Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant Communities - ILRC

Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant CommunitiesJanuary 2003§ 5.6 Role-Playing Exercise C: Making a Presentation to a GroupThis is the third of three role-playing exercises on outreach. This role-play is designed to modelhow to make a presentation to a group of community members on a topic of importance. Thisexercise introduces some of the elements of a good presentation and lets leaders start planningand practicing one. Chapter 4 contains an outline for a complete training on public speaking.After a model role-play, which the trainers perform for the leaders, the leaders take turns roleplayingthe same scene. This role-play and exercise should take about 85 minutes or longer,depending on how many leaders and trainers are participating.It is important to note that although the role-playing exercises in this chapter are about applyingfor U.S. citizenship through naturalization, trainers should create their role-playing exercises onwhatever topic is most appropriate for their leaders. The skills will be applicable to any topic.A. The trainer first models the role-playing and then leads a discussion before the participants sotheir own practice sessions. The trainer will model only the part of the meeting, which consists ofa quick, five-minute review of basic legal requirements for applying for U.S. citizenship throughnaturalization. All the leaders play community members at a meeting in a church or school room.B. Role-play scenario: The trainer spends a few minutes explaining how she would prepare forsuch a meeting:• developing an agenda• outlining a speech• practicing the speech in front of others or a mirror• bringing materials such as butcher paper, tape and informational handouts to themeeting• writing the agenda and talking points on butcher paper prior to the meeting soeveryone can see itC. The trainer models the presentation, including writing the agenda and writing other keytalking points on butcher paper so the audience can see it. It is usually best to write the agendaand the key talking points on butcher paper or a chalkboard before the meeting starts, so themeeting flows better.D. The trainer explains what he or she did during the role-playing, and why it is important topractice such a presentation before doing it in real life.E. The leaders practice giving a brief five- to 10-minute presentation on a topic that they shouldhave prepared as homework before coming to the training (see Chapter 4). The presentation canbe on any topic of importance to the leader and his or her community. Topics might include theimportance of applying for naturalization, the requirements for naturalization, how to help yourchild succeed in school, how to be a good parent in the United States, how to prepare for a jobinterview, the differences between the leader’s cultural values and those of other immigrantgroups or of the dominant U.S. culture.5-6