ESB Graded Examinations in Speech Teacher Guidance: Foundation

Teaching Guidance AcƟvity 1: The Talk

Learning to deliver a talk helps to develop life‐long skills. It can support   students in the organising and structuring of informaƟon, allow them to   express their own ideas confidently, and provide factual detail to support  points made. It is important to allow students to speak about subjects and   topics that are of genuine interest to them – the process of preparing and   giving talks should be an enjoyable one, so that learning is exciƟng and   rewarding.   To help your students make the most of this secƟon, see our five top Ɵps   below:    Encourage students to create a scrapbook or folder, which can act as a  springboard for their talk. A scrapbook or folder should contain own  thoughts and ideas, as well as informaƟon from different sources.   Dissuade students from filling their scrapbooks solely with informaƟon  downloaded from the internet.   Advise students to Ɵme their talks when pracƟsing. This will ensure  that introducƟons are not rushed and that there is the necessary Ɵme  for a proper conclusion. PracƟsing to Ɵme also helps build confidence,  which encourages spontaneous delivery.    Students should not feel they need to apologise for being nervous. It  is perfectly natural to feel some nerves, but apologising can draw  aƩenƟon to that fact – it is much beƩer to just carry on.   If students use presentaƟon soŌware (such as Prezzi or PowerPoint) as  a visual aid, ensure that they do not read their talks from slides, or  face the screen, as this will limit their communicaƟon with the audi‐ ence. Students should stand to the side of the screen, facing the audi‐ ence.    When referring to an image, encourage students to talk about the  ‘hidden’ and liƩle‐known details, which cannot be seen by an  audience. For example, if there was an image which showed the   Statue of Liberty, the student might say something along the lines of:  ‘The Statue of Liberty was built by the French architect Gusteve Eiffel  and it was given by France to the United States of America in 1886’.

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