Power Language: Public Speaking

Introduction

Power Language is a public-speaking curriculum with consecutive products for three age groups. An individual may use the series in cooperation with an adult helper. However, since public speaking requires an audience, it is helpful to find supportive groups of people with whom the young person may practice skills.

The series begins with a fact sheet, Show and Tell, for ages 5 to 8. The second level is an activity guide for ages 9 to 12. The third level is an activity guide for ages 13 to 19. The series also includes a Helper's Guide with tips and background information as well as several activities designed for group participation.

To the Helper

If you're reading this, a young person has asked you to be his or her helper in completing the Power Language series. Maybe you have well-developed public-speaking skills. Or maybe you're simply a good coach and listener. Whatever the answer, you will play an important role in this youth's life. Notice that you are called a “helper” instead of a teacher. That's because the “teacher” in this curriculum is the experience itself. Each activity is patterned on the experiential learning model. This learning method encourages a young person to try to do something without being told or shown how. You can read more about it in this introductory section. For now, look over the list below to understand your responsibilities as helper.

• Make sure you have a copy of the entire curriculum. Review the youth guides and the Helper's Guide before starting.
• Assist the youth in doing the activities.
• Help the young person to think through why something happened the way it did. Make sure you review and discuss the “Open Mike” questions at the end of each activity. The experiential learning process is not complete until participants have reflected on the experience and applied what they learned to their everyday life.
• Provide moral support and positive feedback. Help the youth to discover his or her strengths and weaknesses.

The Experiential Learning Model

The experiential learning model has five steps: experience, share, process, generalize, and apply. In this guide, the activity is the experience or “do” part of the cycle. The remaining parts are fulfilled by the review questions in each activity.

To the Youth

You can relay important ideas in a one-on-one conversation. These exchanges will always be important building blocks in becoming a good communicator. But you can reach more people through public speaking. You've already had a taste of speaking before a group by doing the activities in Show and Tell. Now you're ready for new challenges. In this guide, you'll learn all kinds of ways to become a better speaker. Here are some topics you'll explore:

• Managing stage fright
• Speaking off the top of your head
• Taking questions from an audience
• Introducing a person or speaker
• Varying your tone of voice to get attention
• Brainstorming speech topics
• Strengthening your storytelling
• Preparing for a career by practicing job interviews

As you get older and gain more knowledge, it will become important to you to share your ideas and influence others. The skills you practice in this guide will do more than make you an effective speaker. They'll make you a better listener, a better learner, and maybe a better leader.