Balanced discussions on the Hub
Topical Talk Festivals are about showcasing a diverse range of perspectives from around the world.
If there is an imbalance in perspectives that might affect this, for example, if the discussion is flooded with similar view points, the Topical Talk team might curate the discussion a bit more.
This might mean…
…we change the number of comments you're allowed in a day.
If you receive a notification saying that we cannot accept your comment because there are too many from your area, this does not mean that your ideas aren’t good – it just means that we want to give other students a chance to be heard as well as you, because you have already contributed to the discussion.
If you see this notification, enjoy spending time reading other student’s opinions and try again the next day.
…we prioritise comments that reply to other students.
Replies are very important for the Festival because they help you to develop the discussions.
…we reject comments with ideas that are very similar to things that have already been said.
We strongly advise you to read the discussion and try to think of something new.
Alternatively, if your ideas are similar to someone else's, reply to them and say why you agree, rather than just repeating the same points again.
How else could we help more people to be heard on the Hub?
For example, how else could we balance discussions to make sure Topical Talkers from every country have a fair say?
Or how could we encourage more countries to join the fun?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
A final tip from the Topical Talk team: to get the most out of the Festival, you should spend most of your time on the Hub reading other view points and thinking about why there are different opinions about the news. Try to look for opinions that are different from your own!
Comments (33)
You could make sure everyone has a fair share by maybe involving children and teachers from around Tropical Talk in a Google meet.You could encourage more countries to enjoy the fun by visiting them and explaining how interesting,fun and mind-stretching this can be!
I agree because the more people the merry! Google meet is a fun way to get to know other people as long as we hide our faces.
It is good to make everyone comfortable in this program because everyone needs to be treated fairly. On the other hand, most people might feel reluctant to engage in the discussion maybe because they think it's not important and I think it is best to leave everyone interested to speak his or her mind then when the person makes a reasonable comment he or she will be rewarded for their good work.
Encouraging more countries to join can be done by making more advertisements to make it known more to everyone in the whole world cause it may interest them to give it a try.
I agree to this unbiased planet , making everyone comfortable has being of great impact to me.
Topical talk has fueled the brilliant and innovative ideas in every topical talker mind.we have been able to acquire exquisite knowledge.
It will be of great privilege if this discussion can be shared with the less privileged .
Thank you, I wish the discussion can be sheared to the less privileged also but the question is, not everyone among the less privileged can afford to engage in the discussion because they don't have access to any electrical equipment that could help them engage in the discussion.
exactly cause if everyone has a fair say in this, talking on this platform will be way more motivated and people will be willing to express themselves who knows it might just create awareness about this program and by next year more schools would be willing to join in this interaction.
I agree because... If other schools join this interaction we will have more individuals whom will share different ideas and express their thoughts on a topic which that will make the hub more fun!
I totally agree with you. Sharing our thoughts and ideas can make us more open minded and we can understand how people feel in different situations all over the world.
This is a great opportunity not only to think about our topica but also to interact with many students.
It is nice knowing that Topical Talk wants everyone to have a turn to express themselves.And all comments have been reviewed .
I agree because with youths from all over the world sharing ideas, we will have an extensive amount of opinions and points of view. As said above, many people might be self conscious about what other people think about their opinions. This program allows everyone to be anonymous and requires appropriate, deeply thought of, and constructed responses. Unfortunately most youths do not like to participate in discussions such as these. fortunately, the program provides rewards to hook youths in this program.
splendid_fish I agree because people on Google Meet who are shy to show their face can hide their face which makes it safe for people who aren't allowed on specific apps don't need to show their face directly.Also it's easy to talk to each other because if someone was new they can easily find out how to talk,mute,hide their real identity and etc.But the only thing which is bad is that strangers can pretend to be a kid and hide their face and might use a voice changer.Also if your shy,you don't need to talk,you can just mute the microphone and listen to other people's conversations.
Hello splendid_fish
I also agree with you atot because Google meet is a great way to know other people and Google meet also provides privacy which makes more people comfortable. When more people joins we can knows others peoples as well as we hear their thoughts or they can hear our thoughts about certain topics.
Hi splendid_fish
I totally agree with your point of view since privacy is one of the most important factors for an pleasant discussion in order to be able to express freely our personal thoughts on a topic and interact with other students from all over the world.
Well done for replying to another comment!
Hi splendid_fish, I agree with what you said because when other schools join this interaction, students will have different ideas and opinions to express on a topic which will brainstorm ideas for others.
I concur, and this will be a hands-on approach to learn about a wide range of topics and civilizations. That manner of speaking with individuals is crucial, in my opinion. Being an instructor, for instance, you would wish to encourage your pupil to respond by telling him to calm down or not to worry. Telling someone to calm down is the worst thing you can do since it only makes the situation worse. I can say that you can create a variety of engaging activities to add to the lively conversation. We may create conversations, make lives speak, discuss issues, or present it in other ways.
Topical Talk Festivals ensure participation by all. It is creating an opportunity for students from different parts of the world to express their opinion . It also plays an important role in acquiring knowledge. It helps the students of the world to improve their skills and inform them about various subjects.
I agree with triumphant_context's opinion about Topical Talk. This platform allows students from different parts of the world to share their views on a wide range of topics. However, I feel that there should be more topics to explore and Student Hubs to engage with. It would be great if the platform could also make a feature that enables students who speak different languages to participate and engage in Topical Talk.I believe that Topical Talk provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn and change their perspectives on different subjects. It can help them develop better debating skills and encourage original thinking. Therefore, I support the idea of expanding the platform and making it accessible to a wider audience.
To enhance participation and ensure that more people are heard on the Tropical Talk Festival Hub:
1. **Diverse Topics:** Include a diverse range of topics that cater to different interests, ensuring a broad appeal and encouraging more individuals to join discussions.
2. **Inclusive Challenges:** Introduce challenges that invite contributions from various perspectives, fostering inclusivity and encouraging participation.
3. **Global Representation:** Actively seek input from participants around the world, ensuring a global representation of opinions and experiences.
4. **Amplify Unique Voices:** Provide a platform to amplify the voices of underrepresented groups or individuals with unique perspectives, promoting inclusivity.
5. **Interactive Activities:** Incorporate interactive activities, such as polls or quizzes, to engage participants and make the discussions more dynamic.
6. **Moderation:** Implement effective moderation to maintain a positive and respectful environment, ensuring that everyone feels comfortable expressing their thoughts.
7. **Feedback Channels:** Establish clear feedback channels where participants can share their thoughts on the Festival's structure, topics, and activities, allowing continuous improvement.
8. **Community Building:** Facilitate community-building initiatives, encouraging participants to connect with each other and creating a sense of belonging within the Tropical Talk Festival Hub.
By focusing on diversity, inclusivity, and interactive engagement, the Tropical Talk Festival can become a vibrant space where a wide range of voices are heard and valued.
These are some brilliant suggestions that we'll try to take on board. Thank you!
I agree your suggestions are awesome. The topical talk festival is great but if you can add a few touches to make it more inclusive for people with special needs like voice over and speech to text to help the dyslexic students. That will make them more comfortable doing the competition.
I agree because all this are important it can make other schools interested in the topical talk when All those things that you have mentioned is actually applied it would make the competitors more interested in the topical talk. And what I would like to add is that they all should be allowed to air their views. And also creating awareness, summary create a funnel.
I very much agree to your excellent comment orange. i think you make good points with good reasoning. I believe most of the points and they all link to the modern world around us.
Tenacious_turbine.
I agree with your point that enhance the discussion, it is also essential to introduce more topics related to different regions such as East Africa, Asia and the UK. Additionally incorporating age related subjects can provide a diverse range of topics for students to engage with and freely comment on. Lastly creating more awareness via social media handles will also work.
These are so many interesting suggestions. I totally agree with on global representation and community building. But I would also like to add something more:
Country representatives into a global community . A school can represent each country to a final global community virtual event.
Distinguish topics to appropriate age level and countries with English as their second language.
This way even the young ones will feel more confident!
And lastly I must say that I agree with interactive activities. They are so exciting and some of them made me learn so many things.
I agree with this because lots of countries, counties and religious places don't get to use this website because technology is unavailable to them which is unfair because other places get to use this website.
I agree because the more people the merrier. Google has made it easier for us to communicate. This way we can get to know each other and get to know each other. We can find solutions to each other's problems. I think it will be more fun if we are more people.
We could encourage people from all ages to join topical talk by maybe asking schools if they could hold an assembly about it. Then, all the people who want to do it put their name in a hat and however many people we want to invite get chosen. That way, all ages can be involved!
I agree! I think we should let more people engage in this festival.In this festival you can view people's opinion about the world.Thank you Topical Talk for hosting this event!
Make sure people have acsess to internet
Hello trustful_eel. I agree with your point like I'd assume that every person does however this is far, far easier said than done. This can be for a variety of reasons however a key factor could be for political reasons. You are most likely going to find that in countries with politically challenged governments like in North Korea and Somalia there are far less people with access to the internet. In some of these countries it could be because the respective governments of these countries may have something to hide, they could be in war or they might be in a poorer country where there is less technology and perhaps less satelite signals due to climate. My assumption is that you mean that countries should spend more money for their people to have access to the internet but they might not want their people to have access to the internet or they might simply not have the money to do so. Therefore I think your comment is a little short sited but this is a platforms to share our opinions anyway so I'd be happy to further discuss this with you. Also this is a map you may find interesting. https://themobilecentury.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/isabelle1.png.
analytical_cookie
I strongly agree with your suggestion. However not everyone is fortunate enough to have access to the internet due to specific reasons for their country. Places like north Korea and china along with other countries across the world might have limited or no access to the internet. Another possible factor to places that have limited access to the internet could be things like: War, changes in the countries political system, lack of money to supply the equipment/ technology needed. Therefore I stand with your point, but I believe that there is more to it than just giving access to the internet.
tenacious_turbine
I agree because we could know the other peoples opinion's and they could see ours and it would be interesting to read other peoples opinions because lots of people agree and lots and its interesting to know why they agree and maybe they're opinions could change our opinion
You are entirely correct that learning about other people's perspectives inspires us to come up with fresh concepts. It encourages us to think more deeply and come up with innovative, skillful solutions. Indeed, you are correct that it has the power to change people's beliefs. Reading the thoughts of others may change our own perspectives. People are now more interested in reading other people's thoughts and perspectives on the same topics from a completely new angle as a result of that shift. Consequently, read our thoughts as well and provide them fresh perspectives, even if they disagree with us.
You are correct, of course. Responding to others' comments can help generate new ideas. After reaching a decision, we must inform everyone who is impacted by it, whether positively or negatively, by agreeing or disagreeing. Determining our objectives and standards is crucial to achieving successful outcomes. A wider range of viewpoints can help you reach a final decision by helping you explore and learn about your options. By doing all of this, we are bringing balance to the discussion.
You should make sure everybody is enjoying topical talk and make it more fun for teachers and students. A main key is also making sure everybody is comfortable on what is happening. You could make surveys and let the users decided what the topic should be and how y'all could improve. Being comfortable with this program can make a huge inpact since everybody around the world aren't the same and may not like what other people like.
Topical talk festival is a new thing for some people. Somebody don't know about this festival. So, if we want to get to people know about this festival. We should do something new . Like ; 1) if we give all information about on Google many people will be want to coming on this festival.
2) Make a channel on YouTube or any social media like: Facebook, Instagram .
3) Add some new futures on it . Make more topic for comment.
4) Give us to make more comment for collecting stars . This only my opinion.
5) You can also make a app of Topical talk festival. You can add other type of work for us like a enjoyable topic .
Thanks for read my opinion. I will try to my best in the future. Thanks a lot.
Ask your teacher to email us photos of your class enjoying your Topical Talk lessons for a chance to appear on our social media!
you could make other countries use topical talk and other children share their ideas with other people
so they can have fun and encourage children to disagree and agree.
bye.
Hey! Answering the question " how else could we balance discussions to make sure Topical Talkers from every country have a fair say?" I would like to say that to ensure that Topical Talkers from every country have a fair say, it's important to create inclusive spaces where diverse perspectives are valued and heard. One way to achieve this is by promoting active listening and respectful dialogue, where everyone gets an opportunity to express their thoughts and ideas. Additionally, platforms can actively seek out and amplify voices from underrepresented countries by featuring their stories and perspectives. By fostering an inclusive and open environment, we can ensure that discussions are balanced and that everyone's voice is valued which can encourage more countries to join the fun.
A way I think the discussion might be balanced not only amongst involved topical talkers but also other communities.
By Amplifying unprecedented voices; it means actively seeking out and giving a platform to individuals from marginalized communities that are overlooked or unheard, this will bring in more perspectives and stories and opinions from diverse angles, and it will also ensure that these communities are enlightened about a very important issue, some communities are not aware about things that are happen. This will help prevent any biases, and a more inclusive discussion.
In addition to this , I feel the government could balance situations about voices not heard by taking surveys in such places and saying out their opinions and can equate it with what others have said .
I think To help ensure that Topical Talkers from every country have a fair say on the Hub, we could create specific discussion topics that are relevant to different regions or countries, encouraging diverse perspectives and engaging more people from around the world. To encourage more countries to join the fun, we could promote the Hub through various channels, such as social media, partnerships with organizations, and targeted outreach efforts. By highlighting the benefits and unique opportunities available on the Hub, we can attract more participants from different countries and foster a truly global community of Topical Talkers.
Thsmk you!
First of all I would like to thank the Topical Talk team because they are reading all comments and make sure that the content is clear and new . Next, in this program privacy has been prioritized and there is no doubt that it is safe and not abusive . Also, this privacy and secure will encourage more and more people to participate in this festival. Moreover, this festival is considered beneficial as participants will improve their language, expand their knowledge, in addition to enhancing their self-confidence and building their personalities. Finally, in my opinion coming up with a project like this is amazing.
I agree! By making people comfortable and Encouraging and supporting their ideas.
I believe we should encourage more people to join. Maybe with an email inviting people. We can always have more people even though we do already have quite a bit of people. It never hurts to include more people from different countries in this wonderful festival!
I agree because if people copied some amazing work and got the credit for it it would fill the original one with sorrow as it will show how some ideas are really unique
To ensure equal participation from Topical Talkers across all countries you could involve people from different age groups to connect with each other on a zoom call or on another online call without showing faces. To let a wider range of countries enjoy the fun you can promote this website, and explain how this website will help make a person understand different points of view.
I agree because, if you let people express themselves they happy and their ideas can even help the world. I think you should encourage schools from different countries should join this lovely programme and give as their great ideas.
What other ways can we use to make sure that more people know about an app that allows you to communicate with people from all around the globe spreading the word like putting up ads on buildboards.
You should let more countries join the fun they are missing out.
What would you say to try to convince students from other countries to join the fun, entertaining_armadillo?
To convince students from other countries about the hub, i would convince them about how the hub is educative; this is because whenever there's a topic students are allowed to shared their opinion about the topics.
It is entertaining because students are allowed to reply to other people's comments;if they want to agree or disagree,this is if they have another opinion or another perspective on another student's comment. It's informative because topics that are given to students are issues that are currently happening e.g The case of Fito that escaped from the prison in Ecuador, Not every student knows about the news but through the hub they get to know about it.
The most amazing thing to me about the hub is that students all over the world are connected.
Absolutely, The Hub sounds like an incredible platform for students. It's not only educative, but also entertaining and informative. The fact that it connects students from all over the world is truly amazing! It's a great way for students to learn about current events and share their perspectives. It's like a global classroom.
If I was to convince other students from other countries to join the HUB . I would say"in this hub everyone opinion is respected and it matters.
Their are cases where student are mocked for suggesting an opinion,for this reason so many students feel inferior to other students and decided not to speak up again.but if such student is on this hub the "CHAMPION " in such student will be triggered because on this hub everyone's suggestions matters.
It's great to hear that you think the Hub is a safe place to share your opinion. That's exactly what we hope for!
In pursuit of fostering a more balanced and inclusive dialogue, incorporating regional moderators can prove instrumental. These moderators, attuned to cultural nuances, can guide discussions within specific contexts, ensuring a richer exchange of ideas. Furthermore, the introduction of language-specific channels serves to cater to linguistic diversity, creating an environment where Topical Talkers from various countries can participate comfortably.
To stimulate global engagement, adopting periodic topic rotations that align with broad international interests becomes pivotal. This approach not only diversifies discussions but also appeals to a wider audience, encouraging participation from individuals with varied cultural backgrounds.
Beyond structural adjustments, the emphasis should be placed on cultivating an inclusive atmosphere. Actively reaching out to diverse communities, highlighting the platform's cultural relevance, and fostering an environment that not only accommodates but also values a spectrum of perspectives can significantly contribute to the endeavor of making discussions truly representative on a global scale.
You could encourage more students and teachers so that they will get attractive by this conversation and join
I love how we can share our ideas and learn many other things with the help of others. This festival is also increasing the knowledge of many students. Maybe you can encourage more teachers and students from other countries to also join and share their ideas.
You could balance the hub discussions by organizing meetings between teachers, students, organisers to share a bit of information from each perspective.
You could use interactive methods, foster a positive and respectful atmosphere, most importantly foster creative ideas, build and distribute an agenda.
you can always put up sites to make sure everyone has a place to talk on the hub/web their comments will also be anonymous if chosen if they have questions about the subject
We could start advertising the topical talk around the globe 🌍 to inform them about the news going one around here. We should also make them feel relaxed and welcome them to the festival as new members of the group.
THANKS
Hello everyone! Firstly I like to give a big thank you to the topical family for providing this opportunity. This survey might be more helpful to make topical talk more effective and productive as well. I like to say something about "how else could we balance discussions to make sure Topical Talkers from every country have a fair say?" Firstly Use encouraging body language and tone of voice, as well as words. Give positive feedback for joining the discussion.Acknowledge what you find interesting. Respect the views, thoughts and ideas of all the participants. Make more topic for comment. Read all the comments and give appropriate advice to the participants.Organize meeting among teachers,students. Give more topic for developing critical thinking which might be more beneficial for us And lastly this topical topic has been more effective among us all I want to say that thank you for all these opportunities.
Some great ideas! Thanks careful_maths!
If you like my point of view then encourage me with astar.
Nice try!
Newspapers play a very important role in our lives. We can not imagine a single day without newspaper at our doorstep in the morning. All kinds of news and views of home and abroad are brought to us by newspapers. There is hardly any aspect of life which is not covered by a newspaper. Aparf from news , it gives us valuable information in the forms of advertisements , notices and reviews .
We need to make it fair, so everybody join the hub.
But how??
Well, to make as many people join the hub we need to write one comment and one reply, we don’t need to do both so we can make people discuss with us everything and to know more ideas.
I know that there are maximum amount of comments everyday but we can do less or write two times a day.
It's a really nice thing to make everyone feel comfortable because if you do so no one will feel discriminated and about the rejection of comments at school we were told if we post and it gets rejected we shouldn't take it seriously it might be because what we posted doesn't completely link to the discussion and yeah I really enjoy this topical talk it teaches us what we haven't been taught or even what we don't know about its a thumb up for the topical talk.
Yes I agree with this as there are a lot of students who are capable of speaking but do not get opportunity,while some have opportunity but are not able to express thier own views.In both ways this platform creates a golden opportunity for those..I believe when more schools from different parts of the world will join this hub,new ideas, thoughts and different skills will make this an open platform for all...
In my opinion, everyone's voices should be heard, no matter where they come from or how old they are. However, some people still believe they won't be heard and think that it is not important to share their thoughts. This is wrong and we should try our best to make everyone feel comfortable commenting. Some of my ideas to accomplish this are:
- Adding a large variety of diverse, inclusive topics - relating to different cultures and religions.
- Using inclusive language that every age group will understand - or you could have different topics for every age.
- Allow people to comment more often every day, perhaps make it 5 per day and offer more awards to encourage people to continue commenting.
These are just some of my ideas to make more people heard on topical talk and I hope these can be useful for everyone. Remember, everyone has the right to be heard!