We all know the importance of public speaking and communication skills. Many of us even know the basics of speaking well. That’s the easy part. The tough part? How do you get kids to do it? More importantly, how do you get kids to WANT to do it? This is my answer. The Speak Up course has run within schools and privately for the past four years. This is an excerpt from the accompanying booklet. Will

1. Will Kingston
The Five Secrets to a Great Speech
1. Be original
What your teacher probably won’t tell you in class:
Teachers get bored easily! In fact, so will your bosses, your lecturers and
even your girlfriends (or so I have heard…) The key to getting good marks is
to make an impression! Guys are sometimes too afraid to stand out…. Don’t
be – the speech that the teacher remembers will (generally) be the one that
tops the class.
How do I do it?
OK this is where it gets a bit tricky. Here are three ways to make your
speech unique:
i) Introductions and conclusions must be interesting (throw in a
quote or a story).
ii) If you are given a topic to speak or write about, feel free to argue
against it. Whoever said the pen was mightier than the sword!!!!
iii) Be yourself! There is a temptation to change how you speak and
how you think when you stand up in front of people. Remember
that a speech is really just a conversation with an audience; if you
are funny, be funny; if you are passionate, be passionate; if you
are boring… Well maybe change a bit in that case.
Give it a go…
Get into pairs. Give each other the most boring, mind-numbing, sleep-
inducing topic you can think of… Now your job is to speak about it for a
minute and MAKE it interesting!
A few of my personal favourites:
* The life cycle of the South American Dung Beetle
* Anything to do with the economy
* Croquet
* Retirement villages
HINT: It doesn’t have to be exactly on the topic. Think about ways of
getting things you know about into the speech.
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2. Will Kingston
2. Have a clear message
What your teacher probably won’t tell you in class:
In any assignment you get (whether it is a speech or an essay) you can write
almost anything you want! As long as you find a link to the question, you can
incorporate anything you want to talk about (within reason). The key is that
whatever you say must have a clear theme or message. This ensures that
your speech has a purpose that the audience will remember.
How do I do it?
Basically you just have to keep thinking about how what you’re saying
relates back to the question or topic. You can do this by using a ‘tagline’
that summarises your argument. Alternatively, you can have a metaphor
running through your speech that you come back to.
EFSFOGIH*
In 1941, Winston Churchill visited Harrow, his old High School. The myth
goes that when asked to deliver a speech, he walked very slowly to the
lectern and stared at the young men for what seemed like an eternity. He
then delivered his speech:
"Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give in. Never give in. Never give
in. Never give in.”
That was it! He sat down to thunderous applause from the boys, who were
no doubt expecting a much longer assembly. I can promise you that none of
the students in that hall would have forgotten what Churchill said that day.
That is what makes it a great speech.
Winston wasn’t happy
when one student
started talking
during his address….
*(Example from some Famous Old Guy in History)
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3. Will Kingston
3. ‘Tell them what you’re gonna say, say it, tell them
what you’ve said….’
My Dad told me this one day and at the time I think I replied, “Shut up Dad
I’m on Facebook.”
After some time to think about it, he may have actually been onto
something! Structure is one of the most important, yet also the most
overlooked ingredient to a great speech. We will return to this one a bit
later.
I thought Dad’s response was
a bit over the top…
Give it a go…
What does structure mean? Write down what you think.
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4. Will Kingston
4. Make it sound good (even if it isn’t!)
What your teacher probably won’t tell you in class:
If a speech is delivered poorly it can cost you countless marks, no matter
how intelligent your arguments are. Of course I’m not saying you should
ignore the quality of your speech, rather you should always remember that a
bit of confidence goes a long way! After all, a speech involves a bit of
acting!
Try not to go too
over the top…
Give it a go...
I will give each of us a personality that we have to take on. Your job is to
act completely like that person, using their type of language, look and
persona. Have some fun with it!
5. Know thy audience!
Your teachers have probably been given enough attention so instead I will
quote my Year 8 English teacher. Whilst I can’t quite remember what my
friends and I said at the time, I think the words ‘lame’ and ‘weirdo’ were
both mentioned. Hopefully I don’t look quite as bad as she did when I give
you the same advice! You should always be thinking about who you are
speaking to when writing and delivering your speech.
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5. Will Kingston
“Our Greatest Fear”
Some studies have placed public speaking above death
as our greatest fear… These people really need to get
out more! There is no reason to be worried when you
speak in front of an audience. In saying that, some
nerves before you speak are natural (I still get them!)
Here are some tips on how to control them.
DO DON’T
Practise your speech Get worried if you make a
beforehand mistake
Make a joke or two Speed up during your
speech
Drink water Lose eye contact
‘Converse’ rather than ‘Over-think’
‘speak’
What do you do to calm yourself down before a big rugby or soccer
game? Write down some ideas.
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6. Will Kingston
The Science of Sounding Good!
What your teacher probably WILL tell you in class:
Most of us are told that substance will always trump style. By that I mean
we are told to believe that what we say is ultimately what is important; how
we deliver it is an afterthought…. Don’t believe them! How you deliver a
speech will play a huge role in influencing what a teacher (or an audience)
will think of your content.
So guys, today our job is to start sounding good!
A bit of spin isn’t such a bad
thing…
PS Watch this movie!
1. Getting into the flow of things…
Fluency in a speech is like throwing into a lineout – if everything is going
well no one notices but if it’s a bit off everyone will pick up on it.
(OK the rugby analogies might be getting a bit shaky!)
In any case, it’s important that your speech flows well. Here are a few
things to consider:
i) The ‘pregnant pause’
- When you get up to speak, don’t start speaking for a few seconds.
Instead, take a breath, relax and build up the suspense!
- After every point, stop and take a breath.
- Remember a pause emphasises important points in a speech – use
them wisely!
ii) Ummm could you like ahhh stop that?
- Ummm’s and ahhh’s are annoying to listen to and can make a speech
sound messy and disjointed
- Don’t be afraid of silence – it is better than an ummm!
- Speak in front of your parents – let them tell you whenever you say
those two dreaded words!
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iii) Verbal crutches
- These are little phrases we come back whilst we speak (some of mine
include ‘at the end of the day’, ‘ladies and gentlemen’ and ‘I think’).
- These can also become repetitive and stop your speech from flowing.
Give it a go…
Get up and start speaking about anything you want! Keep going until you say
an ummm or an ahhhh. I will time you…
What time did you His record is 14
get? seconds – can you beat
it?
2. Tone
- Monotone is as close as you can come to public speaking suicide!
Don’t be afraid to mix it up.
- Tone should be a reflection of emotion – if it is an emotive point
don’t be afraid to get passionate, if it is funny lighten it up and so on.
- Cards aren’t just for what you are saying. Use a different colour pen
to write down how you should deliver a certain line.
Let’s use another EFSFOGIH*
Passionate/dignified “I have a dream that my four children will one day live
in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by
the content of their character. Slow down! I have a dream today. Pause!
Accentuate first line I have a dream that one day every valley shall be
exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be
made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of
the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
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3. Gestures
- Body language accounts for about 60% of our communication
- Don’t use the same gesture over and over!
- New gestures feel strange – you have to practise them (preferably in
front of a mirror).
- Don’t use gestures for the sake of it – rather they should assist you in
emphasising a point or the flow of your speech.
- A smile is a very powerful tool – it shows you are comfortable,
charming and confident.
Give it a go…
In pairs develop three hand gestures that you could use for three different
parts of a speech. Some parts of a speech you may want to focus on are:
• An emotive point
• A list or sequence
• The end of a point
• A humorous moment
Maybe give this
one a miss…
4. Eye contact
- There are two ways to have truly effective eye contact:
i) Learn your speech word for word – boring, repetitive and hey you
have a life after all…
ii) Write in point form!
- Writing in point form is tricky at first so there is nothing wrong with
having a mix of points and sentences
- A good way of doing it is putting lines you think are especially
important (for example, the first line, conclusion, jokes, facts) in full
and other sections in point form.
- Don’t just focus on one spot or person in the room – try and feel as if
you are speaking to everyone individually.
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9. Will Kingston
Give it a go…
OK guys the time has come to start speaking! Pick any topic you want and
present a 1 minute speech to the guys using only 4 bullet points. Use the
area below.
•
•
•
•
Well at least he’s
trying…
5. SLOW DOWN!
- OK this one is simple – however fast you speak at the moment, make
it slower.
- I guarantee that all of you speak faster that you think you do.
- Speaking fast makes it harder to understand what you are saying and
lessens the impact of your points.
- Get your parents or friends to listen to you (or better yet record
yourself and listen to it).
Give it a go…
Ok let’s have a listen to the speeches you did earlier. Are you surprised by
how fast you were speaking? What things did you pick up about your manner
that you did not previously know? Write down some thoughts.
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10. Will Kingston
How to use a PowerPoint
1. It’s just a prompt, stupid!
SO
Give it a go…
2. Don’t read out what is on the slides!
Do my job for me! Get up and
3. Don’t overload the presentation present one of the slides on
the PowerPoint.
4. Never use two words when one will do PS. This is not an excuse for
me to go off and bludge….
5. Get with the times – images and videos are gold! Now be quiet whilst I go get
my coffee.
4. Mix things up
5. Make it easy to read
6. Don’t get too caught up in the cool effects
7. Put the really big points on the screen by themselves
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11. Will Kingston
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