Public speaking can be a nightmare or the biggest fear for many. Your students might not be an exception. That's why it's every teacher's mission to help students overcome their fears and succeed as public speakers. TED talk practice is an excellent way to achieve this. Creating and presenting a TED talk can become a project that takes 4 to 5 60-minute lessons to complete. Therefore, prepare in advance a block of such lessons with clear steps and instructions.
If your students are not familiar with TED Talks, this is a great opportunity for them to learn.
Objective: To familiarize students with TED Talks and their format.
Activity: Watch TED Talks from the official TED YouTube channel.
This can be a great listening activity. Choose interesting TED Talks to listen to in class, and prepare pre-listening and post-listening questions to engage students in discussion.
For example, if you choose the 'Are you a dreamer or a doer?' video to watch:
You may ask each student before listening if they consider themselves dreamers or doers, what the difference is, and whether they would like to change their roles in the future. Also, inquire if students have listened to TED Talks before, if they like them, and if they find them encouraging.
These are your pre-listening questions to engage students in a speaking activity.
Post-listening questions should be based on the content of the video. Therefore, watch it before the class and make a list of questions to check students' understanding of the TED Talk's content.
You can assign this as an individual writing task to complete – answering these questions, or, to encourage more speaking, make it a whole-class activity. However, ensure that every student participates. If you have a large class, divide them into groups and instruct each group to discuss the answers. Monitor the classroom during these discussions.
After completing this activity, move on and provide more TED Talk topic ideas, which you can find on the official YouTube channel.
Or here are 10 engaging and thought-provoking TED Talk topics that students can explore:
These topics offer a range of ideas that students can tailor to their interests and experiences, encouraging them to explore and share their unique perspectives.
Then, ask the students for any ideas they might have about possible topics for their TED Talks.
Objective: Help students select engaging and personal topics.
Activities:
Brainstorming session: Use mind maps to explore interests like technology, environment, or personal growth.
At this step, it's a great chance to show students how to create mind maps.
After explaining how mind maps are created, show the students an example. Use a mind map for the TED Talk titled 'The Art of Storytelling' as an illustration.
Here are brief notes for each of the subtopics on the mind map for the TED Talk 'The Art of Storytelling':
These notes offer a concise overview of each subtopic, providing a foundation for a more detailed exploration in a TED Talk format.
Group discussions to refine ideas: Divide students into groups so they come up with some topic and subtopic ideas.
The 3rd Step could be assigned as a homework task: Research and Content Development.
Before the next lesson, each student should choose a topic for their future TED talk, conduct research, and create a mind map. Provide students with guidelines on effective online research, citing sources, and avoiding plagiarism.
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The 2nd lesson in this project-based series is focused on mastering writing skills. Your goal is to demonstrate techniques, support them with examples, and encourage students to draft their speeches. This lesson requires thorough preparation, as many students find writing to be a challenging skill to master.
Objective: To teach students how to craft a compelling and impactful speech using a structured approach, incorporating personal stories, theme development, supporting facts or anecdotes, and a strong call to action.
Homework
Draft the introduction and first part of the body of their speech, incorporating their personal story and initial supporting points.
Drafting and peer review are crucial in speech writing. Drafting allows the writer to flesh out their ideas and structure their speech coherently. It's a process of refining thoughts and arguments, ensuring clarity and impact. Peer review, on the other hand, provides valuable feedback. It helps identify areas that need improvement, such as unclear points or weak arguments. The process encourages collaboration and opens the door to diverse perspectives, enhancing the overall quality and effectiveness of the speech. Together, drafting and peer review are indispensable for crafting a compelling and persuasive speech.
Some examples:
Melissa Butler's Speech: Butler uses a challenge close, urging her audience to take action. Her concluding lines include a call to "look at yourself in the mirror, see all of your greatness, accept it, and love it." This kind of conclusion is powerful because it encourages the audience to not only reflect but also act on what they've heard.
Winston Churchill's "We Shall Fight on the Beaches": Churchill's conclusion is memorable for its resolute and defiant tone. He emphasizes the determination of the British people to fight against tyranny, concluding with the famous lines, “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech is renowned for its powerful and inspiring conclusion. In this speech, King expresses his dream of freedom and equality arising from a land of slavery and hatred. He famously concludes with the words:
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"
This checklist can be used as a guideline for peer reviewers to provide constructive feedback to the speaker, ensuring that the speech is effective and impactful.
Homework
Revise the speech based on peer feedback. Students make final revisions to their speeches based on peer feedback and their own reflections. Tell your students to use tools like Grammarly to edit for grammar, clarity, and style.
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Improving public speaking skills involves a combination of techniques that focus on delivery, content, and engagement with the audience. Here are some key techniques to enhance public speaking skills:
Effective public speaking is a skill that can be developed with practice and perseverance. Regularly applying these techniques can significantly enhance your students’ ability to communicate and engage with an audience effectively.
Objective of the 4th lesson is to improve students' public speaking abilities.
Project-based learning and public speaking are crucial components in modern education, significantly enhancing students' learning experiences. Here are the key points emphasizing their importance:
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Incorporating project-based learning and public speaking into education not only enriches the curriculum but also equips students with vital skills necessary for their future success.
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