Public Speaking

It always seems impossible until it’s done.

PUBLIC SPEAKING PROGRAMME

INTRODUCTION:

1.1. In the Kids Speak Public Speaking programme, students are taught the skills required for effective oral communication before an audience. This includes but not limited to

1.  Speech writing
2.  Speech organization
3.  Speaking impromptu
4.  Speech Evaluation
5.  Critical Thinking
6.  Critical Listening
7.  Research
8.  Creating Power Point presentations
9.  Creating video presentations
10. Emceeing
11. Debating
12. Organizing an event

1.2 To sum up, the programme aims to teach students “the art of speaking effectively”. In doing so, we encourage speakers to be:

–  Confident when presenting.
–  Independent in their assignments.
–  Reflective as learners.
–  Critical as readers and researchers.
–  Engaged with their environment and their peers.
–  Empathetic towards the community’s needs.

PROGRAMME:

2.1. Pre-requisites

– Potential students must be proficient in English.

– They must be already competent in all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) in the preferred language.

– This programme is not intended for the development of the above skills.

2.2. Stages

Junior Beginners (for age group 8-10)

Time frame: 3 years

Students in this group will be familiarized with the basics of public speaking which encompasses (guided) speech writing, speech organization, impromptu speeches and story telling. The projects are catered to their age group as well as level of development. Speech topics generally revolve around the child’s scope of experience.

Beginners (for age groups 10-12)

Time frame: 3 years

Students will be taught various types of speech projects and related skills i.e. informative speeches, story telling, demonstration and persuasive speeches as well as speeches for special occasions. Emphasis will be given to appropriate delivery techniques for each project. They will be required to conduct their own research for the projects, write their own speeches as well as prepare accordingly for the showcases. Basic computer skills are necessary for the assignments.

Intermediate (graduates from Beginners)

Time frame: 2 years

This stage will be an extension of the skills which they’ve learnt in Beginners. Apart from that, complex skills which include applying humour techniques, rhetorical devices, principles of inspirational story telling and Asian parliamentary debate will be covered in this stage. Students will also be using visual aids such as the power point and videos to enhance their speeches.

Advanced (graduates from Intermediate)

Time frame: 1 year

The first part of the year will require students will produce a mini-documentary apart from speeches. They will learn about storyboarding, video making, project planning, interviewing and to incorporate those skills into their presentations. They are to create a video regarding their topic of choice. This project may require excursions to film necessary footage as well as interview relevant subjects.

For the second part, students will be required to carry out an advocacy project which will include collaborating with the existing NGOs in the community, raise awareness and funds, prepare advocacy speeches as well video presentations for the project. The project will span over 5-6 months in which students and trainer will organize the event together.

* Age categorization is only a general indication of children’s readiness and does not necessarily represent an individual’s actual capabilities.

2.3. Showcases

The showcases take place twice a year and provide an opportunity for students to present their speeches before a live audience, thereby enabling them to gauge the effectiveness of their delivery as well as speech writing.

2.4. Evaluation

Post-Showcase Evaluation will be conducted in which the students will watch the video recording of their speeches and evaluate each other based on a set criteria provided by the trainer.