five bags in the second month and 10 bags in the last month, what will your report be like? The way you present your information can determine the kind of attention you get. Compare these:

    “In the first month, five bags of rice were sold; five more bags were sold in the second month and the remaining 10 bags were sold in the last month.”

    And

    “In the first month, 25 per cent of the total stock was sold. The same percentage was also sold in the second month. In the third month, however, sales increased by 100 per cent because we sold double what we had sold in each of the previous two months.”

    What do you think is the difference between the two examples above? I’m sure most people will prefer the first one because it is simple enough. Nevertheless, considering that we are discussing technical speech, the second example is more appropriate. Why? It is in a more professional language. Going back to our description of statistic (to count the number of items in a particular group and to classify those items into smaller groups according to specific characteristics), the name of the group here is “Bags of Rice.” The number of items in the group is 20. The smaller groups we are classifying them into are the months of sales and the specific characteristic that qualifies an item to belong in any of those groups is the month it was sold.

    The simple information above was presented in percentages, but there are several other basic statistics that you may find useful such as Mean, Median and Mode. There are also more advanced ones like ANOVA, analysis of variance, multiple regression, etc. Our task, today, is to examine the importance of statistics to technical speech and not to teach the subject itself. Hence, I suggest that you do a little more work to determine the specific statistics that is most applicable to your presentation.

    Statistics involves processing and presenting information in a way that is useful to the person who needs it for decision making. In the example given above, for instance, the rice company may find it interesting that sales increased by 100 per cent in the third month after consistent sales in the previous two months. The information may not seem so serious if we simply say that 10 bags were sold. Statistics helps us to see the relationship between “parts” and “whole.” Now, let us consider a few reasons we need to process information through the use of statistics:

    •Information is usually so much that managing it becomes difficult. By grouping such information, it is easier to deal with. Also, the recipients of such information may not have the time to wade through an ocean of figures to make meaning out of them. Simple statistics such as percentage tables or charts will help communicate the message.

    •There is hardly enough space to provide all the information available for a report in a single document. Hence, there is need to compress the information. If you want to report on the growth of your organisation over the past one year, you cannot present all the information in raw figures. Sometimes, simple tables and diagrams will take care of lengthy texts.

    •Most times, information may not make sense to its recipients unless it has been processed. It doesn’t matter how professional the audience is, if the information is poorly presented, the message will be lost. When you package information with simple statistics, you will make it attractive to your audience.

    Statistics is, without any doubt, one of the most valuable aids needed for successful technical speech making. Make sure you explore it further as much as you can.

  • Fresh emotional ideas

    SEARCHING for greener pastures? Yes, everyone dreams of something good and wonderful. We all have standards and it’s great if we find what we want or something close to the original.

    Unfortunately, Rebecca has been crisscrossing the emotional zone without getting to the proverbial promise land in her search. “Most times, I wonder what is always happening to me. I have discovered that I do not love the people who fall in love with me. On the other hand, I find that the people that I love or really admire are already hooked up. They have people that they treasure and they don’t usually care about my feelings towards them.”

    Well, sometimes we do not find what we really want. When you get to this realisation then you just have to move and not stick to someone that you know that you can never have. All you need to do is to focus on the good sides of the person who cares about you and make the love idea reciprocal. If you do not move on and make the best of your emotional situation, then you are going to be caught in an emotional cobweb that may lead to depression.

    Fear, love, jealousy, pride, vanity and resentment: These are some of the emotions that we are faced with on a daily basis, whether we like it or not. The mind can be very adventurous when it comes to love matters. While some can stick to a particular relationship for so long and do things that would make it look new as the years roll by, there are others who are very adventurous.

    Like the mouse pad, love is just a click away. The person in question is always experiencing some excitements, a burst of emotions at any time. As soon as the present emotion fades away you can be sure that something fresh and new will take its place soon.

    For this group no single emotional response can be permanent. This relates to the other kind of emotions too. For instance, when any emotion, such as anger, is experienced, the person is likely to stay angry only for some time; eventually, the anger will fade away and a fresh emotion will arise.

    Interestingly, an abundance of good feelings, and emotional satisfaction, become the criteria for a successful life. However, emotions present problems for the ego (which is just the personality). When emotions become intense they neutralise intellectual concerns. In fact, common negatively-valued emotions such as self-pity, fear, anxiety, as well as moods like depression, actually tend to inhibit rationality in particular, intense anxiety seems to produce a mental fog in one’s mind, making it impossible to study.

    Experts also advise that it is important to understand the nature of emotions if we really want to forge ahead and make our relationship to work. This is because it has profound implications for psycho- therapy.

    Interestingly, a lot of people think that their feelings are the same as emotions. This is not true because there are fundamental differences between feelings and emotions. There are a multitude of emotions, but only three feelings. These include the pleasant one, the unpleasant one, and the neutral one. The importance of feelings is that they help give rise to emotions, that is, the bases of all emotions are the three feelings.

    Sometimes you can keep emotional hope alive in the face of certain odds. “Mid way into the relationship things just went upside down and I thought it was all over. However, I made up my mind to play along because I loved her so much. She continued to date the other guy who turned out to be a Casanova. “When she realised that I was the one that genuinely loved her she ran back to me.”

    So how did he survive during the hurting period? You wonder. “Well, I must confess that it was really tough but I was determined to make it in spite of the odds. I filled my heart with memories of some of the happy moments we shared together just before the emotional crisis. His ever-smiling face, sexy eyeballs and loving smile encouraged me to the bank of luck.”

    When the emotional matter is more than a fling, then you would discover that a lot of people who are busy, successful, inspiring sometimes have issues with their partners.

    The big question therefore would be: can being successful reduce the amount of emotional current you give? Are you likely to be selfish and self-centred?

    Your environment, level of exposure and age also determine how you feel. A medical doctor explains the state of mind of the young girls going into puberty as anxious and adventurous. “At this age it is normal to feel curious, anxious and ashamed especially if you are the only girl in the house. I also have a case of someone who was happy because she was going to wear a bra. Others are ashamed and they wear double vest to cover the bump. Some of the changes include menstruation, pubic hair, pimples, growing by the hips, nipples and other internal organs.”

    She adds that: “Mood swings also occur and the sex hormones are responsible for sexual maturity. Here the young ones need information to guide them from irresponsible people who would want to take advantage of them. “

  • Ideas on a pallete

    Muyiwa Akinwolere, a Fine Art graduate from Obafemi Awolowo, Ile-Ife,  was around when the Nigerian league was robust and lively. Though he was not yet an adult, he saw the ‘Match of the Week’ on NTA, Bournvita, Pepsi, Milo sponsored football matches.

    ”In the 1960s down to the 1980s, when professional soccer in Europe was little known, local club sides like Abiola Babes (now defunct) Iwuanyanwu Nationale I.I.C.C. Shooting Stars, and Kano Pillars, Spartans of Owerri, Rangers International, Mighty Jets of Jos, El Kanemi of Maidiguri,  were massively supported. These clubs not only dominated the local league, but also made their presence felt on the continent.

    Now, with the advent of information technology and astronomical amount of money invested into football in Europe, the attention of football followers have shifted to European clubs.

    “Sadly, the gradual disintegration of structures that made the local league thick in Nigeria contributed to this factor,” said Akinwolere. Unfortunately, things have changed, emphasises have shifted to foreign league, Mirror-Mirror II, Akinwolere  3rd exhibition  which was held at Salomanda Café, Abuja, featured City Rivals, as a social commentary on the madness of football followership in Nigeria.The work captured the excitement and gaiety of football lovers.

    Akinwolere mocked the futility of being fanatic. According to him, some Nigerians have gone a step further by naming their children after some of these football clubs.

    The work, like some others done by him along that line, calls to mind the glory of street soccer. In the painting, two opposing teams, playing barefooted, at the back of what appear to be a fenced neighborhood, are dressed in the jerseys of Manchester City/Manchester United.

    Behind the footballers are the fans, either sitting or standing on the wall, keenly watching the match. Perhaps the work further highlights the rivalry between two big clubs like Manchester-United and Manchester City who share the same city. They are traditionally called City Rivals (hence the title of the painting) and when they meet to play each other, it is considered a derby, since they both share the same location.

    City Rivals like many other works in Muyiwa’s Mirror-Mirror II was meant as commentary on happenings in the society. The works, according to him, are his reflection of the society. Mirror-Mirror II is a follow up exhibition, to Mirror-Mirror, his second solo, which took place last year at the French Institute Abuja. A graduate of Fine Art from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Muyiwa Akinwolere is one of the emerging contemporary artists in Nigeria.Working with a wide range of media that include antique ink and found objects, Muyiwa has evolved ADIITU(mystery) as his visual language.

    ADIITU, his Yoruba mythological approach, is a four dimensional art that is rooted in the workings of the supernatural.

    Recently awarded with a residency at the National Gallery of Art, Lagos, Muyiwa has taken part in group exhibitions both locally and internationally.

  • PDP has run out of ideas, says ACN

    PDP has run out of ideas, says ACN

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has  called on Nigerians to brace up for tougher times ahead as  the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government has run out of ideas.

    In a statement in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said rather than address the  issues raised in its  criticisms  of the government’s  inept handling of the multiple tragedies and calamities the country is currently reeling under, the PDP has characteristically embarked on a flight of fancy and daylight hallucination.

    “ To accuse the Action Congress of Nigeria of politicising national disasters and calamities when it only criticised  President Jonathan’s lack of capacity, pro-activeness, and  co-ordinated response to these natural calamities and disasters depicts the paucity of the thought process of the party-led Federal Government, “the party said.

    The party said:“How can the attempt to draw the attention of Nigerians to the inept handling of the problems confronting the country be disparaged as attention seeking? How long did it take for any minister or high ranking government official to visit the scene of the flooding for  an on-the-spot assessment? Why would a President, just 15 minutes  away from the scene of the worst flooding  ever witnessed  in the country fail to visit for  immediate assessment? How many days after the disaster did it take the Federal Government to belatedly  take any action? Where are the concrete adaptation and mitigation measures  to prevent a future occurrence of  this disaster if it occurs elsewhere in the country tomorrow?

    “In other saner  climes  where a capable President and not a trainee President is in charge , the President would have made a stop over with pronouncements about support,relief materials and expression of sympathy for  the victims, the party explained.

    “While conceding that flooding is a global phenomenon,  it is quite unfortunate,  however, that  despite the huge sums the country has expended on attending international conferences on the impact of climate change, the Federal Government has been unable to come up with  concrete adaptation and mitigation measures to avert these disasters or respond in a co-ordinated, timely and robust manner whenever or wherever they  may occur, the party said.

    “The Peoples Democratic Party’s response is nothing but a recklessly rabid disposition to repel at all times any criticism no matter how constructive . We are not even sure whether PDP’s National Publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh and his ilk read or understood the whole point made in our statement which is that  only an incompetent and trainee government could have gotten Nigeria into the present mess ,the party concluded.

  • Ideas that live

    Ideas that live

    Steve Biko was one of the iconic figures of the South African struggle against the racist, oppressive and immoral system of apartheid. Throughout his involvement in the struggle, and especially in his last days, he epitomised the best in the tradition of resistance movement, defying the arrogance of the operators of a system that denied its victims one of the most precious gifts of the creator—freedom and justice. In the end, he was brutally murdered in prison. But he left a lasting legacy with words to guide and advance the cause for which he died. He reminded us that “it is better to die for an idea that lives than to live for an idea that dies.” These words, crafted on the commemorative stone that marked Biko’s final resting place are worthy of the attention of intelligent human beings.

    It is better to die for an idea that lives because in the life of the idea, the immortality of the dead is assured. On the other hand, living for an idea that dies makes one a living dead. We still remember the like of Steve Biko and Martin Luther King Jr. Indeed Dr. King has his memorial monument alongside those of former presidents in the prime real estate of the United States capital while those who tormented him and organised his premature death lived in ignominy, and, in death no one remembers any of them.

    Freedom has long been recognised as the inalienable gift of the creator to human beings. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the French philosopher of the enlightenment era agonised over the plight of humans in political societies when he observed that “man is born free but is everywhere in chains.” Whether in the bondage of enslavement, colonial domination, racial oppression, or pseudo democratic arrangements that deny the humanity of citizens, the struggle for freedom and justice have always loomed large. These are the ideas that live. It is the struggle for the realisation of these ideals that move nations and societies to the centre stage of history.

    Our societies have not lagged behind in such endeavours even though it is disheartening, as I would argue, that the burden of the struggles has been disproportionately endured by a few while the freeloaders almost always end up the beneficiaries of the successful outcome. For, while the struggle may be long and brutal, it almost always ended up with victory for the ideas that live. It cannot be otherwise. The human being is not made for bondage or injustice. The spirit would always reject oppression and tyranny. And even those that for selfish reasons side with oppression while it lasts will always take full advantage of its demise to advance the same self interest.

    There are copious resources from our history. The struggle against colonial imposition pitted natives against natives, with some siding with the colonisers. And the battle for independence tarried for a while because of indecision on the part of some about its benefits. In the end, those that hesitated and slowed down the process turned out to be the greatest beneficiaries of the struggle.

    Independence was earned on the proverbial platter of gold because there was no formal war of independence. But those who lost individual rights and privileges because they stuck out their necks knew what they endured.

    Then democratic governance descended into the hell of military dictatorship and the struggle for freedom assumed a different dimension as an internal one among citizens with different ideas of governance. While the military might claim that circumstances forced them to take over and defend national integrity, there was no denying the fact that the hard-earned freedom was in jeopardy. Th e same individuals and groups rallied to its cause, fought the military and won the battle, not without a significant loss of lifes and property.

    In the struggle against military tyranny, there was the usual corps of egotists for whom it is better to live for an idea that dies. They were the praise singers, the fifth columnists, and the plain traitors to the cause of freedom. They were the ones who, while not clearly preferring servitude to freedom, sought to advance their interests at the expense of the larger whole and the integrity of the nation. They enjoyed the patronage of their military friends while it lasted but the idea for which they live has since suffered a fatal assault. Now, they cannot proudly reference their once passionately held convictions. Isn’t this sufficient lesson for everyone to steer clear of ideas that die?

    At present there is another battle going on between ideas that live and ideas that die. This is actually not a different battle; it’s just another front of the same old battle. It is still the battle for the fullness of freedom. The nature of our independence from colonisation meant that we are to be one entity without regard to ethnic or national identities. We concurred because it was a condition for freedom. But then we accepted our differences and agreed that the best means of enlarging our freedom is to preserve our various cultures and languages through a federal system of governance universally acknowledged as the most effective method of governance in a multi-national society.

    The abrupt end to the independence and republican constitutions which gave teeth to that understanding dealt a fatal blow to the practice of federalism replacing it with military unitarism. The idea of militarism has since died but the concomitant idea of unitarism has not been discarded. Why?

    The reason that unitarism has not been discarded is because there are still those who live for an idea that dies. There are still those egotists who benefit from the sustenance of decadence and whose sole purpose in life is not the immortality of existence through the promotion of ideas that live. They are attracted to unitarism for as long as they command the levers of power and are in the position to dole out favours. But it is certain that unitarism will go the way of other ideas that die and their present promoters will, again, shamelessly turn out to embrace true federalism and its attendant benefits. In the fullness of time, it will all happen before our very eyes. It always does.