Public Speaking
“Aaaah…I hate this. Why do we have to do it? At some point, everybody will need to speak to an audience (interviews, meetings, etc). The ability to speak in public is ranked as a MUST HAVE skill by most employers.
Aaaah…I hate this. Why do we have to do it? Practice in public speaking will help you express yourself in any situation where you need to be convincing (working groups, getting out of trouble with parents).
Demonstration Speeches Your speeches will present a skill or interest that you have and would like to teach. You could consider it as a ‘How-To’ guide. You will be trying to persuade us to see how great your interest is. Demonstration Speeches must be a minimum of 3 minutes in length.
In this unit you will learn… How to become the EXPERT on your topic. How to research a topic to convincingly present your opinion.
In this unit you will learn… How to organize your writing to best present your opinion / skill to a group (not as clear-cut as it seems). How to use body language to convey your opinion (80% of communication is non-verbal). THIS IS CRUCIAL!
In this unit you will learn… What to do when you’re nervous, confused, lost, nauseous, stammering, etc. (It’s never as bad as you think).
Choosing your topic Choosing a great topic is a CRUCIAL step in having a successful demonstration. Take the time to do it right.
Your speech topic should be… Personal and connected to you. You are the expert on this topic. Researchable (articles, interviews, personal opinion, etc) – Even for demos! Interesting to you. Interesting to US! Simple…you only have 3 minutes!
Classwork Brainstorm a collection of possible topics. You may not realize it, but you are on expert in a variety of areas.
Classwork Think about it. Your topic could be an obvious interest or skill: How to install a car stereo How to Ride a Horse It could also be something more…specialized: How to ditch class w/o getting caught How to ….well, whatever
Classwork Choose two - three topics you think might work. Write each topic on a sheet of looseleaf.
Classwork On each sheet, make pt. form notes to answer these questions: What do I know about this topic? What do I want to know about this topic? Does this topic fit the criteria?
Classwork Take a few minutes away from your ideas. When you come back, which topic seems more interesting and engaging? Which are you more interested in becoming an expert in? If this is a problem…ask a friend or teacher for their opinion.
Classwork Have fun…spending the time picking a great topic now, will make things easier later.