Public Speaking Tips

Public Speaking This course is designed to teach upperclassmen the skills required to prepare and present a public address. We will focus on varying methods of addressing an audience in many different situations. Some speeches will be prepared well ahead of time and some will be prepared on short notice. All students will be required to write thoughtful and comprehensive critiques of their classmates' work. Most importantly, all speeches are a course requirement. Grading Scale | Assignments |Links

Grading Scale All prepared speeches are worth 100 points. Impromptu speeches are worth 50 points. Vocabulary quizzes, speech scripts, and other homework assignments are worth 5-50 points. Each set of student rating sheets is worth 10 points. You will have the opportunity to earn 40 points extra credit each quarter. Your grade is determined by the percentage of the total points you have earned. 90-100 80-89 70-79 60-69 0-59

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Speech Assignments Students will deliver a speech approximately twice a week. The schedule will based on class size and available meeting days. This is a typical schedule, but changes may be made by the teacher at any time to the schedule or to individual speech requirements. Any adjustments that are made in class take priority over the information presented on the web page. If you missed the assignment in class, be sure you read the corresponding chapter in your textbook.

Paper Bag

Interview

Personal Experience

Pet Peeve

Demonstration

Fears & Phobias

Persuasion School/Family

Persuasion National Issue

Persuasion - State Issue

Infomercial

Poetry Recitation

Informative/Explanator y

After-dinner Speaking

Nomination/Acceptan ce

Keynote Address

Memory Book

Commencement Address

Radio Newscast

Impromptu

Extra Credit

Children's Book

Most assignments are based on the textbook, 38 Basic Speech Experiences by Clark S. Carlile and Dana Hensley, available from Perfection Learning.

Paper Bag Presented during the first week of class, this speech is designed to provide an easy introduction to speaking in front of your classmates. Everyone will receive a paper lunch bag. You are to put three items in the bag to use as props during your speech. The items must fit entirely within the bag and be easily seen by the entire audience. Photographs are usually difficult to see. Your items should give the audience an idea about your personality. 3 minutes

Interview You will be assigned a partner to interview and introduce to the class. You must have 3 major points to your introduction. One point may be fictional and funny. Ask your partner questions that you, and others, might like to know. Where is your partner from? What is his or her family like? What does he or she do outside of school? What are some of his or her favorite tv shows, movies, or music? What are his or her plans for after high school? 3-4 minutes

Personal Experience -

Chapter 2 Tell the class about an experience of yours that was funny, exciting, embarrassing or interesting. Be sure you have an introduction,

conclusion and three main points. However, you should be telling us a story, so this is similar to a narrative essay. 3-4 minutes

Pet Peeve -

Chapter 4 What drives you absolutely batty? A pet peeve is a trait of other people that you absolutely can't stand. Describe what it is that bothers you, how you react to it, and maybe how you developed your pet peeve. You may use your three points to explain three incidents in which you've encountered your pet peeve, or three separate pet peeves. 3-4 minutes

Demonstration -

Chapters 5-6 Demonstrate a particular talent or skill you have to the class. You may use only one prop. Be sure your prop is easily seen throughout the room. Be sure that your skill is neither simple enough to be dull nor too complicated to perform in the classroom. Focus on using gestures and body language to show your talent. You may use the table but not the podium. 4-5 minutes

Fears & Phobias -

Chapter 3 What makes you nervous? Share your apprehension with your classmates. You may focus on three separate fears or you may describe three incidents related to the same fear. You do not need to provide a scientifically named phobia, but you should describe some irrational fear, a feeling that makes your heart beat faster and your breathing short. 3-4 minutes

Persuasion: School & Family -

Chapter 9 Attempt to persuade your parents or the school to change some sort of rule that affects you. Use logical arguments that are appropriate for your audience. Be sure to state the current situation, what is wrong with it, and how it can be improved. 3-4 minutes

Persuasion: State Issues -

Chapter 9 Attempt to persuade the Illinois General Assembly (the state congress) to change a law affecting teens. The law you will discuss, and the position you will take, will be assigned in class. You are responsible for turning the topic into a proper thesis statement. When speaking, do

not refer to the process of being assigned a topic or writing the speech. Be careful to maintain your credibility. For this assignment, you are not obligated to research your position; however, you must use logical arguments in order to persuade your audience. Use formal language that would be appropriate for your audience. Be sure to state the current situation, what is wrong with it, how it can be improved, and how your solution benefits the audience. 3-4 minutes

Persuasion: National Issue -

Chapter 8 Use your persuasive skills to tackle a larger issue, preferably one that has been discussed in the national media. We will spend at least one class period in the library doing research to support your opinion. You must present at least two credible sources of information during the course of your speech. Again, state the current situation, what is wrong with it, and how it can be improved. Also, include a call to action that inspires your audience to make a difference. 4-5 minutes

Informative/Explanatory -

Chapter 7 Once again, focus on a national issue, but a different one from your persuasion speech. This time, you are to explain both sides of the issue without taking sides. Again, provide at least two credible sources of information to support your statements. 4-5 minutes

Infomercial Here's your chance to have fun with your persuasive skills. Create an imaginary product and sell it to the class. You may use two props during your speech. Be creative and funny, but remember to include the basics of a persuasive speech. 3-4 minutes

Poetry Recitation - Poetry Sources Each quarter, you will present a poem to the class. You may choose your own poem within the following guidelines. 1. It must be entirely appropriate for school. 2. You have not memorized it for any other purpose, including Junior English. 3. It is at least 10 lines long. 4. It was written by a published author other than yourself. Find something that you enjoy and appreciate. You should want to share this poem with others because it shows us something of your

personality. You may find poems in textbooks, poetry books in the library, collections by a specific author, or in magazines such as Poetry or Atlantic Monthly. You may also have some success on the internet. You must choose a poem by a published author, in other words, do not present your original work for this project. Your grade will be based partially on length and partially on the performance. For the highest grade of a C (80): 10-12 lines long For the highest grade of a B- (84): 13-15 lines long For the highest grade of a B (90): 16-18 lines long For the highest grade of an A (95): 19-23 lines long For the highest grade of an A+ (100): 24 lines or longer Practice your performance so that you display the appropriate emotion for your poem through the use of your voice and body language. Remember to pause only with the punctuation in the poem, not necessarily at the end of a line. You must provide the teacher with a photocopied or typed text of the poem which includes the author’s name before you present your poem. In the corner of the copy, write your name, the number of lines, and the corresponding grade for which the poem is eligible. This copy may not be returned to you.

Children's Book Reading aloud is probably the one type of public speaking that every person will do at some point. Reading aloud to children helps them learn the language, and it has the added bonus of being fun for you and them. You will choose a children's book to read aloud to our class. We will videotape these presentations, and you may keep a copy of the tape if you wish. The key to a successful presentation is choosing the correct book. Your book should be aimed at young children, between toddlers and second grade. Choose a book that is the appropriate length for the time limit. Keep in mind that you will take some time to show the pictures. The pictures should be colorful and easy to see from the back of the room. Choose books that have fun, "crunchy" words, and that sound exciting when read aloud. Although Dr. Seuss's books are often children's favorites, the intricate rhyme scheme and made-up words do not work particularly well with this assignment. You may bring in a book that belonged to you or your siblings, or younger members of your family or neighborhood. You may also find children's

books in the public libraries. You should not have to purchase a new book. In your presentation, pay particular attention to how you interpret the book. You must show excitement and enthusiasm to keep your young audience's attention. Work on portraying character voices, and on changing the tone and rate of your voice. Be sure that you show the audience the pictures in the book using a windshield-wiper motion. You need to have the book "mostly memorized" so that you can still tell the story as you show the pictures. Also, use the position of your body and lots of gestures to interpret the story. You should have fun with this assignment and your audience will too. 4-6 minutes

After-dinner Speaking -

Chapter 20 Many professional meetings coordinate their meal with an entertaining or thought-provoking speaker. Your task is to capture your audience's attention away from their coffee and desert. Often, audience members are seated so that they are facing away from the speaker. The speaker is usually above the audience on a dias. We will try our best to recreate these conditions in the classroom. 3-5 minutes

Nomination/Acceptance -

Chapter 21 Whether you wish to run for a national office, such as the Presidency, or for a local one, such as the secretary of the garden club, you need to be nominated first. For this assignment, you will work in pairs. One person will nominate and the other will accept. You must choose the type and office of the upcoming election. The nomination speech should clearly state the requirements of the office and why the candidate would be a smart choice. The candidate giving the acceptance speech should sound sincere and honored by the nomination. Rather than discussing himself, the candidate should speak about the organization and the office. Both speeches should be upbeat and encouraging. If you have missed class when partners were assigned, see me immediately for alternate directions. 2-3 minutes

Keynote Address -

Chapter 19 A keynote address is the opening speech for a convention or gathering of professionals in a specific career. The speaker must work within an established theme for the convention. You will be assigned a theme, and must create a speech related to that theme. In your introduction,

welcome the participants, and be sure to name their profession. Your speech may include touches of humor, and may be either persuasive or informative. You should, however, end on a positive note, and offer a challange to the participants related to the convention theme. In the real world, a keynote address may last as long as an hour, and therefore, requires more detailed preparation. While your speech to the class will not be that long, you will be speaking from a manuscript. Type or write your manuscript out, word for word, very neatly and large enough to see easily. When speaking, simply slide the used page off to the side to avoid shuffling your papers. 4-6 minutes

Memory Book Your memory book is not a speech, but a project which you will use to create the commencement address. Therefore, it must be completed before you write your commencement address. It will consist of memories throughout your school years. It will be due the day you present your commencement Address. However, you should begin working on it early, because it will help your prepare your speech. Your book must have stiff front and back covers. You may use a binder, a folder that accomodates loose-pages, or posterboard connected by string or metal rings. You may decorate the cover however you wish, as long as it is appropriate for school. You may include photographs if you wish. Consider using photocopies or scanned & printed photos instead to preserve your original photos. You may use written words, clippings, drawings, magazine pictures, and mementos to illustrate each section. Try to be creative and colorful. Your Memory Book must include the following sections: 1. Who am I? Describe and illustrate your personality. Where do you live? Describe your community, neighbors, and family. 2. My friends Who are they? How did you first meet? What do you like to do together? Tell about a childhood friend that you no longer have contact with but would like to see again. 3. My favorites List & describe your favorite songs, movies, tv shows, or books for

each year you have been in high school (choose favorites from your freshman year, then your sophomore year, etc.) 4. On vacation Describe a memorable trip you took with family or friends 5. High School Divide this section by year. Describe and illustrate the highlights of each year. Consider school events such as dances, assemblies, sports events, clubs. Also include highlights that happened outside of school such as things you do with friends or family (remember to keep it appropriate for school). Along the way, include the following ideas: my locker looked like... my favorite school lunch is ... my favorite class was ... an embarrassing moment was ... the funniest thing was ... Describe one funny or memorable event that your entire graduating class would remember and relate to. 6. What’s next? What are planning to do immediately after high school? What do want to be doing five years from now? Ten years from now? What are your life goals? How do you expect to reach these goals? Your book will be graded according to the following elements. Organization 10 points Literacy 10 points Neatness 10 points Creativity 20 points

Commencement Address -

Chapter 29 You will deliver an address as if you were the designated speaker representing your high school class during your graduation ceremony. For the purpose of this assignment, consider yourself a senior no matter what class you currently belong to. Your memory book should provide you with material for your speech. In your introduction, acknowledge the contributions of your parents, family, and teachers in guiding you towards your diploma. In the body of your speech, refer to at least one appropriate incident that the entire class can remember and enjoy. Be sure that it is not an "inside" reference that only your friends would recognize. In the conclusion, offer a challenge for the future to the members of your class. Please be sure that you practice ahead of time, as students are often suprised by their emotions on this particular assignment. Hopefully, this round of speeches will be delivered in an appropriate environment, such as the auditorium. Also,

you may be expected to speak using a microphone. 4-5 minutes

Radio Newscast Here's your chance to be an anchorperson. You will create and deliver a four minute newscast. You will have a script to read, and the script will be collected after you perform. We will spend some time gathering news stories. If you miss the class time, or do not finish, you will need at least two stories from each of the following categories: International CNN ABC Chicago Tribune New York Times National CNN ABC Chicago Tribune New York Times State/Local Chicago Tribune The Daily Journal The Herald A commercial Sports Chicago Tribune The Daily Journal The Herald Weather Weather Channel Chicago Tribune The Daily Journal The Herald The time frame is extremely important for this speech. You have a fifteen second window to hit around the four minute mark. You must finish between 3:50 and 4:05. Severe time penalities will be issued if you are either under or over time. You will be provided with a stopwatch to use while you speak. In order to make time, you must cut your stories and arrange them properly. News stories are written in a pyramid format, so that the important items are in the top paragraphs. You will only need to print or copy one page of each story. Remember to include "who, what, when, where, & why" in your cutting. You should be able to read each story in under thirty seconds. That does not mean reading quickly, but rather cutting the story properly. One quarter of your grade will be based on the choice and cutting of your stories. Create your script by literally cutting out the words for each story and taping them down to a clean sheet of paper in the order in which you will read them. You may write on your script, but do so neatly. Also, include a tag line with call letters and a hint of your station's format for the opening and closing of your speech. Obviously, by the time you speak, your news will be slightly outdated and that is ok. Also, you may have the same story as a classmate, and that is not a problem either. You need to include one commercial. It may be one which you are familiar with or you may create your own. An easy way to create a commercial is to read a print ad from a magazine. Remember that the product must be appropriate for school. You must definitely show a

difference in attitude and enthusiasm when it comes to selling your product! Aim for 20-30 seconds on your commercial. The weather will be your last topic and provides your opportunity to hit the time window. Your weather may be as simple as the current temperature or as elaborate as a five-day forcast. Plan ahead so that you have enough information to stretch your time if necessary. Likewise, be able to cut it short at a glance if you run out of time. When you speak, you will be seated in the back of the room so that your classmates can not see you, but only hear you. Be sure that you can pronounce all the words correctly. It's very important that you vary the tone of your voice to create interest and emphasis. A great deal of your grade will focus on the quality of your voice, including inflection, articulation, volume, rate, and enthusiasm. 3:50 - 4:05 minutes

Impromptu -

Chapter 12 Throughout the semester, you will deliver impromptu speeches. You will choose a topic from the "fishbowl" which may be a question, a quotation, or a person, place or thing. You will have three minutes to prepare a speech. Before you even get your topic, create an outline for your introduction, three points and conclusion. Plug in your ideas once you have the topic. Take all the time allowed to you to plan. You will be called to speak after your planning time is up. 3-4 minutes

Extra Credit

- Print Worksheet Each quarter, you have the opportunity to earn a maximum of 40 extra credit points in order to raise your grade. Earning extra-credit is an option, not a requirement. Also, projects will be graded, and you may not necessarily earn the full 40 points. It is the student’s responsibility to complete the extra-credit in a timely manner, and to be sure that the appropriate points are awarded. You may choose one option for each quarter. Option 1: You may earn 40 extra-credit points if you complete the critique worksheet after observing a professional speaker (i.e. not a high school student). You may find speakers in such places as community events, formal occasions, or political meetings. You may also watch a speaker on television, provided it is a current broadcast. In other words, watching John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address does not count. The presentation must be a minimum of five minutes long. Occasions that are NOT suitable for this assignment include:

a guest speaker in another class a presentation for which you receive credit from another teacher a regular Sunday sermon any speech that was not originally delivered during the current semester Option #2: If you deliver a speech at least five minutes in length, at a public event, outside of school, and do not receive credit for it in another class, you may earn 40 extra credit points. You must provide your speaking notes and a signed letter from an adult present in the audience (preferably a parent) that describes your speech and the amount of time for which you spoke. You may not receive full credit if you do not provide all the documentation. Option #3: You may earn 40 extra-credit points if you are selected as a member of the BBCHS speech team, practice regularly, and compete in tournaments. However, this option is only available during the competition season, in the 2nd and 3rd grading periods of the school year.

Links to Public Speaking Sites Please note: These are all outside links, and neither Ms. C nor BBCHS takes any responsibility for their content.

Allyn & Bacon A textbook publisher has provided some activities to go with their book, but they are usuable for any public speaking activity. This site includes some marvelous Real Audio examples. Toastmasters International: 10 Tips For Successful Public Speaking Toastmasters is an organization dedicated to teaching successful communication. The Speech Recipe A clever plan for organizing your speech. How To Conquer Public Speaking Fear From a business site, this essay is intended for professionals, but works for students too. How to Write and Deliver a Speech That Will Get You Clients Again, this is intended for business professionals, but the list of tips serve as a good reminder. Transform Stage Fright into Magnetic Presence A few ideas on conquering those nerves.

Vocal Power Improve your vocal control. Five Ways to Make Your Body Speak A few tips and notes on the importance of gestures and eye contact. What Not to Do When Making a Keynote Presentation Obviously, this works with our keynote address, but these tips are good for any speech. Art of Speaking in Public Another site aimed at the business speaker, but it is well organized into basic concepts with many helpful hints.

Examples of Speeches Please note: These are all outside links, and neither Ms. C nor BBCHS takes any responsibility for their content.

Great American Speeches From PBS, this archive provides the text, background, and some audio and video of speeches from their series which chronicled public addresses from the twentieth century. The History Place Great Speeches Collection Ranging from Susan B. Anthony to Tony Blair and Bill Clinton, this site provides text excerpts of well-known speeches from around the world. The History Channel Speeches Archive This site provides short audio clips of "words that changed the world." John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library Text and sound archives of speeches by President Kennedy and his brothers, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and Senator Edward Kennedy. Speeches of Abraham Lincoln Full text and background of some of Lincoln's well-known speeches. Wellesley College Commencement Archives Click on a year, then on "speeches" to read excerpts from graduation speakers at this private women's university. Gifts of Speech An archive of texts by women speakers.

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