MADISON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Introduction to Public Speaking
Authored by: Stacy Snider
Reviewed by: Dr. Barbara Sargent
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
Board of Education approval: September 2007
Members of the Board of Education:
Dr. Richard Noonan, Superintendent
Lisa Ellis, President
Patrick Rowe, Vice-President
Kevin Blair
Diane Fastiggi
Linda Gilbert
George Martin
James Novotny
Patricia Sarasohn
Madison Public Schools
359 Woodland Road, Madison, NJ 07940
www.madisonpublicschools.org
I. OVERVIEW
Introduction to Public Speaking is a seventh grade level cycle class designed for those students who are
interested in learning the foundations of public speaking and improving their oratory skills. No prior experience is
necessary. The class develops fundamentals of effective oral delivery, body control, voice, diction, poise and ease.
Preparation and practice are provided in making both formal and informal speeches. Introductions, conversations,
telephone procedures, demonstrations, discussions, listening skills, impromptu and prepared oratory and debate
procedures are all major elements of the class.
II. RATIONALE
Introduction to Public Speaking provides students the opportunity to cultivate important communication
skills, both in and out of the classroom. Given the proven importance of oral literacy for school and career success,
it is particularly vital to train young people in public speaking. Students build confidence by speaking in public on
important issues, and a class creates a safe environment for students to develop these communication skills while
receiving feedback and encouragement. Participation in the class also teaches research skills, organization, good
listening habits and effective argumentation. In addition to developing their speaking skills, including poise,
volume and diction, students will also learn to be active and critical listeners.
III. STUDENT OUTCOMES (Linked to NJCCCS—Language Arts Literacy)
1. The student will recognize the relationship between the speech mechanism and the resulting voice (Standard 3.1)
2. The student will demonstrate the qualities of a good conversationalist when engaged in informal talk (Standard
3.3)
3. The student will recognize the different speech and discussion types, understand their strengths and weaknesses,
and realize their purposes (Standard 3.1)
4. The student will demonstrate full command of eye contact, poise, posture, gesture and vocal variety (Standards
3.1, 3.3).
5. The student will demonstrate knowledge of oratory elements by commenting upon the speeches of others in
either written or oral critique form (Standards 3.1, 3.3).
6. The student will prepare and deliver a fully rehearsed speech (Standards 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5).
7. The student will select suitable speech topics in accordance with the speech purpose, personal interests, and the
interests of the audience (Standards 3.1, 3.2).
8. The student will identify and employ each of the basic speaking methods and ability to understand the
advantages, disadvantages, uses and techniques of each (Standards 3.1, 3.2).
9. The student will develop poise in public speaking through thorough preparation, knowing what to do,
understanding and controlling stage fright and learning through experience (Standards 3.3, 3.4, 3.5)
10. The student will identify the many observable behaviors of speakers and practice and improve his/her own
physical speech delivery (Standards 3.3, 3.5).
11. The student will demonstrate and apply knowledge to the process of critique (Standards 3.3, 3.4, 3.5).
IV. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS AND CONTENT
Unit 1: The Communication Process (2 weeks)
Question: How do I present my ideas clearly and effectively to an audience?
Content: Understand the roles of the speaker and the listener in the communication process.
Suggested activities:
A. Pair students and assign them various roles such as teacher and student, parent and child, employer and
employee. Have them role play bits of conversation between these characters. Afterwards, ask the class to identify
the sender, message, receiver and feedback.
B. In a circle, have each student go around and introduce themselves. Give each student specific questions
to address in their introduction.
C. Play a game of charades using titles of books, movies, songs, etc.
Question: What are the similarities and differences between public speaking and
every day conversation?
Content: Develop an understanding of what public speaking actually involves and different types of speeches
that can be employed.
Suggested activities:
A. Have students describe times they have heard a speech or had a speaker come to their school/class. How
did that person act? How was their speech different from a conversation you would have with a friend?
B. Make a list on the board of the qualities and characteristics of a good public speaker.
Question: How do I choose an appropriate speech for my audience?
Content: Learn the elements that define different types of speeches.
Suggested activities:
A. Explain various types of speeches to the class while they take notes in their notebooks. This list should
include: Persuasive, Informative, Impromptu, Extemporaneous and Demonstration.
B. Show brief video clips of individuals delivering one or more of the above speeches.
C. Give students a specific scenario. Have them choose which speech would be appropriate for a given
situation.
D. Give a quiz on the types of speeches learned and discussed in class.
Materials: notebooks, DVD/VCR, films, quiz
Unit 2: Famous Speeches/Examples for Modeling (1 week)
Question: What is the difference between verbal and non-verbal communication?
Content: Define vocabulary and concepts used in public speaking.
Suggested activities:
A. Show photographs of various people. Have students analyze their body language and decide what is
happening in the picture.
B. The teacher can volunteer to be analyzed in classroom situations. Students should keep a list in their
notebooks of the teacher’s body language, gestures and facial expressions during a class period. Students should
note the gesture, intended meaning and the effect of each.
Materials: Photographs, notebooks.
Question: What makes a speech effective and unforgettable?
Content: Analyze famous speeches and the mannerisms and delivery of the speaker.
Suggested Activities:
A. Watch a video of a famous speech, such as MLK “I Have a Dream” and discuss the elements that make
it so effective.
B. Listen to a recording of a famous speaker, such as JFK, and discuss what vocal qualities made him such
a respected speaker.
Materials: DVD/VCR, films, audio tape/CD
Unit 3: Voice, Diction and Presentation (2 weeks)
Question: How can I improve my voice production?
Content: Recognize the relationship between the speech mechanism and the resulting voice.
Suggested activities:
A. Have a Science teacher come to class to explain the functions of the larynx, throat and lungs.
B. Make a recording of every student’s voice. Point out good elements and areas in need of improvement,
including volume, speed and diction.
Materials: Tape recorder, guest speaker
Question: How important is my posture and eye contact while giving a speech?
Content: Identify the many observable behaviors of speakers and practice each student’s
speech delivery.
own physical
Suggested activities:
A. Have high school theatre students come to class and act out scenarios of “good” and “bad” speakers to
emphasize the importance of the physical presentation.
B. Pair students up. Have them talk to each other while constantly maintaining eye contact and standing up
straight. Have partners correct them when they do not follow the given rules.
Materials: guest speakers
Question: What is the format for writing a speech?
Content: Understand the structure of a speech and ways to make a presentation more interesting.
Suggested activities:
A. On the board, list ways a speech can be arranged and have students copy into their notebooks:
chronological, climactic, logical, and problem-solution.
B. Give students a topic. In a group, have them draw on poster board an outline for a speech that could
also be used as a visual aide. Have each group then present their outline to the class.
Materials: notebooks, markers, poster board
Unit 4: Listening and Evaluating (1-2 weeks)
Question: How does oral critique help both the speaker and listener become better presenters?
Content: Learn the elements of effective oral and written critique.
Suggested activities:
A. Make a personal list of specific situations in which you were heard but not listened to. Think about
situations with parents, siblings, classmates, teachers, store clerks, etc. Have the class discuss reasons for the poor
listening illustrated in the examples as well as the consequences of hearing but not listening.
B. Have a student volunteer to tell a story to the class. When s/he is finished, the teacher will evaluate the
student’s presentation. Ask other students how they could improve their own presentation skills based on the
teacher’s comments about this one student’s presentation.
C. Review the rules of oral critique with students: 1) Give positive feedback 2) When giving negative
feedback concentrate on only one or two criticisms 3) When giving criticisms, always mention what the speaker
could do to improve 4) Be specific with your comments
Question: What criteria do I use to evaluate a speaker?
Content: Learn to properly and effectively use a rubric in both self and peer evaluation.
Suggested activities:
A. Make a list on the board of qualities the students think are important in a speech and in a speaker. Rank
these items in order of importance and decide on weighted values of each.
B. The teacher, or a class volunteer, will deliver a speech (examples are found in any English textbook).
Have the class evaluate the speaker based on the above rubric they created.
C. Discuss the differences between objective and subjective evaluation. Ask students to analyze how
subjective criticism could be biased or unfair.
Materials: copies of speech, notebooks
Question: Why should I evaluate myself after I give a speech?
Content: Understand the purpose and benefit of self and peer evaluation.
Suggested activities:
A. Ask each student to write down on a piece of paper the titles of his or her most favorite and least favorite
movies. Collect the papers and make lists on the board of the most and least favorite movies. Obviously, some
students will agree and some will disagree with other’s choices. Lead students to a realization that whether or not
they like a movie is based on how they perceive it. Everyone has different perceptions about what is “good” or
“bad.” In evaluations, it helps to get several different perspectives on your performance, including your own.
B. Record each student giving a brief speech, or reading aloud from a magazine article. Then play back
the recordings for the class, having both the speaker and the other students fill out evaluation rubrics. Allow each
student to compare his self-evaluation with the peer evaluation.
C. Videotape each student giving a short, prepared speech. Have them self-evaluate themselves before
watching the video back. After they watch the video, have them fill out the same rubric again, and then compare the
responses.
Materials: notebooks, speeches, tape recorder, video camera and VCR
Unit 5: Presentation and Delivery (2-3 weeks)
Question: What should my speech be about?
Content: Consider the audience, decide on the purpose and select a speech.
Suggested activities:
A. Have students brainstorm for speech topics. The teacher will write the list on the board. Students will
then analyze each topic in relation to its appropriate purpose and audience.
B. Students will go to the library to look through books to find a speech for their presentation. Sources
may include actual famous speeches, poetry, prose, magazine articles, etc. Teacher must have final approval on
every selection.
Materials: library resources (internet, speech and poetry books, magazines, etc.)
Question: How much time do I need to spend preparing my speech?
Content: Become aware of the necessity for sufficient rehearsal prior to the actual speech presentation and
employ systematic procedures for practicing.
Suggested activities:
A. The teacher will give an impromptu speech using poor posture, poor eye contact, nervous mannerisms,
and other examples of negative physical behavior. Students will make a list of the behaviors observed. Following a
discussion of the lists, a student may volunteer to give an impromptu speech illustrating positive observable
behavior.
B. Pair students up with a partner. Have each read their speech aloud for the other and get feedback. Do this
activity several times, each reading focusing on a different aspect of delivery, from vocal tone and diction to eye
contact and posture.
C. Assign the preparation of portions of the entire presentation to be ready on specific days. The student
then may add systematically to his/her presentation and avoid last minute cramming. The teacher may divide the
performance evaluation into parts (giving a grade over several class periods based on rehearsal and preparation not
just performance) and assign a value for each part.
Question: How can I best use my voice and body for my presentation?
Content: Present a fully prepared speech to the class.
Suggested activities:
A. Over several class periods, students should stand in the front of the room and present their speech to the
class.
B. All speeches will be videotaped. At the conclusion of all the presentations, the class will watch back the
tape.
C. After each speech, every student will fill out an evaluation rubric, including a self-evaluation after their
own presentation.
Materials: video camera, VCR, copies of rubrics
V. STRATEGIES
1.
2.
3.
4.
Teacher demonstration
Multi-media presentation
Guided practice
Group work
5. Class discussions and critique
6. Collaborative projects
7. Guest speakers
VI. EVALUATION
The evaluations and assessments in a public speaking course allow the teacher to analyze each student’s
individual knowledge and skills. Students will receive both oral and written critique from the teacher. Evaluation of
the objectives will be measured by speaking assignments, individual and group projects, quizzes, short writing
assignments and participation in class work/activities. However, evaluations primarily should be used to disclose
the student’s progress as well as areas for future growth. Recognizing the fact that speech is a method of
communication used in daily life, a measure of a student’s proficiency in the class can be clearly determined by
evaluating speech performance in a number of varied and creative classroom oral exercises—activities designed, as
nearly as possible, to approximate real life speaking situations. The following areas are all to be addressed
throughout the course:
Methods of Evaluation and Assessment:





Observation
Individual critique
Daily participation
Written evaluations
Self/Peer evaluation
VII. REQUIRED RESOURCES
There is no specific text for the course. However, the teacher may find numerous resources in the library as
well as in the Madison High School English Resource File and from the Performing Arts chairperson. Included in
these resources are teaching transparencies, tests, drills, published speeches, audio tapes and videos. The teacher of
the course should attempt to obtain examples of speeches and ancillary materials to augment instruction as the class
progresses. Suggestions for other resources include:
Activities for Teaching Speaking and Listening: Grades 7-12, Speech Comm. Assn.
Creative Communication, Fran Tanner, Clark Publishing
Getting Started in Public Speaking, James Payne, National Textbook Company
Speech for Effective Communication, Verderber, Holt Rinehart Winston
The Art of Public Speaking, Stephen E. Lucas, McGraw-Hill
VIII. SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
The units and objectives of this course are intended to serve as guidelines and parameters for the instructor.
The time allocated for each unit of study is flexible to allow the instructor to adapt the curriculum to the needs of
the learners. It is also intended to allow the instructor to adjust for varying time needed for certain projects. The
suggested activities listed for each unit are intended purely as examples that demonstrate how an instructor might
accomplish a given objective. These suggested activities are not meant to be limiting. The instructor is encouraged
to use his or her creativity and professional judgment to develop projects that accomplish the objectives for each
unit of study.
Unit 1: The Communication Process (2 weeks)
Unit 2: Famous Speeches/Examples for Modeling (1 week)
Unit 3: Voice, Diction and Presentation (2 weeks)
Unit 4: Listening and Evaluating (1-2 weeks)
Unit 5: Presentation and Delivery (2-3 weeks)