Communication skills: develop your English for social media - podcasting (level 1-level 2)

What is the course about?

This course will help you develop the communication skills needed for podcasting and other public-platform speaking. You will develop your ability to speak fluently and transmit a message clearly and coherently. You will work on sounding natural while also polished, without hesitations and unnecessary repetitions. You will work on controlling your voice including its volume, tone, pitch and pace, as well as breathing and pausing. Finally, you will practise preparing and writing scripts.

Creators can train their voice to improve podcast quality. It is important to sound natural when talking on a podcast. Controlling your voice and thinking about how you sound is an essential part of being a good podcaster. This means controlling things like vocal volume, pitch and intonation.

Here are the three elements of using your voice in the most effective way possible.

Style – includes enunciation and the ability to convey emotions.
Technique – standing, breathing, pacing, pauses and inflection.
Maintenance – voice protection, hydration and warm-ups.

Do you need to sound more casual or serious? Do you want to sound like an authority or a friend? Work on enunciation and consider modifying your vocals to some extent. Record yourself, listen and modify as you see fit. The goal is to find the right balance between your natural voice and focused enunciation.

Breathing.

What will we cover?

• speaking confidently in public
• conveying a message and getting a point across
• avoiding hesitations and repetitions while sounding natural
• adapting volume, tone, pitch and pace to engage the listener and create meaning
• preparing and writing scripts for broadcast.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

• speak confidently in public
• convey a message and get a point across succinctly and coherently
• avoid hesitations and repetitions while sounding natural
• adapt your volume, tone, pitch and pace to engage the listener and create meaning
• prepare and write suitable scripts for broadcast and use them to improve your podcasting or public speaking.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This course is suitable for anyone who wishes to develop the English communication skills needed to deliver fluent, engaging podcasts. It will also be of benefit to anyone who wishes to develop the communication skills podcasts need e.g.for the work or for public speaking. Your spoken English should be at least pre-GCSE level.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

You will learn in a supportive and welcoming environment. You will work on your own and with other students on different tasks so you are always practising, and developing important in-demand life and work skills such as problem-solving, decision-making, prioritising, negotiating, collaborating and independence. You will learn in a step by step manner so you can complete challenging tasks in enjoyable and relaxing ways. Your tutor will also work with you individually so you know how to improve and how to work in a way that improves your learning. You will need to do work outside the classroom and use Google Classroom to help you.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

You will need a pen, paper and a file to keep your work in. You will also need a recording device. Your tutor will provide handouts and a code for Google classroom so you can communicate with classmates and access materials, videos etc. online.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

There are many courses you can do before, at the same time or after this course. These include:
• Communication skills: develop your English for social media - blogs, vlogs and TikTok (level 1-level 2)
• Communication skills: develop your English for social media - website writing (level 1-level 2)
• Communication skills: grammar foundation (level 1-2)
• Communication skills for business: using drama to communicate with impact (level 2)
• Communication skills for business: how to tell a story with data in your writing and presentations (level 2)
• Communication skills for business: how to be clear, concise and organised in your writing (level 2)
• Core management skills: leading and building teams (introduction)
• Core management skills: organising, delegating, decision-making (introduction)
• Core management skills: developing your coaching skills (introduction)

There are classes in the maths and digital skills areas which complement the above courses. These include:
• Maths for business: the essential skills to run a company and make a profit (level 1-2)
• Maths for business with Excel: the essential skills to run a company and make a profit (level 1-2)
• Award in Digital and IT Skills: word-processing, spreadsheets, presentations and databases (level 2)
• Digital skills for business: how use Teams and SharePoint for collaboration (intermediate)
• Digital skills for business: how to use SharePoint for collaboration (intermediate)

For more information, talk with your tutor or contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 4582 0423.