Instruction

Directions for Speaking to Promote a Project

Directions

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Two thoughts may be in the students' way before they begin to plan a speech. One is "I can't do this." The other is "I can do this without thinking or planning." They can speak publicly and do it well, but only through careful thinking, planning, and practice. Teachers may wish to help students prepare, practice, and go live with the speech.

Prepare the Speech
- Develop a clear and specific purpose for the presentation. What exactly is wanted from the audience after the speech? If the intention is for the audience to know and use some information, the speaker must know it and know how and why to use it. If the purpose is to convince the audience to do something, the speaker must know exactly what that is. Having a clear purpose in mind helps to leave out unnecessary ideas that could distract from the main point and make the speech too long. Speeches should be shorter than 20 minutes. Five or 10 minutes is plenty for many topics.
- Learn about the subject. Use information-gathering skills to add to what you already know about the subject. Beginning with the media center and computer resources, and then, if necessary, consulting experts, attempt to gather more information than is needed for the speech. That extra knowledge will provide added confidence and may help you to answer questions afterwards.
- Find out about the audience. What are their interests? How old are they? How much do they already know?
- Organize the presentation into an outline. The three main speech parts are introduction, body, and summary. Write on note cards the important points to make in each of these three parts. The body of the speech will probably require the most note cards.
- Tell the purpose of the speech in the introduction. A speaker can connect with the audience by sharing something personal with them. You might relate a brief story that illustrates how you became interested in the topic.
- Use the body of the speech to instruct, persuade, or inspire. To persuade the audience, try appealing to wishes you believe they already have. For example, they may wish to help homeless animals, to preserve scenic areas, or to gain acceptance and respect from their community. Explain how participation in your project will help them achieve their goals. In the body you might use visual aids or sound effects to help explain some of your points.
- Give the audience a sign that the summary is beginning. A speaker might say, "In summary I'd like to remind you to…." If the goal of the speech was to persuade or inspire, the speaker might say, "I'd like to leave you with this one final thought," repeating, once again, the main point.
- In the summary restate briefly each of the main points. Was the speech intended to tell how to provide plants that will feed and shelter migrating birds? Then the speaker should repeat concisely the steps for the audience to follow. "Select appropriate plants, location, and planting season; prepare topsoil; then plant bushes and trees; water and fertilize responsibly."
Practice the Speech
- Practice in front of a friendly audience.
- Memorizing exact words is not necessary, as long as you remember main points. Some people like to memorize just their opening and closing sentence, so they know that they can begin and end confidently and crisply.
- Speak clearly and a little more slowly than in conversations.
- Check on the meaning and pronunciation of unfamiliar terms.
- Check the timing to see if content needs to be adjusted.
Go Live with the Speech
- Wear clothes that are comfortable, neat, and make you feel you look your best.
- Find several people who have friendly expressions on their faces. Look at them frequently, and look at others in the audience too.
- Be enthusiastic and show it.
- Look at note cards if you need to, but do not read the whole speech.
- Make your presentation with confidence.

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