GEMS Modern Academy commences 30th anniversary celebrations

GEMS Modern Academy marked 30 years of outstanding education practice by kicking-off a year-long celebration with planned activities intended to celebrate the children and highlight the school’s achievements and its academic and extra-curricular successes.

First among the activities for the milestone year was a public speaking workshop by leading communication strategist Richard Greene who was invited by the school’s department of communication to conduct his first-ever workshop in the UAE. The workshop was held for Modern’s Grade 12 students and all teachers about the ‘7 Secrets of Public Speaking’.

Held in partnership with GEMS Education, the workshop was organised by Explorars, who design and deliver experiential programs for students and are currently engaged with some of the leading school groups in the UAE and India.

Popularly referred to as “The Master of Charisma” and the author of the prestigious book, “Words That Shook the World: 100 Years of Unforgettable Speeches and Events”, Richard Greene has conducted over 100 international lecture tours, leading workshops and consulting for the United Nations, World Health Organisation, the US Chamber of Commerce, Wharton Business School, Young Presidents Organisation, House of Lords, amongst others.

 Greene captivated the attention of over 600 people who attended the workshop at GEMS Modern Academy comprising principals, senior leadership and faculty of GEMS and non-GEMS schools across the emirate. Greene shunned traditional methods of public speaking and reflected a new approach towards the importance of body language, tone of voice and words while addressing an audience.

Nargish Khambatta, Principal of GEMS Modern Academy, said: “This stage has yet to see a more powerful and impactful speaker than Richard Greene. I strongly believe that communication skills are of utmost importance in whichever part of the world you are in and yet, it is the one thing that some people dread incredibly. With this workshop, we were able to celebrate the gift of speaking well and hope to nurture it in every one of our student. I must congratulate our head of communications Ms Sumana Chatterji for her exemplary leadership”

GEMS Modern Academy is the only ICSE syllabus school in Dubai, to be ranked outstanding by the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau consecutively for the last 6 years.

Tarun Dara, Founder of Explorars said: “I believe this session with Richard Greene demonstrates that our engagement with schools goes beyond travel to providing experiential learning, which is consistent with our vision of igniting young minds.”

Commenting on his first workshop experience in Dubai, Greene said: “My first audience in the beautiful city of Dubai were amongst the most engaging I’ve seen. GEMS Education has inculcated just the right skills for students and staff. I am a firm believer that there is no reason to be afraid of public speaking which is nothing more than having a conversation with two or more people - about something you feel passionate about - while you just happen to be standing up.”

Over the past 28 years Greene has trained approximately 35,000 people, in 33 countries on five continents. Among those are heads of state, US senators and congresspersons, political candidates, members of the House of Lords, CEOs, CFOs and Chairpersons of corporations, actors, models, athletes and even the Princess of Wales.