Which skill have you developed most?
Discussion questions | This is for everyone
Which discussion skill do you think you have improved the most during the Festival? How do you know?
Topical Talk focuses on four key skills:
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Problem solving
I think carefully about issues, weigh up different ideas and suggest solutions.
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Speaking
I explain my ideas clearly and confidently so others can understand.
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Listening
I listen carefully to different perspectives and respond thoughtfully.
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Creativity
I develop new ideas and build on other people’s thinking.
Find out more about these skills here.
For example:
I think I have improved my [problem solving/ speaking/ listening/ creativity] skills the most because [explain why you think this].
One example of this is [give an example of something you now do differently or more easily].
Comments (146)
I think I have improved my problem solving thanks to the simulations, games and situations to which I was attached to answer
Me to I think that I have improved in what i need my skills for topical talk like spelling words or improving my vocabulary to.
I disagree because topical talk is good , note bade
What were you able to use your problem solving for
I think I have improved my listening skills the most because throughout the Festival I have learned how important it is to truly understand different perspectives before sharing my own opinion. The global discussions showed me that students from different countries have different views on topics like international aid, voting rights and technology. By paying close attention to their ideas I was able to respond more thoughtfully and respectfully.
One example of this is during the discussion about lowering the voting age. Instead of quickly arguing my own view I read several posts from students in different countries. I asked follow up questions and referred to their points when writing my response. This helped me build a stronger argument and made the conversation more meaningful. I have also become better at not interrupting others during classroom discussions and making notes while they speak so I can respond clearly. I now try to build on other people’s ideas instead of repeating my own. I now feel more confident engaging in debates because I focus on understanding first and responding second.
Wow!!! I agree with you completely. Listening as a skill hasn't been a strength for me but the festival has taught me its importance and the different ways it can be used in my daily interactions.
I think I have improved my listening skills the most because It turns out that when you truly tune into a session or consider what others are saying, you're much better equipped to respond thoughtfully. Plus, paying close attention just makes it easier to jump into conversations naturally.
For example, early on in the festival, I wasn't really focused on what my teacher was saying. Because of that, I stayed silent for the first three days. Eventually, I got some pointers from friends and started to chime in. That whole situation really sharpened my thinking. At first, I felt completely tongue-tied during our sessions, but as I made an effort to listen more intently, I found myself gradually becoming more engaged.
I think I became a much better listener during the festival, and this has greatly impacted my way of contributing to a discussion. Initially, I was more concerned with preparing my points and responding as quickly as possible. I thought that if I spoke confidently, I would make a much better contribution to the discussion. However, I later realized that a discussion is not just about talking but also understanding. Listening attentively shows respect, avoids confusion, and promotes more accurate problem-solving. When you make others feel heard, you make them open up more honestly, which makes you feel positive as a group.
I began my active listening by paying attention to the ideas being expressed rather than the exact words being said. I also began to try to summarize what was being said by another person before responding to their statement. For instance, we were discussing whether leaders should focus on national interests or global responsibilities. Instead of immediately contributing my own points to the discussion, I began by acknowledging another person’s opinion and asked a question regarding it. This made the discussion much richer.
I know I am a much better listener now because my discussions are much more productive and interesting. My responses are much clearer and more accurate, and people react to me much more positively. The development of this skill has greatly improved my ability to actively contribute to a discussion and has made me a much more empathetic and open-minded thinker.
i have improved my listening skills the most because i listen more because i find the topics really interesting to listen and to learn about .i enjoy learning, listening and being creative .
one example for this is because now i find out what is the most relaxing way to sit and then i pretend that i am at a theatre ,if that does not work ,then i thing of something i like,and then breeze through the day so that i can do it or play with it once i arrive home .
I think I have improved in my speaking and my listening , my speaking because i am a bit shy so in class when the ask us stuff i never put my hand up because i am a bit scared just incase my awnser in wrong . I think i have improved in my listening because when we watch vidoes i never listen and after they ask us gwestions but i dont know them . But in topical talk they have helped with all if that so thank you so mutch and this has made me cofident more .
I think that I developed problem solving because it asks for my opinion on things, this makes me imagine that I am in charge of the problems going on in the world so I try my best to find a solution, which is very hard but good practice for my problem solving skills
I can now think more creatively because I had some practice with real-world problems.
I developed listening skills and the reason is because so I can know what I'm doing in what things I'm doing and I also have other skills like running, intelligence , and other types of skills. It's nice to have does skills because it shows that we are all unique and independent.
During the Festival,I realized that my speaking skill has improved the most.Earlier,I was very shy and afraid to speak in front of others.I used to worry that if I made any any mistake or said something wrong,my classmates might laugh.Because of this fear,I often stayed silent even when I had something important to share.
However,participating in various activities,especially Topical Talks and group discussions,gradually helped me overcome this fear.I have learned that making mistakes is not embarrassing ,
rather,it is through mistakes that we truly learn.Each mistakes taught me something new and strengthened my thinking.Now I understand that constructive criticism does not makes me weak,instead,it makes me more aware and confident
Taking part in Topical Talks has also improved my ability to organized my thoughts and speak clearly on the spot.Speaking skills have played a vital role in presenting well - structured,logical,and confident arguments on specific topics.Now I not only speak but also try to capture the audiences attention and deliver my ideas with clarity,confidence,and a strong voice.
The fear,hesitation,and lack of confidence I once had have now been replaced with self - assurance,clarity,and mental strength.Therefore,I firmly believe that this Festival has played a significant and positive role on developing my speaking skills.
I think I have improved my listening skills the most because I am starting to understand the lessons and topics that my teacher is explaining.
I had the same experience because at first I didn´t understand a teacher halfway through the lesson, but now I fully understand her making it easier to understand the different topics she is explaing and it is also easier to study because I have the idea of everything from the previous classes.
I think I have improved my listening skills the most because I’ve learned how to really focus on what other students are saying instead of just waiting for my turn to talk.
One example of this is when we discussed big global issues during the Topical Talk Festival. I now find it much easier to respond to someone else's point by saying "I agree with you, but have you thought about rather than just starting a completely new topic. This has helped me understand different perspectives much better than I did before.
The discussion skill that I believe I have improved most during the festival was listening. At the beginning, I found myself focusing too heavily on what I wanted to contribute, rather than taking time fully to absorb and consider perspectives of others around me. However, as the festival progressed, I became increasingly aware of the importance of genuinely engaging with different viewpoints before forming my own response. I know that I have improved in this area because the quality of my contributions began to change. Rather than simply stating my own opinions in isolation, I started to actively reference and build upon the ideas shared by others, using phrases such as "Building on what was said" This shift demonstrated to me that I was not only hearing what other said, but truly processing and responding to it in a meaningful way.
I agree with you because before I became fully aware of the skill of listening, I always wanted to talk and say what was in my mind whether it was it was helpful or not, I didn't really want anyone to talk and I didn't like to listen to other people. However as the Topical Talk Festival continued, I figured out it is not always what you want to say that is important, sometimes you need to allow other people contribute to the discussions, let them say what is on their minds.
My Head Teacher always says "The Best Listeners Are The Best Leaders". When you listen you show respect and others will respect you. Listening helps you gain knowledge because there are no wrong or right answers, you still have to listen even when it looks like you agree or disagree. Listening brings curiosity and curiosity leads to learning more about new things.
Listening is the key to learning, you listen and learn from other people and they also listen and learn from you. When you listen very well you will be able to understand the problem that is being talked about and come up with creative and innovative ideas. I think with the listening skill you will be able to obtain the rest of the skills.
When you listen you will have more knowledge of the subject matter, you will be able to hear what the problem is about when you listen carefully to it and then maybe proffer solutions or even solve that problem. When you come up with a useful solution, you will bold when you speak about the solution because you already know your idea will work and because you know you have come up with a creative idea.
I agree with you, because listening skills has helped me to put my points together and write an important composition in class. Listening skills can help in boosting academic settings and even academic success. Listening can help build other skills for example when I listen to other people's points of view, it helps me build confidence and I am able to write something better than I normally would. Listening also helps me build my problem solving skill as I can now ask more questions which in turn helps me solve difficult problems at home and school.
I think I have improved my creativity skills the most because I have learnt how to reaason more intellectually and I have also learnt how to view the world differently as others. An example is how I have learnt to write my essays and comprehensions in class more vividly and smartly. I have learnt a lot of others from Topical talk, but yhis is the most important to me (=
Thank you Topical Talk!!
I think that I have improved my speaking and listening ability. It has helped me to know the right time to speak and also when to listen.
For example, instead of always arguing with an individual, I should learn to listen first before I speak because you may never know what the individual would say.
I think I agree with you. At the beginning of Topical Talk, I had problems in speaking and listening but now that I am getting use to it I have discovered I have been able to build up my confidence by speaking without having any fear and I am also happy that other people are able to listen to my opinion and give a positive response. Topical Talk has not only impacted me in speaking and listening but also in creativity, problem solving and composition writing, now I am able to articulate my thoughts, express myself a lot better than before. It is an honour to have been a part of this year's Topical Talk Festival, I might not have been able to detect the areas I need to work on some more. I want to say thank you to the Economist Foundation and all the Topical Talkers for challenging me.
Exactly, Topical Talk has been a platform where I can express my opinion and also listen to what other people has to say. It also helps in confidence because people like me, who find it really hard to talk can now speak their mind and be confident. Topical Talk may not be able to solve all my problems but it has helped in some key areas of my lives. This is a very good foundation for not only my future but others who participated. Thank You Topical Talk.
I think I have improved my creativity skills the most because I have managed to actually explain why I think something instead of just saying what I think in one sentence. Creativity is a very important skill whilst using topical talk because not only can you just explain your thoughts but you can also add onto other people’s thoughts and comments. With this skill I will be able to show my ideas to the whole topical talk community.
I agree with you, and I believe I have improved on my creativity skill too. I think that creativity is a very valid skill because it helps me to have good ideas that explains a topic not just by saying or writting it in just one line but explaining it critically that expresses a statement or thought. Creativity is very important to me, it makes someone's thought or comment unique and inspirational.
This skill has helped me alot throughout this festival and I am so grateful to the Economist Educational Foundation for making
this possible. Also the creativity skill helped me devlope new ideas and build on others ideas or thinking. It helped me gain new ideas that agree or disagree with someone's comment and also to give new ideas that expresses a thought clearly. This makes that thought really clear to read and understand, I am now able to explain my thoughts and defend it to a point where my classmates can understand it, learn from me because anyone can be a teacher no matter how old they are.
Creativity, because I have learned that sometimes you can make a better decision by making them from using your own ideas and ideas from others. This made me realise that sometimes you have to listen to others ideas rather than saying your opinion straight away because it could change your opinion and thoughts. So I in conclusion I think more listening = more ideas and thoughts so you can build up a better more understanding perspective for other people’s opinions so we can use it to make a better version for our opinions. By listening to others is helping your brain expand and explode with thoughts so you can focus on a better, bigger version of your thoughts on a specific topic.
I think I have actually improved in all the skills (problem-solving, speaking, listening, and creativity) because I use my creativity to solve problems, I listen to different perspectives, and I can speak boldly, being able to share my opinions whether to argue or not, and it has helped in improving my vocabulary and widening my learning.
Why do you think it has improved your vocabulary?
I think I have improved my thinking and my vocabulary due to topical talk I also learned to explain better and got better in my creativity. topical talk has helped me a lot and should be used at every school so kids can learn more.
I agree because this has been a great learning option to improve on vocab and explanations so this can help many kids to speak their opinion
I agree with this because Topical Talk has helped students all across the planet with their education as well as thinking and vocabulary. Topical Talk also helps us understand more about topics that are hard to learn and that we usually wouldn’t discuss at home.
For me, Topical Talk has also helped me with my confidence because I can actually explain what I think about a topic. I also enjoy reading other people’s comments about their opinions and thoughts on them topics.
I think that every Topical Talker has also had the opportunity to take part in what they think about the news, thanks to Topical Talk, which has also given us all the chance to share what we really think instead of just going along with what our friends think.
In conclusion, Topical Talk has really helped me with lots of things in my education - which includes things such as boosted confidence, better vocabulary, explaining my thoughts and much more.
They are many things I have learnt from topical talk that has helped me in my everyday life as a student and they are.
1. Problem solving: With the aid of topical talk I have learnt have to think carefully about issues, weigh different ideas, and make a wonderful solution.
2. Speaking: You (topical talk) have helped me explain thing more accurately and more confidently so others can understand.
3. Listening: This time I have spent with topical talk has helped me pay close attention to different perspectives and respond intelligently and thoughtfully.
4. Creativity: They have helped me develop new and good ideas and build on other people's thinking.
But honestly, for me the skill that has developed the most is my problem solving because I have started thinking wide on how to solve some particular problems relating the news and other topics and how it affects us all.
THANK YOU.
I think the skill I have improved on the most during the course of this festival is listening. At the beginning of the festival, when I entered the website, I would immediately go to a topic and start writing. Now I've learnt to read what other people have to say on the topic so that I can structure my arguments more clearly and also to see things from different perspectives. I have also applied this to my schoolwork, now I listen more actively in conversations, and this has helped me to converse more intelligently.
I think that I improved my speaking listening and creativity skills. If I compared my version now and my version last year, I would observe that I made a lot of improvements thanks to the Topical Talk festival.
In the past, when I used to argue with someone, I did not give the person his chance to get listened to. My ideas were also extremely horrible moreover I could not manage to generate marvelous and creative ideas. When I talked to someone too, I was shaking since I was scared and frightened to say or make something wrong.
On the other hand, now, I can see that I am changing to better. When I argue with someone, I give him his chance to say his opinions or ideas freely. I understand that listening to each other can make us share our experiences and learn from others. Also, I have managed to create innovative ideas which were really good. I also gained self-confidence while talking or even arguing. I am now not frightened to make mistakes since I learn from them and enhance my performance.
There is another thing that I gained too which was writing faster on my laptop. From my youth, I saw a lot of people writing flawlessly on their Laptops and I wanted to write fast like them. By the help of the Topical Talk, I managed to be faster while writing on my laptop. This was because of writing every day. Practice makes perfect!
Thank you, Topical Talk, because you help us a lot in improving our skills.
I beleive that the skill I mostly develop is listening, as reading other people comments make me realise that there is no one correct choice, but lot of them are appropiate, besides, it help me to understande better nowadays world. Also I have develop speaking skills because when I post a comment I try to do my best to express as better as I can and to being respectful to everyone.
I hope I can get a star.⭐😊
I believe the skill I improved the most during the festival was problem solving and creativity, especially when it came to analyzing real world issues and making my own opinions. Each week, we were given a challenging questions that did not only have one correct answer. This forced me to think more deeply and consider different possible solutions before deciding on my answer. I noticed this improvement when I was able to break down problems into smaller parts and explain why I supported my solution. For example, during a discussion about global issue policies I learned to evaluate both the advantages and disadvantages before sharing my perspective. This experienced strengthened not only my critical thinking skills but also my ability to confidently share out my opinions. Now, I feel more capable of approaching problems logically instead of reacting based only on first impressions.
I think I have improved on my Listening Skills. I know this because since the festival started I have started noticing changes in my application of this (listening attentively) to my academics and social life. I am very happy on my improvement because with this skill, I can now figure out and interpret what is being said without any difficulties or slow processing, articulate my thoughts and get better understanding information.
Participating in Topical Talk has greatly improved both my listening and speaking skills. Before joining, I mostly focused on what I wanted to say next instead of fully paying attention to others. Through regular discussions on global issues, I learned how to truly listen to different perspectives, understand key points, and think more deeply about what is being shared. This helped me respond in a more thoughtful and informed way. At the same time, speaking during discussions increased my confidence. I became more comfortable expressing my ideas clearly and supporting them with strong reasons and examples. Topical Talk has shown me that communication is not just about speaking — it is about understanding, engaging, and building meaningful conversations.
During this festival, I think the skill I have improved on is my speaking ability. I am usually not bold when talking to crowds because I'm shy. I am always afraid of people laughing at me. But now I can speak boldly even when I'm not so sure of what I am saying.
Why do you think Topical Talk has helped you improve on this?
Over the past few years, the skill I have developed the most is communication. I have worked on expressing my ideas clearly, listening carefully to others, and adapting my message depending on the situation. This has helped me become more confident in discussions and more effective when working in a team. Strong communication is not only about speaking well, but also about understanding different perspectives and responding respectfully, which I continue to improve every day.
I think the discussion skill I improved the most during the Festival was really listening to people.
At the beginning, I was mostly thinking about what I wanted to say next. Even when someone else was talking, part of my brain was busy planning my response. As the Festival went on, I started slowing down and actually focusing on what others were saying instead of just waiting for my turn.
I could tell I improved because my comments started connecting more naturally to the conversation. I wasn’t just sharing my opinion anymore — I was responding to specific points people made, asking follow-up questions, and sometimes even changing my perspective based on what I heard. The discussions felt less like taking turns and more like real conversations.
By the end, I felt more comfortable and confident speaking, not because I was talking more, but because I was engaging better.
Honestly, Listening has been the biggest game-changer for me. It sounds simple, but there's a massive difference between just 'reading' a comment and actually hearing the intent behind it. At the start of the Festival, I was definitely in 'broadcast mode'-just dropping my opinion and moving on. Now, I find myself actually picking apart what other people are saying before I even start typing. I know I've improved because my replies have shifted from 'Here's what I think' to 'That's a fair point, but have you considered X?' It's made the whole discussion feel less like a series of monologues and more like an actual exchange of ideas. Plus, it's way easier to spot the flaws in my own logic when I'm actually paying attention to someone else's.
During my experience in the festival, I have improved many skills that are essential in our world one of this skills is writing . My writing skills have been improved due to writing comments, I saw what's the best and suitable comment for every topic that would give me a good rank.
Another skill that I have amended is speaking during my mastery in standpoint I have made some spoken form of comment which enhanced my speaking skill .
Thanks Topical Talk
I think I have improved my listening skills because before I used to focus on a specific option I already knew without listening and retrieving any information about the rest of the options. I realised I used to never actually care about other perspectives and views. As I kept progressing in this festival I am now engaged in other classmates perspectives and actually quite interested about political decisions on the news.
This festival has shifted my mindset to listen and contribute with others to share my opinions. This has been useful to me because now I am not afraid about not understanding the topic and thinking what the best solution would be.
Now I feel more confident about my perspectives and engaging in debates as I am now able to listen and problem solve carefully to create my argument.
I think I have improved in all four skills during the festival- problem solving, speaking, listening, and creativity- but the one i have developed the most is listening. I've become better at understanding other people's viewpoints, noticing the reason their ideas and responding in a way that shows I've really taken perspective in.
One example of this is how I now read someone's comment carefully before before replying. I think about what they said pick out the key point they're making and the link my response to their idea. This has helped me take part in discussion in a more respectful way.
I think I have improved my problem solving skills the most because at the start of the festival, I often took a sluggish, more brute force approach to thinking about problems and their respective solutions. I would look at a question from one angle then stick with it instead of thinking about different POVs and opinions. One example of this is how I at first in the voting topic was deadset on saying that children shouldn't vote. I then watched an expert challenge by Clementiné where she made a compelling argument: older folks were not restricted on their ability to vote (this was actually a seperate article in the voting topic, but I digress). There's also the fact that voting only depended on age and citizenship. Older people did not take knowledge tests so they could be completely oblivious about politics yet still vote. As you can see, the festival made me change my mind on something I was deadset on.
One think I have improve is my ability about expressing my self when I wrote something, and this has helped me to be more confident about what I think about each topic. Also I think this has helped me to see the different opinions that people around the world have and try to understand them in different ways, this has taught me that not everyone is going to think the same and that all answers and opinions are writting in different ways and that means we need to respect all of them.
I think I have improved my listening skills the most because I have learned to pay closer attention to what other people think and are saying, and respond in a way that shows I understand their perspective. Before the Festival, I used to focus sometimes on preparing what I wanted to say instead of really hearing other ideas.
One example of this is when I was exploring the topic of "Lowering the voting age", in which I carefully read and analyzed arguments, ideas, and perspectives from different people around the world. By doing this, I was able to understand the reasoning behind multiple opinions, compare the strengths of each argument, and form my own informed point of view. So this helped me think more critically and respond thoughtfully when sharing my perspective in my reflection.
I believe the discussion skill I have improved the most during the Festival is creativity. At the beginning I usually shared simple ideas and did not always feel confident trying something different. However as the Festival went on listening to a range of opinions encouraged me to think more openly and creatively about the Festival. I started to see topics from angles during the Festival and realised there is not just one right answer in a discussion about the Festival.
I know I have improved my creativity during the Festival because I now contribute original ideas during the Festival and feel more comfortable building on other peoples points about the Festival. For example of repeating what has already been said about the Festival I often add a new perspective about the Festival or suggest a different solution for the Festival. This has made discussions about the Festival more engaging for me and more interesting for the group as a whole, during the festival.
I think I have improved my speaking skills the most because I constantly consider opposing perspectives in my history and English classes. One example of this is my most recent LEQ in AP United States History, where I used my ability to write a counterargument, which earned me extra credit for complexity! I was super proud of my writing, and thanks to Topical Talk, I can continue to implement said skills!
The skill I have developed most during the Festival is problem-solving—not as a method I apply, but as a mindset I inhabit. I learned that effective problem-solving does not begin with speed, confidence, or dominance in discussion; it begins with restraint. I now slow my thinking before sharpening it. Instead of reacting instantly to disagreement or tension, I pause to examine the structure of the problem itself: why it exists, what assumptions sustain it, whose interests collide, and what kind of response would genuinely improve the situation rather than simply win an argument.
This shift became clear during discussions about young people and political influence. Rather than defending young voters on principle alone, I questioned the assumption beneath the criticism—that vulnerability to influence is unique to the young. By recognising how adults are equally shaped by media, social identity, tradition, and ideology, I reframed the debate. The issue moved away from age and toward human behaviour, allowing the discussion to focus on solutions such as strengthening media literacy and critical thinking across all age groups.
Most importantly, this development has changed how my ideas are formed. I no longer enter discussions with fixed conclusions. My thinking evolves through listening, building on opposing views, and resolving tension collaboratively. Problem-solving is no longer competitive; it is an effort to create progress. Overall.
Before the Festival, I used to think of the comment section as a place to simply react to something. If I disagreed, I would simply point out what was wrong and move on.
In a comment thread about foreign aid, I was confident that the aid money was being misused. Someone in the thread asked me what system I would replace it with and how it would work in reality. I realized that I had no idea.
This experience was a major catalyst for my shift in thought processes. The area in which I think I have made the largest improvement is in my ability to think in a more practically and solve problem, moving from what sounds right to what would actually work.
I know that I have made an improvement because my reactions no longer fall apart when pressed with questions and concerns.
I think through consequences before I press submit.
I think I have improved my creativity skill the most because before I want not paying attention to my writing and couldn't write properly but now Topical Talk Festival has helped me to improve my writing and I am getting better at writing a proper composition.
One example of this is that when we are given a composition to write I got a great score and my teachers said I was the only one who wrote in paragraphs. So Topical Talk has helped with my creativity in writing and I have improved on my vocabulary because of the new words I heard from Topical Talk, and the desire to learn more vocabularies, so I thank topical talk for helping me improve on my listening skills.
I think I have improved my listening skill the most because at first I was easily distracted by my friends or people around me and don't even want to hear any thing about listening.
However this festival helped improve my listening skill by listening to different experts and videos continuously and picking out statements and important information from the video which helped me to master it.
Listening is an important skill we need in this festival because it helps us bring different thought and opinions together and helps us type comments easily.
I like listening to videos, news, and stories now and this is helping me master my listening skills. I want to thank the Economist Foundation and every Topical Talker for helping me improve my listening skill.
I think I have improved my listening skill the most because in my own opinion I should be slow to speak, slow to anger, and fast to listen. And when I am fast to listen I would be able to hear from other peoples ideas and opinions not just mine. Another reason why I said the listening skill is because when I listen i'll be able to hear what the teacher or person is saying so that when an exam or test is coming up I am able to pass but, if I don't listen I will not be able to hear what the teacher or person that is speaking is saying "how would I be able to answer even one test or exam when it is time for that"?
I think I have improved my speaking skills the most during this festival. It is mainly because before I joined this festival, I wasn't that good at speaking to others. Even though my english grammar and vocabulary is already good, I kept fumbling my words when talking (probably because I was shy). I couldn't convey my message properly to other people. Sometimes, it lead to a misunderstanding between me and my friends.
But now, after joinig the festival, I found my courage to talk and share my ideas to othe Topical Talkers. Instead of worrying about what people will think about me, I focus on expressing my ideas clearly and confidently.
At the start of the festival, I was actually nervous. However after some time, I gradually became more relaxed and made less mistakes than I used to. Because of Topical Talk, I finally found my voice.
So thank you everyone for this opportunity. :]
I believe the discussion skill I have improved the most during the Festival is creativity. Before participating, I usually focused on giving clear and direct answers, but I did not always try to think in new or different ways. Throughout the Festival, I learned how important it is to look at topics from multiple perspectives and to explore ideas more deeply instead of choosing the first answer that comes to mind.During the discussions, I challenged myself to share original opinions and suggest unique solutions to problems. I tried to connect different ideas together and support my thoughts with examples, which made my contributions stronger and more interesting. Sometimes I even discovered creative ideas by listening carefully to others and building on what they said. This helped me become more flexible in my thinking and more confident when expressing my views.I know I have improved because I now feel more comfortable thinking outside the box and participating actively in conversations. My ideas have become clearer, more detailed, and more imaginative. I also noticed that when I add a creative point of view, it makes the discussion more engaging for everyone.Overall, the Festival helped me develop not only my creativity but also my confidence as a discussion participant. I am proud of the progress I have made, and I will continue working on this skill in the future.
thank you topical talkers 🌹
I think that I have improved my problem solving skills the most because of how deeply I have to think and do research on the topics and questions that are provided on topical talk. Especially the ones that have asked for a solution to a problem. This requires me to think deeply and effeciently about the problem and how it can be solved,which I don't normally do. I have also improved my creativity as well by coming up with new ideas and perspectives to view one problem.
I have definitely improved all of these skills during the course of this competition but I developed my listening skills the most. I am good with voicing my opinion in conversations but the in depth descussions definitely helped me to take a step back and listen to the various ideas and opinions. Many of them were outlined very well and made me think in a different way I usually would have. This competition put me out of my comfort zone and I learnt a lot more than just how to listen. I learnt how to structure arguments and how complicated political decisions can be. I learnt that voices can be very different and questions that I thought would be easy to answer (like who should decide where aid goes?) were way more complicated and people had very different views backed up by various experiences or facts. I also learnt that staying up to date on what is happening in the world around me is important. Listening might have been an important skill to learn but I think all of these were just as important and helpful in the long term.
I think I improved by argumentative skills during the competition. But also my paradigm completely changed in many different ways. Understanding both sides of an argument can be hard. But once you put it into practice it becomes a lot easier. I learnt how to respond with a strong argument without sounding to aggressive or rude. Which is a skill a lot of us are still developing. Especially when the conversation gets heated.
Problem solving has always been something I enjoy. Finding a work around to difficult issues is challenging whilst also being fun. It is a great way to use creative thinking and understand/find new ideas for a country.
Speaking through text is difficult but this competition has made it a lot easier. My vocabulary has definitely grown and I have learnt to explain ideas, in a way that everyone can understand.
All in all the competition has been one of the best experiences. It helped me not just grow my vocabulary but helped me understand more, and hear everyone out equally. It has changed many of my opinions and has been such an enjoyable time.
I think I have improved my problem-solving skills the most, because the way I think about issues has shifted.
I no longer think of problems as surface level issues, but rather deeper discussions diving into the roots of topics.
I have also learned to appreciate the nuance of issues more, which has further improved my problem-solving skills.
For example, when I was arguing about voting rights, and I realised that democracy is not about making the best decision for a country but showing what the majority desires for their country - whether this will mean the greatest outcome or not. Things are not as simple as 'good' and 'bad' - there are layers to everything, and Topical Talk has helped me to rethink my arguments on a deeper level - considering various standpoints to better construct an insightful argument that not only explores multiple views but acknowledges and highlights the gray area between them.
Now, I feel I have a much better handle on solving problems with a greater understanding of the complexity of creating valuable arguments, a skill I believe will help me for many years to come.
Thank you for this opportunity, Topical Talk!
I have improved a lot by speaking in the classroom by solving problems etc this was helpful to me.
I think I have improved my listening skills the most during the Festival.
At the beginning, I used to focus more on sharing my own ideas. But during the discussions, especially when topics had different opinions, I realised how important it is to really understand what others are saying before responding. I started paying more attention to different perspectives, even if I didn’t fully agree with them.
For example, in discussions about alliances and neutrality, I listened carefully to both sides before forming my opinion. This helped me give more balanced answers instead of one-sided ones. I also learned to respond thoughtfully instead of interrupting or quickly disagreeing.
Because of this, I feel more confident in discussions now. I don’t just speak — I understand first, then respond clearly. That’s how I know my listening skills have improved the most.
I see that the most thing that i am skilled in is Listening. Whenever i watch something, I’ll be more focused to understand whats going on and the same with the news to understand what is happening around the world. When i first entered the Topical talk, I understood many things that i never heard before. I learned that i wait for others to finish so i can speak up. I understood that i can ask questions to show that i was really focused. I tried to understand why they thought that way. I started not to rush to share my opinion and my thoughts straight away. Even if I disagreed, I listened carefully and properly.
Thats what I learned from the topical talk.
I would like to thank you all!!
I see that the most thing that i am skilled in is Listening. Whenever i watch something, I’ll be more focused to understand whats going on and the same with the news to understand what is happening around the world. When i first entered the Topical talk, I understood many things that i never heard before. I learned that i wait for others to finish so i can speak up. I understood that i can ask questions to show that i was really focused. I tried to understand why they thought that way. I started not to rush to share my opinion and my thoughts straight away. Even if I disagreed, I listened carefully and properly.
Thats what I learned from the topical talk.
I would like to thank you all!!
I think I have improved because I know more about the subject I have Learned in topical talk like lowering the voting age and aid and the winter ❄️ olimpices I have learned more.
Thank you
Mirthful pineapple.🍍
The skill I have improved most in is my speaking ability because I used to not to explain what I was thinking as clearly as I can now, thanks to topical talk and all the lessons that I learned from it.
I think i improved my speaking, problem solving , and creativity skills the most because , of all the topics help me and visually let me see what it looks likes
I think I have improved my problem skills more, since we were given complex assignments and questions to answer and decipher, which I believe I did excellently.
I think the skill I have developed the most during the Festival is listening. At the beginning, I mainly focused on sharing my own ideas, but as the discussions continued, I realised how important it is to really pay attention to other people’s perspectives. I became better at not interrupting, thinking about what others were saying, and responding thoughtfully instead of just waiting for my turn to speak. I know I have improved because my responses became more connected to other people’s points, and our discussions felt more balanced and productive.
I also feel that my problem-solving skills improved. During discussions, I learned to weigh up different ideas before choosing a solution. Instead of sticking to my first opinion, I started considering other viewpoints and combining ideas to create better solutions. I could see this improvement when our group was able to reach agreements more quickly and come up with stronger, more creative answers.
Overall, the Festival helped me become a more thoughtful and confident participant in discussions.
I think I have improved my listening, speaking and problem solving skills the most during the Festival because now I don’t just jump in with my opinion straight away. I slow down and really think.
In the NATO: Friends Forever discussion, I first thought alliances are always good because they protect countries. But after reading other comments, especially ideas linked to the war in Ukraine, I realised it is not that simple. Alliances can make countries safer, but they can also create tension and disagreements. That made me stop and weigh both sides instead of just picking one. I think that shows my listening improved because I actually considered different viewpoints.
In the international aid discussion, I didn’t just say helping is good. I started thinking about deeper questions, like whether aid always works long term or if it can sometimes create dependency. I suggested that focusing on education and skills could help countries become stronger on their own. That felt like real problem solving, not just sharing an opinion.
These skills help me in school because in group work I now build on other people’s ideas instead of repeating the same thing. In daily life, I try to understand before I disagree, which makes conversations calmer.
Overall, listening helps me understand better, speaking helps me explain my ideas clearly, and problem solving helps me think deeper. Together, they make me feel more confident and more thoughtful about real-world issues.
I think I have improved my problem-solving skills the most because I’ve learned to think more carefully about different sides of an issue before making a decision. I find myself weighing up the pros and cons and trying to suggest solutions that are fair and realistic.
One example of this is during the Winter Games discussion. I kept going back and forth about whether technology helps or hurts athletes’ achievements, but I learned to consider both the advantages of training tools and the fairness issues before forming my opinion. Now, I can approach tricky topics more calmly and come to a reasoned conclusion.
I think that I have improved on my listening skills because whenever there is a problem happening during this festival, I start to read people's opinions and try to see on their point of view before adding or stating my point of view, and usually by doing this
my opinions are more detailed than before and they also focus more on both side of the argument.
One example is for the "Is it better for a country to have multiple allies or one strong powerful relationship?" standpoint, I read other people's opinions first, then i research more about it, and finally after that I wrote out my opinion which is something that i never did before in my other comments, plus I also included more of the other side's perspective rather than only focusing on my perspective.
I think that I've definitely developed my listening skills during this festival because only after reading everyone and other's opinions about the situation or how they think of it and how it should be done or how it should be changed did I finally begin to write my own thoughts. The view of the problem and situation shouldn't ever be viewed from just one perspective, it should be seen from both sides of the problem instead of just one side. To see is to believe, and if you falsely believe just one person without seeing what the other has to say, then it could cause a issue from it as well.
An example of this was when I was writing about how alliances could possibly be better or worse. I thought of it and said it could be more harmful than actually good, going on and on about how it created tension between countries, and causing some conflicts to expand when the allied countries support one of the countries that are in the conflict. That was until I read the other comments and heard opinions from a few others around me that alliances can also be good. They could provide a backing for the countries that lack the necessities and help them. It could form good relationships between a lot of countries, which avoids a lot of unnecessary conflict that may arise in the future. This helped me form a better answer for the question and also mix in my own thoughts, which changed my perspective of the question as well.
I think I have improved my listening skills because throughout the Festival, we were put into groups to discuss about different perspectives and opinions and I learnt to keep an open mind and be attentive to others. By participating in various activities we need I learnt that if we keep an open mind and share our perspectives respectfully and thoughtfully, we would have more chances of people listening to what you're saying and making more informed decisions.
I think I have improved my listening skills the most because when we were doing an activity about which solution is best to close the gap between the gender inequality, I got money and as I went around trying to convince people I mostly listened to what they had to say against my opinion I thought and voiced out my thoughts to show people what I think. The fact that I listened and voiced my thoughts are a big improve ment for me because I know that I'm not very good at expressing my opinions openly especially when around people I rarely know it makes me nervous. I was still nervous yes but I was able to voice out my opinions without stuttering and my mind going blank, I see this as improvement although I need lots more if improvement atleast I'm moving forward in small steps. I've been trying to listen more frequently and think before replying and so far it's getting better!
I think I have improved my Creativity skills the most because I am now better at developing new ideas by building on what others have said in the discussions. ✨
There are lot of reasons why i chose Creativity and one of the example is i learned more from this webside Beacause i didn’t know about that topics before and i listened From others.Then i search more about that topic like the Nato: friends forever and that made my creativity grow more.
I think I have improved my creativity skills the most during the festival. I learn to view topics from different angles and express my idea more originally. Earlier, I gave simple and direct answers. Now, I try to include examples, comparisions, and thoughtful insights that make my responses more engaging. The discussion pushed me to think deeper instead of repeating common opinions.
One reason for this growth is that each question required a unique perspective. I had to connect real-world events and current affairs with my own understanding to build strong arguments. Reading other's comments also encouraged me to develop my own voice instead of following the crowd.
One example for this improvement is how I now structure my answers. Before, I wrote short points with little explanation. Now, I organize my ideas clearly, add balanced arguments, and sometimes include a reflective line to make my response more impactful.
In conclusion, the festival helped me move beyond obvious thinking. I now see creativity as presenting ideas clearly, confidently, and in a distinctive way.
Helo everyone, I'm enchanted camel.
I think the skill I have developed the most throughout the festival is listening, because in order to answer or write a good comment in which you can show everyone your thoughts about a topic (in a respectful way), you should read other people's comments, listen carefully to the experts and, after that, have thoughtful ideas.
One example of this is the discussion about international aid, as before commenting my own opinion rapidly in the hub, I read listened different points of view and my thoughts were totally changed.
However, other skills such as creativity, problem solving or even speaking have also been developed, for the reason that we have been communicating with many people around the world, sharing our different ideas and points of views.
Thanks for reading!
Helo everyone, I'm enchanted camel.
I think the skill I have developed the most throughout the festival is listening, because in order to answer or write a good comment in which you can show everyone your thoughts about a topic (in a respectful way), you should read other people's comments, listen carefully to the experts and, after that, have thoughtful ideas.
One example of this is the discussion about international aid, as before commenting my own opinion rapidly in the hub, I read listened different points of view and my thoughts were totally changed.
However, other skills such as creativity, problem solving or even speaking have also been developed, for the reason that we have been communicating with many people around the world, sharing our different ideas and points of views.
Thanks for reading!
I think I have improved my problem soliving and creativity skills the most, I improve my creativity skills because I learn how to explain something with evidence and facts rather than only say my opinion in a simple way.I also learn how to explain my opinions in a respect and clear way, so other people can make opinions, comments and disscust in a formal way. I improve my soving problem by understant the other people´s opinions, also there are more than one correct answer and people can have their own point of view and we can´t change that. Many people have different opinions that ours and doesn´t mean they are wrong if they have evidences to defent it. If someone doesn´t agree of your opinion it need too be in a respectful way.
I think the skill I have improve the most during the Topical Talk Festival is my lisening and problem solving. This is due to writting with critical thinking when my fact opinion, why others may disagee with me and some solutions to solve problems. Furthermore, I have been reading others pespectives, which affect my views about some of the topics
One example of this is that I lisen more others people opinions in every context, such as in school, at home, on the street... Also, when I give better opinions, because I reasoned with more examples and facts.
As a conclusion, I have learned the importance of reading and understanding others opions before writting my own one.
I think throughout theese days my problem solving skills had improve a lot because all the activities and game that we did helped me practice decision making in difficult situations, debating with other people and problem solving.
I think I have managed to improve in every skill enough to be remarkable, however I think that what I have developed better, is the way of expessing my ideas so people can understand what I mean and the topic that is being explained, but I think I have also learn to litsen to other people opinions thanks to the games and lessons we have previously made,thinking not only what I want but what other people might like or want.
Being honest, I have develop allof the four skills. Firstly problem solving because at the beggining I dindn't think about other possible solutions and focused on my own opinion and if things went wrong, I simply retired, but now I try to thinks possible options. Next is speaking, I have always being a very shy person, which doesnt like to share his opinion, but, with this activity I have learned to express my thoughts. Also, I have developed my creativity, I, forever, have been a person who thinks very logically and never wants to find a creative or a little imaginative idea, and, although I have been always like this, my involvement in this topics has made me thinkmore creatively and to imagine more possible things, although they are very difficult to develop. Finally, the skill that I developed the least was listening. People always tell me that I should start speaking more than listening, but I have learned that sometimes listening is more important than speaking and in this participation I have also learned to how to listen in many different ways and to understand others point of view.
I think I have improved the most my speaking skills, because as we have a lot of activities where we need to speak, and I have talk a lot with, my partners, my teacher... I developed new ways of expresing and I learned a lot of vocabulary.Then this vocabulary that I have learnd I used it to write and reflect about different topics, during time I start to get familiar with this vocabulary and I learn in what ocations I should them better.
One example of it is when we where talking abut NATO at class we played a game in which we need to manage our own country, we need to explain our reasons of why did we choose each option and try to convince everyone that it is the best, with this activity we developed our speaking and our skills of debating with our partners. From then on I started to feel more confortable while having a conversation or debating because of all the new vocabulry I've learned.
I think I improved my speaking skills the most because before I didn't really reflect on my options. I used to say whatever I thought in that specific moment, and expressed it out loud, without thinking carefully about the problem. Now, I try to stay silent and consider thoroughly my approach and what I wish to say.
I have noticed this because in the first topics, I just wrote mindlessly. However, I have learned to read some of the other comments, establish my opinion, and then write. Sometimes, I even change my mind when I read other opinions, or phrase my comment differently.
In addition, I learn to structure my writing better; the clearest, most organized version of my mind. And that will surely stick with me for a lot longer than the specific topics we've discussed.
All things considered, I believe the festival has had a positive effect on my speaking and writings skills.
I think I have improved my listening skills as I predicted at the beggining of the festival. I think I have learned how to read carefully other people's opinions and understand their point of view even if I don't share their ideas. Listening helps form your own idea and plan the points you are going to include in your comment, it helps you plan a way of communicating your opinions without ignoring the others point of view.
If you listen, or read in this case, different comments and beliefs your writing will probablly be more complete and state facts that you collected from others. It also helps you expand your knowledge on the topic and form your detailed opinion.
But listening doesn't refer only to reading other people's comments, it also refers to listening and paying attention when the teacher is explaining the topic or while watching the videos of each of them. Paying attention is essential to be able to state real facts that you have learned throughout the week and to be correctly informed before forming your full opinion and writing it in a comment.
I have noticed that my listening skills have improved because before writing my comment I check other student's opinions and try to understand their point of view by the way they express it. Before the Topical Talk festival I went stright to writing what I thought was my opinion before considering others.
I think that the topics I have developed and improved the most are speaking and listening. Mostly speaking because I personally think that when I was writing a comment I always thought twice my ideas and because I was confident writing, explaining and expressing them. Another reason is becuase I tried to make the comments well structured and developed so that other Topical Talkers could understand and answer them without struggling. In my opinion I didn´t developed listening as much as speaking, however when I wanted to write a comment or answer one, I read other comments and I relied on their ideas and on what they had written, to structure mine. The videos at the projects they made when they presented us a new topic were also quite helpful to developed my comment, I practiced my listening skills with the informative videos. But I must say that creativity is my favourite skill, during all the festival I read and saw comments which were very intresting and the creativity to write them was noticeable.
During the festival, altough I improved lots of different skills, and I learn important things such as vocabulary, I think that the things I imroved the most are the speaking and the problem solving.
The problem solving I learn it thanks to all the things we write about and all the information we learnt, ading also the information we must search about a specific theme and, after having the information, developing it, I think I learnt a lot of how solving problems which might help us in our understanding.
The speking I increase it a lot because the topical talk festial help me to speak with other people, losing my fear to spek with ohter people
i have improved on my creativity because i got time to look over other peoples opinions on what they think about one topic in particular and i got to say my thoughts and people could also build on my ideas showing that we have improved on a lot like saying our own ideas and speaking what we think is best or what you believe.
I learnt to talk to my friends about loads of topic and I learnt how to listen better. I loved working on every single topical talk.
Speaking is the best I think because I like sharing my thoughts and it is easy because topical talk has improved my work I think and it is very fun to do.
I love topical talk this is the best thing I have done since I have moved from Australia.
I do love this thank you economist.
Throughout this week full of opinions, comments, ideas, pieces of advice, improvement proposals, and mainly, respect and harmony, we have been able to develop several abilities.
Sadly, I will focus only in one of them: Problem solving is the one that has predominated on me the most. For writing a comment you had to reflect carefully on every single detail and issue around the world, so that after that, you could express it as briefly as possible and try your best to make others understand what you would desire to communicate.
It wasn't only about writing comments and leaving, it was about using up your mind and skills, to make a comment or proposal that, although it was your opinion, it had to be as objective and equal for everyone as possible. To include all minorities and be full of creativity and wishes of changing the word we live in.
Thanks!
I think so far I have developed my listening and creativity skills. I say this because I read everyone's opinions and then use my imagination or creativity to develop something I feel is better. I learnt that, whenever we want to make a decision, we should listen to what everyone else has to say about the matter and then think of what could please everyone; even though sometimes not everyone is content, it still works. One example of something I do differently is making decisions as a group. LikeI said earlier, i now listen completely to what everyone has to say before I act out.
Creativity💮💞💝
Creativity💖💮💞💝🥹
i have improved by making my answers more detailed , listening more to others opinions and answers which could help my debates to improve, it helped me to get creative with my answers and learn different
things .
During this Festival, I have improved my Speaking and Creativity skills the most. I know this because when I presented my standpoint on winter sports,I used creative 'real-life' examples to make a complicated topic easy to understand. I proved I can speak confidently and think creatively to create a wonderful standpoint on the winter games and lowering the voting age.
Signing off: fair minded elephant
i think that my skill that improved was problem solving
my worst is lisening really beacuse i am not really a lisener
The skill I have developed most is defending my point. I have learned that other people want to sometimes go against my point, and I have learned to defend my point with evidence, thanks to this website. I have learned many things and I will use my new skills to defend myself in the future.
I think I have known a lot about winter games, international aid, NATO and lowering the voting age and the other I have forgotten.
But topical talk is really a good website to let us show our things we have learnt. Who might win? thank you topical talkkkkkk
I think that my creativty and imagination have improved ever since i started topical talk, it helped me think more about others opinions and not only mine and when we made our own flags my creativty was astounding in my opinion.
I have improved my creativity and speaking skills since my lovely teacher came here to support us. I will give you one example for both of my new skills. Firstly, for my creativity, i used to be boring and have the same ideas with the others but when i understand the meaning of the question truly that nobody else understands i started to feel connected to every question and start to enjoy it. Secondly, for my speaking skills, i used to be too shy to say something. But after i think about it again and again i started to join in since it was really and i took part. Now i speak confidently and have a strong imagination. So thank you all.
I think the skill I improved the most during the Festival was speaking. Before, I was sometimes nervous to share my ideas, especially about big global topics. But now, I became more confident and learned how to explain my thoughts more clearly. I know I’ve improved because I now speak up more often and feel comfortable sharing my opinions in front of others.
I have improved my problem solving skills the most because I have be able to answer complex questions and give good answers and that is all because of the topical talk program and I am glad that I am part of this program and can't wait for the next time that we will have this program again.
Thank you for reading.
I think that since I watch series an movies mostly in English, my English vocabulary has grown and improved. But I also often speak English with my friends, just for fun. In this way I learn even faster. :-)
I think I have improved my creativity skills the most during the Festival because I learned how to develop new ideas and build on other people’s thinking. Before, I usually shared simple opinions. But now, I try to think differently and add something unique to the discussion.
One example of this is when we talked about whether richer teams can buy advantage in sports. Instead of only saying “yes” or “no,” I suggested creating fair technology-sharing rules so all teams could compete equally. I also added ideas after listening to others. This shows my creativity has improved a lot.
I think I have improved my problem solving skills the most during the Festival. I now think more carefully about different issues before making a decision. I try to understand both sides of an argument, compare ideas, and then suggest a fair solution. This helps me give more balanced and thoughtful answers in discussions.
One example of this is when I read different opinions in the activities and did not choose the first idea I saw. Instead, I considered the advantages and disadvantages of each option before writing my response. This shows that I can now analyse problems better and suggest clearer solutions.
I think I have improved my speaking skill's the most due to there being multiple social and group discussions in the lessons.
The festival helped me to improve my writing skills in english as well as my listening skills. For me it was very interesting to read all the discussions from people all over the world and find out about their different opinions. This gave me a new view on some of the topics for which I‘m very grateful.
I have improved the most in problem solving because when the first festival started, I didn’t know what to type. Now I know that I can change the topic I am doing to help my thought process.
For example, if one of the topics was “How does light reflect?” and I didn’t know what to type, I would just sit there and do nothing, but now I would change topics.
I would also think too hard about which choice I'm gonna choose. For example, what happens if I wanted that, but also that. I would be stuck choosing, but now I choose faster.
I only got better when I started to realize time was running out. So I started to get all my work done faster.
I think I have improved my listening skills by listening to other people's opinions. I found it interesting how each person had a different point of view. This showed me the variety of options to an answer we have and how everyone is entitled to their own opinions on different topics during this festival.
I believe I’ve improved my creativity and problem-solving skills because writing comments and reading other people’s opinions has helped me see problems from different perspectives. I’ve learned to understand all the parts of a situation, think more creatively, and take the time to look for thoughtful, conscious solutions instead of rushing to conclusions.
I think I have improved my creativity skills the most because I can now express myself appropriately, build and brainstorm on new ideas and others opinions which has given me room to evaluate different aspects of the discussions and also encourage me to sustain the experience and motivation to try harder in times of needs. One example of this is that I usually use to get hard times whenever I am ask to evaluate or brainstorm on an idea but now I am relevant and ecstatic in doing them ,not just that I also discovered that I can think critically on transformative solutions which be of great benefits to one self.kudos to me. Thanks😉💖
I think I have improved my problem solving and critical thinking skills the most because it has helped me think about every perspective.
When we were discussing NATO I really had to think about the different countries and the agreements from all perspectives.
I think i have improved my speaking and creativity due to simulations, lessons and what i would do if i was in the government's position
I thin the skill I improve the most is creativity because you can create tings . If you don't have creativity you can not create `
I think I have improved my problem solving skills the most during the festival because I now think more carefully about different perspectives, as most of the time, other people added value and understanding to my own opinion. Instead of choosing the most 'popular' idea or solution among the class, I learnt to weigh up different viewpoints. Through these discussions I discovered that complex problems often do not have just one simple answer. Listening to others helped me understand the importance of considering multiple perspectives and the possible consequences of different solutions. This experience has helped me become more open minded and thoughtful when approaching and addressing problems.
I've noticed a definite improvement in my public speaking skills, too. It makes sense, really; in a group, your ideas only become known when you actually say them out loud. If you want to steer a discussion or win a point, speaking up is absolutely key.
Think about it – during a lively group chat, others might throw out their opinions, but you could potentially have a truly superior concept. The thing is, nobody's going to tap into your flashes of brilliance unless you decide to share them.
Honestly, in the early stages of these group activities, I'd usually keep mum, feeling quite hesitant. But once I got over that initial hurdle and started contributing, I discovered it wasn't so hard to voice my thoughts and, just as importantly, soak up what everyone else was sharing.
I think I have improved my speaking skills the most during the Festival. At the beginning, I usually listened more and did not always share my thoughts in the discussion. Sometimes I was unsure about how to express my ideas clearly. But as the discussions continued, I slowly became more confident about speaking and sharing my opinions.
One thing that helped me was listening to how others explained their ideas. It encouraged me to try and express my own thoughts in a clearer way. I started giving reasons for my opinions instead of just saying what I think. Because of this, I felt more comfortable joining the conversation and explaining my ideas to .
For example, during one discussion I was able to share my viewpoint and explain why I felt that way, and others were able to understand my perspective. That made me realize that my speaking skills had improved compared to before.
I think I have improved my creativity and listening skills. Because of this topical talk, I have learnt to listen to listen to other people's opinions and compare it with mine, in order to learn more. I have learnt to listen and understand before I decide on a matter and I am so glad that I was able to develop this skill and i'm also very happy that I was able to participate in the topical talk, because this is a great experience. I have also learnt to be creative and solve problems in different ways, all thanks to the topical talk platform. I am very grateful that I was able to learn these skills.
To be honest, I think that this platform has actually increased my problem solving. It has increased my ability to think critically and answer questions thoroughly. It has helped me to listen before I solve problems. It also has taught me some key steps in solving questions.
1. Listening
2.Understanding
3. Reasoning
4. Answering
I actually am trying to apply these steps in my life because I know it can actually help me a lot. I hope that these might actually be of help to anybody that has read it. Thank You, Topical talk.
I think I have improved my listening skills the most because I spent a lot of time listening to other people’s opinions and I think this helped me understand that other people’s opinion’s matter as much as mine.
This festival helps ms learn a lot of new things and gives me the opportunity to explore many interesting topics. I think I have improved my problem solving skills the most because there are a lot of topics with different question that require careful thinking. When I try to give my opinion, I need to analyze the problem and think about different possible solutions, I also need to considerate about the others opinion. This process helps me practice critical thinking to solve the problems. Listening to other participants ideas and explanations also helps me understand new perspectives. Overall, this festival is a very valuable experience for me because it encourages me to learn something new, think more deeply, and improve my skills. Through this festival I didn’t just improve my problem solving skills but also speaking, listening, and creativity.
I believe the skill I improved the most is listening because I feel I have started to include opinions from a variety of people. I no longer think solely about my opinions I try to think about all sides of a question.
I remember commenting on the voting age topic and being very confident about my opinion in it. Someone replied to my comment and it was beautiful. They absolutely disagreed with my comment. At first I was very dismissive about it, but as I read on my opinion about the voting completely changed. I believe that was the first time in my life that I had been persuaded so intensely. It really made me think about how everyone's opinions are so valuable not only because they are personal but because they have the power to influence the people around us. If the world listened more and was more open to new ideas I believe the world would be very different.
I think I have improved my creativity skills the most because we had to use creativity in different lessons.
One example of this is how we had to think about which is more better for a country in a lesson.
I think that the skill that I depeloved the most is problem solving, because with all the videos and all the games, I think that I´ve learned a lot of diferent aspects, and now, I dont only know more about these themes, I know how to solve situations.
For a example, Im going to use one of the minigames/situations that I´ve enjoyed the most. The one that the class was divided into different countries, and we have a budget that we have to spend on International Aid. So in this example, we have learned how to solve problems in different situations. I have enjoyed it mostly because it was fun, and all the class cooperated. Almost anyone participated.
I have improved my speaking skills because before I did this I was a little timid about speaking my mind but this has shown me that it is not embarrassing nor scary to say my thoughts about something.Even though this might be my last time writing I won't loose the confidence that writing on here gave me.I just wanted to say THANK YOU.
I think I have improved my argumentative skills most because during debates I used to just get my point across by saying what I think, and that was perceived as rude, but now I consider what I say and I build up to my main point to be more interesting and keep listeners invested.
I have also improved my listening though because sometimes if I dont want to know, I just tune it out because I dont care, but now, I've learnt to listen to everyone's thoughts - maybe I'll find someone who agrees.
I dont think I've improved creativity mainly because i was very creative to begin with - what I mean is, my mind was (and is) all over the place and kind of does what it wants, and im usually creative enough that I get what I call "creativity burnout" which is where you've used all of the magnificent ideas in your mind and youre just completely out.
The games we played or the voting in class for topical talk really improved my problem solving and what I do in certain situations. I think more about different activities and try to see if there's a shortcut or an easier way to do the task.
I also improved my speaking by A LOT because as I said, some people think what im saying is rude because of the tones I use or my facial expressions, but I dont really kay attention to those because I've hyperfixated on my point and that's what im trying to say and what im trying to do. Of someone won't listen to what I say, that's when I get annoyed, even though I interrupt people a lot without realising.
Topical talk has taught me many skills that I'll need in life so I'm sad its ending soon.
I think I have improved my listening and problem-solving the most.
Live lessons, debates and discussions encouraged everyone to have the turn to speak and reply to others meaningfully. The Topical Talk wasn't just as simple as a website that we write comments in it; it was such a great opportunity that helped us listen carefully to understand the full landscape of something.
I could have a voice in global issues and topics, which helped me think deeply and widely, considering more than one point of view, which developed my problem-solving skills.
I think I have improved my listening and creativity skills the most because I have had to hear other peoples point of view and think about creative ways for me to discuss the topics.
I have enjoyed being able to form opinions considering both sides of the discussion points and to use my brain to think about why I believe the things that I believe. Now I am able to listen better and articulate my thoughts better.
from forgiving_ starfruit
In my cases of this year’s event, I believe that I mostly improved on my listing skills. This is because I liked to have stuff my own way and made myself the leader of the group. However I have now come to a conclusion that making yourself heard the most doesn’t make you a leader, taking other people’s opinions and advice into account makes you a better leader than anyone could ever ask for. Saying that your the leader doesn’t have any more value than what you are actually doing to deserve your team.
During team work activities in lessons, I have learned that sometimes it is better to ask yourself, “Are you including everyone or simply making yourself the main character of the story?”. I am a person who loves to come up with out-of-the-world ideas and to share my thoughts and points of view on things. Now I know that sometimes it is better to stay quiet and listen to others first (make sure you’re heard but don’t overpower people using your voice).
I would like to add that after I read through people’s comments, I saw lots of responses saying that they were shy and felt manipulated out of the group. This really made me feel awful for how they were being treated. I know that I don’t want to be treated with poor manners so neither shall they because I fixed my behaviour and I am now focusing on listening skills to others first.
Thanks to my teammates and Topical Talk I truly have become another person.
Thank you Topical Talk for leading me through this journey to be the person who I am today.
I think I have improved my listening skills the most because now I pay more attention to other people's ideas during discussions. I try to understand different opinions before I share my own.
One example of this is that when my classmates speak, I listen carefully and respond to what they said instead of only thinking about my own opinion. This helps the disussion flow better and makes it easier to understand different perspectives.
During the festival I think I have improved my listening skills and the way I speak. I also learned a lot of problem solvings by thinking and overally just using my mind. I think this way because back then I was scared of public speaking and other stuff like grammar mistakes. Tropical talk helped me overcome all of these fears and it also organized all my thoughts together into creating one big idea!
I consider I have improved my problem solving skills the most during the Festival because I learned how to think more carefully about issues and how to choose the best solution for them. When we were given situations in which instead of choosing any solution without thinking, I looked for different ways of solving them and choosing which one would work the best. Making decisions became easier and organised. Sometimes as we worked in teams we disagree since each of us has a different perspective but by sharing, talking and discussing our ideas we could reach an agreement. Finally, I feel more confident when discussing my views with others and making good decisions for all of us.
During this festival, I have improved my problem solving skills. Well, solving a problem isn’t as easy as they think. There are many unsolved problems that are really difficult or complicated to be solved. Well I was one of them before, but by this festival I have improved my problem solving skills by making an essay that can be motivational and useful for the Topical Talks.
By solving problems, you can easily suggest or give solutions for someone. But you must think carefully and critically before giving ideas or solutions. Not only solving problems, I think I have also improved my listening skills. Listening is really important because it can be important to hear different perspectives and opinions from other people. But thankfully from this festival, I have listened to other peoples perspectives and opinions more than before.
I think I have improved my speaking skills the most. At first, i felt a little nervous sharing my ideas, but as the topics continued, I became more confident in expressing my opinions. I learned how to explain my thoughts clearly so that others could understand my POV. Participating in discussions and responding to different topics helped me organize my ideas better before speaking.
I know that my speaking skill improved because I started contributing more often during discussions and feel more comfortable sharing my thoughts or opinions with others. By the end of the festival, I noticed that i could communicate my thoughts more clearly and take part in discussion. This festival helped me develop confidence and improve my speaking and writing skill
I think the skill that I have improved the most during the festival is my listening skill because I have learned the significance of carefully listening to other people’s opinions before giving my own response. I do not only focus on giving my own opinions, but I also pay attention to other people’s opinions and thoughts.
This has helped me become more thoughtful when discussing issues with other people. I have learned to consider other people’s opinions and give my response in a manner that is acceptable to everyone involved in the discussion.
I think I have improved my vocabulary as before joining topical talks I had a very small vocabulary span and stutterd on my words or had many problems writing, although my spelling needs a lot more work.
i think i have improved on discussing and on the news the most because that in my few months of doing this topical talk i have been getting some serious up levels and i know it is from every ones opinions and the app it self i got a lot of ideas from this and the messages are my backup if i need more to say on my final opinion.one example of this is that when we were discussing about the topic NATO friends forever i got to know that america says that to spend 5 of there gpd to make there allience more stronger and another saying was that they promised to help one and another but they said that they couldnt because they spent a lot of peoples lifes and they need to take a break.
Hi Topical Talkers, it's fierce_computer and I improved in everything, here's how:
I have improved in my creativity, as I have expanded my point of view, especially in the NATO lesson because I have learnt and experienced the different possibilities of different actions. I now have a wider diversity of views which leads to my problem solving. Now my points of view are more diverse, I now see how we can solve all problems from all viewpoints, which leads to listening. To know all different viewpoints you need to listen to it. Which I learnt to do, it used to be all "me! me! me!" but now it's "that is actually really creative" and to say that I learnt speaking. Speaking persuasivley which is crucial for debating.
So for me I improved in all skills. Let me now if you agree or not in the replies.
Bye for now:)
Can you expand on why you say speaking persuasively is crucial for debating?
During the festival I have developed many skills, some of which I didn't even know that this could of helped me with. Most of all it has helped me developed my speaking skills I have discussed with my peers multiple problems and answered many of the topical talks because it has also helped me grow my listening skills too so when I write I am able to write with seeing both standpoints. Topical talk has helped me to grow as a person and develop closer relations with my peers so overall the thing that topical talk has helped me with the most isn't on the required list but it has helped me develop friendships
I have improved my problem solving when I’m playing for my team deal town fc when I was taking a free kick I was thinking 🤔 I wasn’t going to curl it over the wall so when they jump to block the shot I did it low under there legs and went to my teammate and he smashed it home ⚽️⚽️
I have developed my creativity skill the most because I have figured out new ways to solve problems every day.
Each challenge taught me a new way to think.
When I read somebody else’s comment I develop new ways to think.💭
When the talent or technology/winter Olympics challenge came up i hade to think in a different way to see somebody else’s opinion.However somebody else might of chosen listening because that can be hard.
Every opinion matters because every body has there own perspective.
I personally have improved in all of the skills because the skills have helped me in my social and daily interactions, which has helped me to listen and jump to conclusions, to be creative in my thinking and implementing it, and lastly, to express myself without having the feeling of fear of what people would say if I said something. So topical talk has really improved every part of me.
I think I have improved my speaking skills alot during this festival. Earlier I was feeling shy to speak infront of everyone. I thought that what if I make mistakes while speaking and laugh.
But during this session I feel very confident to speak infront of others . I was improving step by step. This session really helped me to speak aloud with the information I had in my mind. I hope this will help me in my future.
Thank you.
During the Festival, I believe I have improved the most in Problem Solving. At the start, I often focused only on the most obvious answer to a global issue. However, I have learned to think more carefully about complex topics by weighing up different ideas from my peers before forming a conclusion.
I know I have improved because I am now able to suggest solutions that consider multiple perspectives rather than just one. For example, during our recent discussions, I found myself actively looking for 'middle ground' answers that addressed the concerns of different groups, which helped the conversation move toward a practical outcome."
I think I have improved my listening skills the most because once I first did Topical Talk I didn't really have that chance of listening to the discussions of the videos like I didn't really know how to explain our discussions that we normally do.
One example of this is I can now start having communication with my classmates and other pupils if we agree or disagree like for example when we did President Donald Trump wanted the Greenland to sell their country and decided to give them Tax if they do it.
Like another one when we did about people's land like a group of them didn't have enough so when they were in trouble another country would look out for them and when they need help they will send one of their good groups for clean water ,food and shelter.
During the Topical_talk festival I think I have strongly improved on my listening skills! Learning that other people have different opinions and that I should listen to my class mates, or even anyone that has competed in this event. Different perspectives and ideas EVERYWERE.
The festival hasent just improved my listening skills but also the vocabulary that I have learnt from different contestants around the world. I have really enjoyed this Festival, I think that it has provided me new skills that were tricky for me to learn before hand!!!
THANKS TOPICAL TALKERS
rhetorical_whale.
I think I have improved my speaking skills because I used to only have close friends that were pretty shy and don't talk that much but now I have a few more friends that talk a lot and just laugh their mistakes away.I also make stuff and give it to one girl who passes it into other people so that they can see.I hope at secondary school I can have more friends like this goodbye
One thing that I have improved is my problem solving. By seeing others opinions I learn other things and other ways to think.
Can you expand on how reading others opinions helps you to learn things?
Hi I am sympathetic chocolate and my best skill is creativity because art is my favourite subject in school and drawing is passion and i plan to become a artist when I am older and turn up to artistic auctions to see how many people want my work and with my creativity I find my self artistic and in the future I can see myself as a artist with my good work and having lots of fun
And I do hope my family and freinds support me to leed me to success
Bye topical talker
I think I’ve most improved on my problem solving and listening skills as in the last couple of days, I’ve found it easier to write a balanced argument instead of just being one-sided. This shows that I’ve listened carefully in lessons and I’ve also listened closely to other Topically Talkers; I’ve really taken their view points into consideration and used them to enhance my own understanding. This has helped me to not only earn stars but deepen my knowledge of our world today. I’ve had a reply saying that I’ve changed someone else’s perspective, and I’m so glad I got to help others as they have helped me. By listening carefully, I’ve been exposed to different reasons and sides of stories; I’ve been able to better my problem solving skills because I’ve learned to see and take into consideration all aspects, instead of just one. This helps me to not be arrogant and stubborn because I’m more open minded. I can now see the logic of different perspectives and prove why I agree, disagree or only agree partly while stating why I disagree with others. When I’m off to secondary in just months, I’m going to be one of 180 different opinions and learning how to deal with that exposure now is going to be extremely helpful later on. I’ll be able to give and receive knowledge with joy instead of frustration. Thanks to Topical Talk, it’s not going to be a shock when people disagree with me because I’ve learnt how to listen and apply in real time, I’ve had my own experiences and I know how to learn from them.
During the festival, I think the discussion skills I improved the most are speaking and creativity. At first, I sometimes felt shy to share my ideas because I was not sure if they were good enough. But by joining more discussions, I slowly became more confident and learned how to explain my thoughts more clearly.
I also realized that discussions are not only about giving our own answer. Reading other students comments often helped me think in new ways and come up with more creative ideas.
This experience showed me that speaking and creativity work together. Creativity helps us think of different ideas, and speaking helps us share them with others.
Because of this, discussions become more interesting and meaningful.
I think I have improved my listening skills the most during the Festival. At the beginning, I mainly focused on sharing my own opinion. But over time, I realized that discussions become much more interesting when you really listen to other perspectives.
I remember a discussion about NATO and global security. At first, I already had a clear opinion. But after reading comments from students in different countries, I noticed ideas I hadn’t thought about before. Instead of repeating my point, I started responding to their arguments and thinking more carefully about the issue. This helped me understand that good discussions are not only about speaking, but about listening and learning from others too.
Signing off: fairminded_fly
I think I improved my listening and problem solving the most during the festival because I can really that feel that in my real life.Before I don't have patience to heed anything,but now I have learnt to heed to a find a perfect solution for a problem.so during the festival I have improved my skills and it helped me to improve my overall standards.
I think I have improved my speaking skills the most during the Festival because Topical Talk gave me many chances to express my opinions about real-world issues. Before, I often hesitated to share my thoughts, but now I feel more confident explaining my ideas clearly.
For example, when discussing topics like lowering the voting age or international alliances, I learned how to present my standpoint with reasons and examples. Moreover, listening to others helped me adjust how I explain my ideas so people can understand my point better. Because of this, I now feel more comfortable speaking in discussions and sharing my perspective.