Spectacular Speeches

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I hold a homeschooler's high school diploma because I completed my education at home. But for the first nine years of my school days, I attended a private church school with about 100 other students. In my ninth year, I was able to earn days off of school (literally--I used them for shopping or hanging out at home) by completing a specified amount of CLE Lightunits and delivering three speeches. 

My mom was a stickler about us earning E-Days, as they were called. She felt that children without learning disabilities had no excuse for not learning and earning all they could. So, being told I wasn't impaired enough to be excused from speeches, I signed up to earn E-Days. 

Partway through the school year, I gave a speech on Frank Abagnale, Jr., a notorious con man and master of disguise. I got so caught up in the story I was telling that I forgot to watch the clock and blasted over my time limits. I'm sure it felt worse to me than it did to my peers, but when I realized that I talked too long, I felt like I had drowned my audience an entire swimming pool of words when all they wanted was a cup-sized drink.

I still don't know what my friends thought of the speech; I avoided discussing it with them. I only know that I couldn't bear the idea of speechifying in front of them again and dropped out of the E-Day program. I can't believe Mom let me, considering the "get right back on the horse" theory, learn and earn all you can, and other Mom-isms. 

But I'm the one who lost in that deal. Twenty years later, my husband and I both wish we are better public speakers. We discuss (though never in all-seriousness) joining the Toastmasters, an organization designed to help you practice and polish your public speaking skills. 

With all of that in mind, you get the privilege of delivering a speech next Monday evening. It is for a lifetime of benefits that you get to practice on peers who are learning. Perfection is not required, but here are some guidelines and tips for you to keep in mind as you prepare for Speech Night. 

1. You may not read your speech. Neither should you memorize your speech. Think of real life. We could go to church and hear a sermon being read, we could listen to one being recited from memory, or we can listen to a message being delivered from notes. Which do you prefer? 
2. Use notecards. Do not use your entire report as your notes. Write down important dates or other statistics that you want to be sure to get accurate. Write down direct quotes. Write down important points that will help you keep your place. But do not write down your entire speech. 
3. Begin your speech with a tiny story, an interesting statistic, or a quote to grab your listeners' attention. Try not to start by shuffling your feet, scratching your right elbow, and saying, "Well, today I'm going to talk  about poisonous snakes..." Think how much better it would be to launch into a speech with a story, such as this true one: "One dark night in the village, I stepped onto our veranda and saw a coil of rope beneath the light. Then the coil moved and I knew it was a snake. My husband was lying in bed, shaking with the chills of malaria, and..."
4. Look at your audience. It can feel awkward to look at people who are looking back at you. (Ever try that with a buggy full of people at a stoplight?) But using eye contact keeps your audience engaged with your speech. It keeps their interest and attention better than if you are stargazing into the spiderwebs at the top, left corner of the room. 
5. Watch out for your hands and feet. Control your limbs when you speak so you don't start your speaking career with a bad habit. Pulling your ear, scratching your head, and dancing gently are fine if they demonstrate something you are talking about. Otherwise, keep your hands to yourself and hold your feet still unless you are gesturing for appropriate emphasis. Flapping hands rapidly while saying, "Um, Um..." does not count. 
6. Avoid filler words like um, uh, like, and stuff like that. 
7. Speak loud enough for your audience to hear and use appropriate expression. I did reading practice with a child who was focusing so hard on good expression that every sentence sounded like an earthshattering statement. Don't do that. But fluctuating the tone of your voice makes the speech more interesting to listen to. 
8. Stay within your time frame. Your speech should be 4-7 minutes long. Practice your speech at home to know how long it is going to be. If it is exactly 4 minutes at home, you might want to add more information because, in general, people speak a little faster in front of an audience than they do in front of a mirror. 
9. Practice. Preparation is your biggest friend when it comes to delivering a speech. Know your material, then practice your delivery. 

I'm looking forward to this! I skimmed through a couple reports I received yesterday. If all of you did as well as those two, I say you did an amazing job. And if you do as well on your speeches as you did in your written reports, I say you are completely amazing.

I need to know if you read this post, so in the comments below, encourage your classmates with a quote or phrase of encouragement. Here is mine: 

"Never let the fear of striking out 

keep you from playing the game."

--Babe Ruth