APPLYING COMMUNITY-BASED
LEARNING TO ORAL
PRESENTATIONS
Kevin M. Maher
University of Macau
kmaher@umac.mo
Nis, Serbia – ESP Conference – May 22-24, 2015
5 SECTIONS OF TODAY’S PRESENTATION
• 1) Setting Guidelines &
Structure
• 2) Pre-Speech Audience
Involvement
• 3) Pre-Speech Exercises
• 4) Audience ROLES
• 5) Wrap-up
PART I – SETTING STRUCTURE AND
GUIDELINES
RULE #1 – NO POWERPOINT!
• Difficult to assess actual
speech skills
• Students rely on it as a
crutch
• Presenter MUST personally
connecting with audience
RULE #2 – TIME IT!
• Students should
practice to stay within
their time limit.
• Assign ‘timekeeper’
students to watch and
notify speaker.
• I prefer 3-5 minute
speeches.
RULE #3 – ABSOLUTELY NO READING!
• Puts a barrier between
speech and audience
• It’s a crutch
• Loses audience connection,
‘reading an audience’, eye
contact, etc.
RULE #4 – NO PODIUM ALLOWED!
• Yet another barrier between
audience.
• Students might lean or slouch
• Allows notes to be placed on it
and viewed too often
RULE #5 – EYE CONTACT
• Eye contact is essential!
• Eyes must engage with the
audience
• Look at different people,
connecting with them
RULE #6 – USE BODY LANGUAGE AND HANDS!
• Connecting with the audience
means effectively using gestures
• Confidence is shown through
body language
RULE #7 – VOICE
• Not monotone
• Use range of loud and
louder, to attract audience
• Clearly spoken, pauses,
absorbing
RULE #8 – WELL-WRITTEN!
• HOOK – to connect with
audience
• BODY PARAGRAPHS – clearly
organized and logical
• CONCLUSION
THE 8 RULES
• #1 No PowerPoint
• #5 Eye Contact
• #2 Timed
• #6 Use Body Language &
Gestures
• #3 No READING from
notes
• #7 Voice – Clear, Connecting
with Audience
• #4 No Podium allowed
• #8 Well-written (Hook, Body,
Conclusion)
PART II – PRE-SPEECH AUDIENCE
INVOLVEMENT
THE PERFECT AUDIENCE
• The PERFECT audience:
• Shows respect for speaker
• Listens to presentation
• Laughs, enjoys, LISTENS
• The BAD audience:
• Talks during presentations
• Chats on cellphones
• Makes noises with bags
• If you are a bad audience member:
• You’ll lose class points.
THE AUDIENCE GAME
GOOD / BAD!
• One person CHOSEN. You will be
presenter.
• 95% of the class will be GREAT
audience!
• 5% BAD Audience:
• ROLES:
• Person who YAWNS a lot.
• Person using PHONE.
• Person trying to talk to neighbors.
• Person into BAG
• Person playing with pen or
objects.
PRE-SPEECH AUDIENCE INVOLVEMENT
Pre-Teach Vocab
Watch & Teach Videos
• Students will watch
videos, but may be
unfamiliar with the
vocabulary.
• Students will watch
videos, than present on
the content of the
videos.
• Pre-teach the
vocabulary.
KEY WORDS
• Unprepared
• Speech Delivery
• Practice
• Presentation
• Eye Contact
• Don’t stare
• Posture
EYE CONTACT
Good Eye Contact
Bad Eye contact
• Look at different people
in the audience.
• Looking at the back wall
or floor.
• Looking only at the
teacher.
• Looking only at your best
friends.
• Only moving your eyes,
but not moving your
head.
• Look at each one for a
key point, than different
person.
• Feel free to walk
around, make yourself
more comfortable
HOW TO HAVE GOOD EYE CONTACT
IMPROMPTU ‘EYE CONTACT’ SPEECH
• Random Student will be chosen!
• Give a Speech: How to use
EYE CONTACT in your speech!
• Audience: What do you think of
the eye contact?
POSTURE / BODY LANGUAGE
GOOD POSTURE / Good Body Language
BAD POSTURE / Good Body Language
• Straight spinal chord
•
Swaying back and forth
•
Head down
•
Slumping
•
Anything that distract the audience
• Neck held up properly
• Hands comfortably and
loosely in the front
• Don’t play with buttons
• Don’t play with hair
• Don’t do anything repetitive that
audience pays attention to too much.
• ENGAGE with the
Audience!
•
AFRAID of the Audience!
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR HANDS…
IMPROMPTU ‘HANDS’ SPEECH
• Random Student will be
chosen!
• Tell us how to use
HANDS in your speech!
• Audience: What do you
think of the gestures?
UHMM…HMM…STOPPING VOCAL PAUSES
IMPROMPTU ‘VOCAL PAUSES’ SPEECH
• Random Student will be
chosen!
• Tell us how to NOT
to use Vocal Pauses
in your speech!
• Audience: How did
the speaker do?
PART III – PRE-SPEECH FINE-TUNING
SPEECH SKILLS
1. TALKING ABOUT
POSTURE:
• Hands clasped
• Arms folded across
• Legs crossed
• Wide-stance
• Hands in pockets
• What do you think about each person’s posture? Tell a partner.
2. CONFIDENCE-BUILDING EXERCISE
• “Walk of the Matador”
• Students prepare proverb,
saying, or piece of advice.
• With perfect posture, they walk
to the front of the class, deliver
it with confidence, bow, and
audience cheers!
3. EYE CONTACT EXERCISE #1
• “Look your partner in the
eye”
• Shift focus from right eye,
to left eye, to nose, to lips,
repeat.
• 2-3 minutes any topic.
Than talk about it
afterwards.
4. EYE CONTACT EXERCISE #2
• “Look your Audience in the eye”
• Students come up, one at a time,
and look at different audience
members in the eye.
• I use ‘1 Mississippi’, ‘2 Mississippi’,
etc.
5. PRACTICE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
• 1) With a partner, try to mimic faces!
• 2) Practice off Vocabulary lists:
• Squint your eyes
• Look surprised
• Look frustrated
• Look doubtful
• Wrinkle your eyebrows
• Bite your lip
• Look angry
6. BEWARE BODY LANGUAGE
• Students mimic poses.
• Vocab. Than students practice BAD
body language!
• Sway back and forth
• Twirl hair
• Play with a button
• Nod head excessively
• Look at your feet
• Practice good body language!
7. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
•
Vocabulary. Practice with a Partner
•
“I don’t know”
•
“Wait a minute”
•
“Stop!”
•
“That’s OK”
•
“Don’t do that!”
•
“Great job!”
•
“See you later!”
•
“I’m full”
•
“That’s enough”
•
“You’re crazy!”
•
“Go away!”
•
“You’re right!”
Kevin M. Maher
University of Macau
kmaher@umac.mo
Presented at KOTESOL, Seoul, October 2014
8. CATCHY ‘HOOK’ INTRODUCTIONS
• Captures attention, gets interest.
• MUST BE RELATED TO TOPIC!
• Examples:
• Tell a brief story
• Ask a question, arouse curiosity
• Shocking fact or quote
9. MAIN BODY OF SPEECH
• Brainstorm for subtopics!
• Students write down title and
subtopics only.
• Than they share segments of
subtopics with a partner
(without anything written out)
10. EFFECTIVE USE OF NOTES
(IF YOU DO ALLOW NOTES)
• Don’t have entire speech written out!
• OUTLINE ONLY:
• Main Points
• Key words/phrases/quotes
• Speaker MUST maintain eye contact
11. “PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT”
DISCUSSION!
• Students list practice advice/suggestions.
• Teacher suggestions, they discuss
• Several days beforehand?
• Full-length mirror?
• Tape/video record?
• Friends/family Listen?
• Private locations?
• Timing practice?
• With or without notes?
PART IV – AUDIENCE INVOLVEMENT
ASSIGN ROLES TO AUDIENCE!
• Different members observe different
functions:
• Eye contact
• Posture
• Body Language
• Vocal Pauses
• Notes Usage
• Catchy Introduction
• Facial Expressions
• Voice
EXAMPLE ROLE: “UH-OH EXPERTS”
• Select audience members
ONLY watch for VOCAL
PAUSES
• How many times did they
‘uh’, ‘err’, ‘hmm’.
• Students count them!
“EYE CONTACT GURUS”
• Individual audience members
assigned.
• COUNT each time the speaker
makes eye contact with you
personally
• Note where speakers do look.
“FACIAL EXPRESSION OBSERVERS”
• Record every facial
expression you
observed.
• End of speech, what
were the top 3 you
noticed most?
TIMEKEEPER
• Records time.
• Also gives minute
warnings.
• Holds up sign for
speaker to see.
HANDY PERSON
• Observe THE HANDS.
What do they do?
• How do they emphasize
points?
• Are they used
effectively?
HOOK JUDGE
• Did the INTRODUCTION
effectively attract the
audience?
• Was it an interesting hook?
• Did it engage the audience?
STANCE NOTICER
• Observe THE STANCE.
How do they stand?
• Do they appear
confidence?
CONNECTING WITH THE AUDIENCE CONNECTOR
• OVERALL observation.
• How does the speech giver connect
overall with the audience?
• Observer takes everything into
account – voice, body language,
stance, gestures, words, material.
VOICE WIZARD
• How effective is their VOICE?
• Is it clear, loud enough and
easy enough language to
understand?
• Do they use a range of pitches
to draw audience?
WORDS COMMENTER
• How were the words,
grammar, etc.?
• Examine the content of the
speech, the structure, the
chosen words, the
vocabulary, etc.
CONCLUSION CONCLUDER
• Observation on HOW THE
CONCLUSION ends?
• Is it too abrupt?
• Did the speech give a
lasting impression to
remember the speech?
ALL 11 ROLES
• Uh-Oh Expert
• Conclusion Concluder
• Eye Contact Guru
• Words Commenter
• Facial Expressions
Observer
• Connecting with the
Audience Connector
• Handy Person
• Hook Judge
• Stance Noticer
• Timekeeper
• Voice Wizard
PART V – WRAP-UP
VIDEO RECORD ALL THE SPEECHES
• Assign students to view
themselves
• Possible assignments:
• Points to improve
upon
TEACHERS COORDINATE ‘SPEECH CONTEST’
AMONG CLASSES
• Organize speech contest.
• Put two classrooms
together.
• Other teacher assesses
students with same rubric.
THE OUTRAGEOUS PUBLIC SPEECH
• I don’t recommend this!
• But I knew a teacher who
made students go out on
campus and gather a crowd
to give a speech!
EVERYONE TAKES NOTES – QUIZ NEXT CLASS!
• Every audience member takes
notes on every speech. They will
take a quiz based on the content.
• A second variation of this, is a
quiz based on how students
presented. (Much more abstract,
and challenging to create
however)
IN CONCLUSION…
• Uh-Oh Expert
• Eye Contact Guru
• Facial Expressions
Observer
• Handy Person
• Stance Noticer
• Voice Wizard
THANK YOU!
• Hope you enjoyed my
presentation!!!
• Kevin M. Maher
• University of Macau
• kmaher@umac.mo