Muhammad Ikramsyah Putra, 36 years old, repeatedly articulated three short words: Kuaci, cakwe and chakra. "This is part of the word articulation exercise," said Ikram, his nickname, explaining why he was repeating those three words.

This word articulation exercise is part of the public speaking class. Accurate word articulation is key to clearly deliver training materials, especially during online training.

The public speaking class was part of the training on content creation and delivery of online training followed by 180 instructors from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (BLK) Centers conducted last year by the ILO together with the Ministry of Manpower and Skilvul, a technology education training institute.

Training organizers added public speaking class in the second batch following an input from the participants of the training’s first batch. “Apart from technical skills, we recognize the importance of public speaking skills in front of camera, clear word articulation and the usage of right intonation in the delivery of online training," said Navitri Putri Guillaume, ILO Project Officer for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Ikram believes that public speaking class will be useful for his classes on computer assembly, computer technics and computer software that he gives in BLK Maritim Sabang, Aceh. He hopes that all his students will be computer technicians equipped with right attitude and ability to communicate with his clients.

"So, they will not just be technicians, but those who can also establish good communication," said Ikram who is an alumni of Ritsumeikan University, Japan. He also noticed a change within himself. "The most important change is that I found my motivation back. I have more confidence in my ability to provide digital learning in a way that is more engaging and informative for students.”

Ira Hendina Putri, 33 years old, has similar feeling. The public speaking class boosted her confidence. Along with other knowledge that she gained during the training, Ira is now more confident in transforming online training in her BLK.

“I became more confident. When teaching online classes I feel comfortable even though I have to talk to myself in front of the camera,” said Ira.

Ira is an English instructor at BLK for Indonesian migrant workers in West Java. When COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ira was already thinking about transforming her classes online. She even made a training plan for "English Online Class.”

Her wish came true. She had the opportunity to take part in the training on creation and delivery of online training where she gained technical knowledge necessary for online training transformation as well as helped her in her role as social media content creator for her BLK.

Public speaking class improved her training delivery, while video production techniques that she learned during the training has been instrumental in transforming her online training. In her English online class for migrant workers, Ira immediately applied the public speaking techniques such as clear pronunciation, appropriate intonation and usage of informative words.

“Public speaking course helped me to teach English more effectively. What can be more important than articulation, intonation, and pronunciation when you learn a language? This will definitely help my students in practicing their language skills,” said Ira. 

This activity was carried out by the ILO through the Women's Workforce Readiness and Development Program in STEM, funded by J.P. The Morgan Chase Foundation, seeking to provide women in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines with training in non-technical and technical skills related to STEM, employability and leadership.