PRACTICAL SPEAKING SKILLS – WORKSHOP #1 Tips and Tricks

Today…  You will learn some basic tricks to help you in public speaking. After each slide, you will be allowed to work with a partner to practice some of these tricks in a session I like to call WORKSHOP.  During this time, I will be walking around the classroom to coach you.

Rules of WORKSHOP 1. Students will divide up into small groups of two or three. 2. One at a time, a skill will be taught, then modeled by your teacher. 3. In your groups, you will practice the skill for about ten minutes, evaluating each other while your teacher walks around the classroom to observe your progress, answer questions, and offer notes. 4. Your skills should compound, meaning you should incorporate each new skills into each new workshop exercise. 5. After the workshop you will complete a write up about what you learned and what you struggled with during the lesson. This will be taken up for a grade.

Skill #1 – Varied Vocals During your speech, be sure to vary your… 1. Pace – How quickly your speak, 2. Tone – How high or low your voice is, and 3. Volume – How loud you’re speaking. For happy or light hearted subjects and moments, use a brisker pace, a higher tone, and a louder volume. For somber or serious subjects and moments, use a slower pace, a lower tone, and a softer volume. Workshop – In your groups, have each member tell two short childhood stories. One story should be light-hearted (like a fun family vacation) and one should be sad (like a pet or relative passing away). Vary your vocal delivery for these two stories.

Skill #2 – Gestures Gestures can help add a visual component to your speech. Don’t just tell us that you caught a big fish. Show us with your arms. Workshop – Charades. Play a game of charades with your group where your partner has to guess the title of a popular movie, song, or TV show without you telling it to them. This will help you learn how to use gestures to illustrate words.

Skill #3 – Use Your Space Remember that center stage is a power position. Anything you say there will automatically be interpreted as important by the audience. However, if you deliver your whole speech from that spot, then the audience will tune out because you’re not illustrating what the important part of the speech is. There are four power spots on stage: 1. Center – Use this spot to hit your Power Point, as well as open and close your speech. 2. Down-Center – Use this spot whenever addressing the audience is crucial, such as stating statistics or saying anything somewhat accusatory. 3. Down-Right – Use this spot for light-hearted moments in your speech. 4. Down-Left – Use this spot for somber moments.

Skill #3 – Use Your Space Pt. 2  Workshop – In your groups, explore your space (remember that a space is anywhere you speak) by pretending as if you’re introducing yourself to your group for the first time. 1. At center, state your name and say hello. 2. A down-center, tell them how old you are, how tall you are, and your favorite band or musical artist. 3. A down-right, tell them about your favorite food and why you like it. 4. At down-left, tell them about your least favorite food and why you don’t like it.

Skill #4 – Face, Head, and Neck They say eyes are the windows to the soul. That may or may not be true in everyday life, but in public speaking it certainly is. Use your eyes, facial expressions, and head to help convey your emotion to the subject you’re speaking about. Workshop – Have your group present you with ten to fifteen things and you must convey your feelings on that subject using nothing but your facial expressions. Remember that it’s not just “like” or “dislike.” Use your face to express a range of emotions: anger, annoyance, sadness, ambivalence, etc.

Skill #5 – Metaphors Metaphors help to illustrate a point, making your speech easier to understand and more memorable for your audience. However, many metaphors are used so often, they no longer have this affect, as “it’s raining cats and dogs” and “I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.” They are called clichés and they should be avoided at all cost.

Skill #5 – Metaphors Pt. 2 Workshop – With your group, come up with some new metaphors to replace old clichés. Finish the following phrases: 1. It’s so hot outside… 2. I’m hungry enough to… 3. It’s raining like… 4. My dog is dumber than… 5. I’m sweating worse than… 6. My heart was beating like a… 7. The bathroom smelled worse than… 8. Superman was faster than a… and stronger than a… Then, create a list of your favorite metaphors you’ve heard used in music. For example: 1. [I’m] tougher than Nigerian hair. 2. I’m counting all day like the clock on the wall. 3. I keep my pockets green like a pot of peas. 4. Just relax like a fresh new perm.