About the Class

The number one fear in the United States is the fear of public speaking. Most of the people that we meet in our lives would rather do… pretty much anything other than speak in front of others. While I can’t promise that your student will leave my class loving the stage, I can promise that they will have far more confidence in the moments that they are required to speak in public.

I firmly believe that much of the fear of public speaking stems from the fear that we will mess up while on the stage. My goal in this class is to bring practical tips, plenty of practice, and lots of fun to help my students leave this year with a greater confidence.

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Students will have the opportunity (requirement) to participate in a showcase at the end of the semester. Date: Monday, January 6th at 6:00 pm.

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Quarter 1: Writing Speeches – We will take the time to dive into what makes a persuasive speech and use this knowledge to put our ideas on paper.

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Quarter 2: Memorizing Speeches – Now, we memorize those speeches. Along the way, we learn how to integrate vocal intonation, hand gestures, responding to our audience, and more to make our presentation as close to perfect as possible!

We will be using resources from NCFCA (National Christian Forensics & Communication Association) for the majority of our curriculum.

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Because of how intimidating public speaking is, there is a lot of nuance that can go into grading. Because of this, I will be grading this class on a Pass/Fail scale per assignment based on whether or not they completed the assignment and followed the instructions. A pass is 100% and a Fail is 0% so the average for the year is easily found. I will also be giving as much feedback as possible to each assignment. This will allow each student to grow at their own pace.

CLASSROOM GOALS:

In class we will be focusing on learning general persuasive and speaking concepts and participating in fun practices and drills. We will also take the time to analyze speeches from other speakers and pull ideas out of what they have already done!

HOMEWORK EXPECTATIONS:

Most of the homework will consist of writing and practicing original speeches as well as analyzing speeches.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

1. Access to a computer for homework.

2. Access to Google Classroom. (This is a free program through Google that keeps all of the homework in one place!)

3. Access to YouTube.

4. A notepad/notebook, folder, and pencil/pen for class.