Solo Talk LI: I will understand how to achieve a credit grade for my solo talk.

Talk tips to boost your grade The difference between a general level talk and a Credit level talk is the sophistication of your presentation. As Talk counts for a third of your final grade, it has a big influence on your final grade in May.

The Credit GRC The Credit GRC expect you to give an Individual Talk of ‘considerable length’ and which is made up of ideas of ‘quality, relevance and distinction’. This means you have a lot of work to do preparing your Talk, and getting all that information into a format you can easily use. The aim of this presentation is to give you some helpful and practical tips that will help you to talk at length on a subject, and achieve the best final grade possible. Good luck!!!

Tip 1 – Good Openings!

Effective Openings Look at the following openings. Which one do you think achieved the Credit grade? ‘Doctors, nurses, patients……..As you’ve probably guessed I spent my work experience week in a hospital.’ ‘I’m going to talk about my week’s work experience. I spent my time in a hospital.’

Well……… You should have spotted that the first one is the Credit one. The distinctive difference is that the Credit speaker draws the audience in, intrigues them, and immediately starts painting pictures in the listeners’ heads, while the General speaker starts by saying something everyone probably knows already. Tip 1 - Make sure that your own opening has maximum impact and immediately catches the attention of the audience.

Tip 2 – Varying Vocabulary

The GRC ask you to use ‘varied and accurate vocabulary’ and to use a ‘wide range of spoken language structures’ which means varying the lengths and types of sentences you use as well. This means that any boring repetition should be avoided, and that you should make use of sophisticated language as appropriate, just as you would in your writing. As well as varying your vocabulary, you can also use………….

Tip 3 – Humour and Anecdote

One of the easiest ways to win over your audience is to give them something to laugh at – especially if that something is you! Being funny to order may sound like a hard thing to do, but we all make our friends laugh all the time in real life by using anecdotes. An anecdote is an amusing story, often one we tell about, or even against, ourselves. Consider the following openings:

‘I’m going to talk to you today about the first time I went away without my parents. I was just ten when I went away to Cub camp.’ or……. ‘I’ve never forgotten my first Cub camp. It started pretty badly. I had just managed to prise my weeping mother off me at the scout hut door. I was on my way to join my Irn Bru crazed wee pals when she appeared again. To my horror she was waving the teddy bear I had had since birth and yelling at full pitch, “Darling you forgot Mr Snuggly and I know you never go to bed without him!”

Which opening is more likely to capture your listeners? Although anecdotes are especially useful in personal talks you do not have to personally star in each one that you use. An anecdote can just as easily be something you observed, or an experience that you know happened to someone else.

Tip 4 – Make eye contact and gestures

You must engage your audience by looking directly at them. When you are having a conversation, you make facial expressions and hand gestures to show your emotions. You must do this during your solo talk to show how you feel about your topic.

Tip 5 – Use your voice

Vary the tone of your voice to express emotion Speak loudly and clearly so everyone can hear you and understand what you’re saying

What can we learn from these speeches? YouTube - Barack Obama Speech on Race (Tuesday, March 18, 2008)YouTube - Barack Obama Speech on Race (Tuesday, March 18, 2008) YouTube - Clueless Theatrical Trailer

Learning Intention I will start to plan my solo talk and make the content as interesting as possible.

Top tips! Be original Explain what you mean Give examples Engage with your topic Show an interest

Choosing a topic…. You can do your solo talk on a topic of your choice. Choose something you are interested on and know lots about. Try to pick something that will interest people and nobody else is doing.

Some examples…. Hobbies Favourite film Favourite band A current affair What you want to do when you leave school Work experience

Learning Intention I will prepare for my solo talk in order to get the highest grade possible. Tasks Develop ideas Write notes Make visual aids (power point, poster) Practise the talk Time the talk – it should be 5 minutes long