YEAR 5 & 6 PUBLIC SPEAKING

STEPS TO SUCCESS: WRITTEN 1 Written: I have produced a well-researched, coherent text of my speech 2 Written: the text is relevant, focused and focused on why the subject of the speech was chosen, using appropriate evidence to back up points in the speech 3 Written: the text is written with an awareness of the audience and also awareness that it is a text which is designed to be spoken and heard, not just read. 4 Written: the text shows personal input (not just a list of Wikipedia facts!) and why the subject of the speech was chosen and is of interest to you 5Written: the text of the speech includes questions you would like to ask the subject and anticipates their responses or what motivated them etc. based on your insight from research and historical inference

STEPS TO SUCCESS: SPOKEN 6 Spoken: to speak to classmates for 2-5 minutes on chosen subject 7 Spoken: to speak with confidence, clarity and authority on your subject as a result of a well- researched and prepared text 8 Spoken: to engage the audience through a coherent, well-structured speech 9Spoken: to engage the audience through your style of delivery and inclusion of classic public speaking techniques

CLASSIC PUBLIC SPEAKING TECHNIQUES Connect with your audience through emotion or humour as appropriate to the subject. Be human, be honest, speak from the heart. Use your voice as an instrument – vary the volume and tone of your voice, use pauses for drama and effect, vary the pace and rhythm of your speech patterns. Include the ‘rule of three’ Use rhetorical questions Hook the audience with an unusual opening and return to themes in opening in your conclusion

CONTENT OF SPEECH Introduce the person you have chosen in an interesting way Explain who that person is/why they are significant for those in the audience who may not know Explain the area or period of the person’s life that you are speaking about. (Remember, the speech is not just talk about everything you know about x, make sure it is not just a list of facts) What would you ask that person? Why? What do you anticipate they would say in response? Evidence/quotes should be used. Try and link the person you’ve chosen to today’s world or your audience – why should we be interested in this person? What is their legacy or relevance to us today?

STAGES OF CRAFTING A SPEECH Have the full text in written form Involve someone at home, making sure you read it out loud as you constantly need to be aware that this is written with a view to being heard. Time yourself. Remember when doing this to read it slowly and in the manner you hope to deliver it, including the pauses etc. We have a tendency to speak really quickly when we are nervous so be conscious of being slow and clear. If it sounds a little bit too slow in your own head, that’s good – bear in mind you know the content whereas your audience is going to hear it for the first time and are not familiar with it so will need time to digest and process what you are saying. Practise, practise, practise! If you can learn any parts off by heart this will help. It’s like learning lines in a play.

STAGES OF CRAFTING A SPEECH Remember that giving a speech IS NOT STANDING UP AND READING THE TEXT! Once the speech is written you need to learn as much as possible off by heart and practise your delivery over and over. Repetition and practising out loud is key to confident delivery on the day. Experiment at this stage with your voice and all the different techniques, to see what is most effective. Try and have someone at home who will listen to you and give advice. Think about what notes you will have with you on the day. Note cards with prompts to help you will make you feel confident.

DELIVERY Stance. Feet slightly apart and weight evenly distributed. Stand up tall and fake confidence even though you will be nervous! Don’t fiddle with hair, clothes etc. If you are holding notes, hold them around the top of your ribcage. Any higher, you cover your face, any lower, you will be looking too far down and won’t be able to project your voice forwards. Make eye contact with your audience. Even if you are reading some parts of your speech from notes, be sure to glance up and engage your audience periodically. Speak more slowly than usual and keep projecting your voice. Remember – this is not the same as shouting! Don’t tail off at the end of sentences with your volume. Breathe! You will feel nervous, breathless and shaky at the start. This is normal. Keep going and it will wear off. ‘Fake it ‘il you make it’

NERVES ARE A GOOD THING! Don’t be frightened of nerves. Nerves show you care and want to do well. It’s the adrenalin that will help you get through. Accept you will be nervous, embrace it and work on turning it to your advantage. Everyone feels the same and confident people are not those who don’t feel nerves – they just hide it better and get over them. Think about the feeling of achievement you will feel when you have delivered your speech. Being nervous is not a reason to not try something. In every walk of life, you will need to speak well in public and communicate effectively. Now is the time to build up your confidence in this area. ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’

FAMOUS SPEAKERS Winston Churchill Martin Luther King Jr. Barack Obama Margaret Thatcher Elizabeth I Emma Watson at the UN