“English For Public Speaking”

Regardless of who you are or what you do, being able to communicate in a public

setting is a necessary skill to have. People need to be able to express themselves

effectively in order to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in life.

Table of Content1. Learning Outcomes..........2. A brief guide to effective public speaking3. Speaking section...........a. Activity 1...........4. Listening section........

Learning OutcomesAfter following the courses, the students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Communicate clearly, effectively, and respectfully in a variety types of speeches2. Understand and practice all the stages of the speech-making process (focusing a

topic, developing main points and evidence, using transitions, organizing, drafting, revising, editing, and delivering).

3. Understand various ethical issues related to the speechmaking process.4. Adapt speeches based on an analysis of audience and the speaking situation.5. Execute effective oral arguments using logical, emotional, and credibility-based

appeals.6. Provide and accept feedback from peer reviews to improve oral communication.7. Critically analyze and evaluate both peer and professional speeches.8. Learn and utilize principles of effective listening as both speaker and audience.9. Gain increased confidence in ability to speak in public, as evidenced by decreased

anxiety and improved physical and vocal delivery.10. Incorporate effective audiovisual materials in speeches when appropriate.

A Brief Guide To Effective Public Speaking

Speaking well in public is a very valuable and difficult skill. There is no substitute for practice but some of the tips and ideas below will help you be confident at the Summit. Whenever you have to speak in public remember: everyone who does it is nervous no matter how experienced they are, the audience will always forgive you for making a mistake, and be yourself; there is no “right” way of speaking or giving a speech! 1. Speaking Out Whatever you are speaking about, it is essential that you

structure your points well, so that your audience can clearly follow the issues you address.

Make sure you don’t try to cram in too much, keep your comments to less than three minutes.

2. Delivery Good delivery is absolutely vital. Unfortunately if

your audience is distracted by odd mannerisms or turned off by a dull delivery then they will be less likely to hear your message.

3. Verbal Think about the acoustics of the room – for

example; lots of people or furniture will absorb the sound of your voice and large halls which echo mean you need to speak even slower than normal.

Rate: Are you speaking too quickly? A good thing to ask yourself is “Am I speaking too slowly?” If you think the answer is “Yes” then you are probably speaking at the right rate.

Pauses: Do you use pauses to add impact to your speech or do you simply race through it?

Variety: Do you vary your voice? Does the pitch of your voice rise during questions? Does the volume of your voice decrease when you are describing a quiet moment? You will do this all the time while speaking, try saying the word “really” as a question, a statement and as a sarcastic remark – same word but three different ways to use your voice.

Pronunciation/ Articulation: Don’t try to use words because they are long and sound clever if you wouldn’t normally do so. Odd words which don’t fit with the rest of your speech sound out of place rather than making you sound smart.

Language: Is your language appropriate? Avoid slang terms that may not be understood by your audience.

4. Non-verbal Gestures: Do you use gesture effectively? Do you over

gesture? Movement: Do you move around too much when you

speak? Some movement is natural when you speak but pacing or swaying become distracting.

Eye contact: Do you maintain good eye contact? Using small notes helps to make sure you don’t hold anything in front of your face and make sure you look at your audience.

5. Finally All speeches do a combination of three things:

entertain, inform and persuade. Getting the right balance between these three aims depends on the purpose of your speech. Make sure you know what you are trying to achieve before you start.

Speaking SkillsCharacteristics of effective oral communication

Listening Section Activity 1The instructor presents an ineffective speech, such as poor quality speech, use staller words, such as "like" or "ummm…“, make little eye contact / stare down at feet, do not project / use quiet tone of voice.

Speaking Section Activity 1

Learners observe and think about why this speech is ineffective then prompt students to discuss what they have observed:

"Was that a good speech? Why not?“ "What did I do wrong? Can you cite some examples?“ "Why is that bad?“ "If I answered questions like this in a job interview, would I get

hired?“

The instructor demonstrates qualities of an effective speech such as:

Body Language: Standing / sitting up straight, making eye contact, appropriate facial expressions.

Speaking in a clear, strong tone of voice. Avoiding using filler words. Displaying confidence / knowing what you're taking about. Be clear to ensure that the audience understands what you’re taking

about. Show public speaking video that illustrate what can happen if the

speaker is not clear. Prompt discussion about what happened in the video.

Activity 2The instructor show one or two videos from CD • Prompt students to discuss why these are effective speeches.• Other speaking tips:• Know who your audience is: • Use appropriate language – for example, you should speak differently to a

group of children than to a group of adults.

Excercise I1. Ask the group to think about how they would describe a digital camera to a group of first graders vs. a group of teachers from their school – what features would you highlight? Why would you describe them differently?2. Ask the group to pretend that the instructor has just arrived in the United States from Russia and describe for him/her a cheese steak.

Tips for being good public speaker: Hook your audience – immediately engage your listeners: Start with a short anecdote, starting statistic, or quotation, for

example:"Ken Olson, president, chairman, and founder of Digital Equipment Corporation once said, 'There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.'“

90 percent of people are uncomfortable introducing themselves to strangers.“

• Explain why your speech is of relevance to your audience:• A salesman may start out a presentation to a customer by saying, "Today I

will be telling you how my product will help your business succeed."• Ask the audience a question:• "How many of you have ever gone skydiving?"

Types of speechesInformative, persuasive, narrative

1. Listening Section• Informative SpeechesPurpose: the presentation of unique or useful information to an audience – the speaker acts as a "teacher" to the audience.

2. Speaking Section

Activity 1.The instructor explaining a process and ask for a volunteer to give an informative speech in the workplace for instance to explain to co-workers how to use a new computer system. In school, an informative speech may be used to explain how to do research.

Explaining an object (a thing, a place, a person, a product, etc.) – ask for a volunteer to give an informative speech about a place he has visited.b. Ask the group to offer examples of where informative speeches about objects would be useful in the classroom or at work.

Explaining an event – for example, the Presidential Election, World War II, Independence Day, etc.

B. Persuasive Speecheso Purpose: the presentation of an argument on a debatable issueo Uses: to persuade your audience to accept your view or to convince your audience

to take a particular course of action.o Persuasive speeches can be structured in two ways:

Point-by-point: the speaker presents, one by one, the opposition's arguments and refutes them immediately (The opposition says __, but in reality, it's __. The opposition also says __, but in truth, it's __.)

Specific point: the speaker presents his thesis, followed by the overall view of the opposition, leading into his overall argument and conclusion.)

Activity 1 • Ask the group to give examples of what they believe to be "debatable issues."Examples:

Try to convince your audience that the death penalty is appropriate Try to convince your audience to live healthier lives (eating healthy, exercising, etc.)

because obesity puts people at greater risk for health problems (high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, etc.)

• Ask the students to suggest possible arguments for these two examples.

C. Narrative SpeechesPurpose: to tell a storyo Uses: speaking about yourself and your experiences, in the first person, or

about someone else, in the third personExamples: Speaking about an influential person in your life Tell your family story Ask the students to discuss times when a narrative speech would be useful

in the business world (example: in a job interview)

Give an elevator speech to the class 

What is an elevator speech? A short description of what you do, or the point you want to make, presented in the time it takes an elevator to go from the top floor to the first floor or vice versa. The term was probably coined from the idea that we sometimes meet the important people in our lives in elevators. The odd situation we encounter in most elevators is that nobody speaks to or looks at anyone else, and yet we have a captive audience for that short period of time. Very few people are ready to interact in case someone does speak. The idea of an “elevator speech” is to have a prepared presentation that grabs attention and says a lot in a few words. By telling your core message, you will be marketing yourself, but in a way that rather than putting people off will make them want to know more about you.

An elevator speech can be used when someone you meet asks you what you do or who you are and is a combination of the three types of speech discussed earlier (informative, persuasive, and narrative).

Everyone has a story. Think about what makes you unique, and craft a two to three minute elevator speech that you will present to your peers. 

Speaking Section Activity 1Each student should present his/her elevator speech to the class. After each person speaks, prompt the class to discuss what they learned about the individual from his/her speech. Ask them to provide one another

Public Speaking Scoring Criteria

List of Vocabulary