Speech task tips (1 Viewer)

[lyounamu]

What are the tips that you know in regards to speech task?

I have heard that I am going to get a speech task soon but I don't really know the topic yet. But that's not the point that matters at the moment.

I am talking about the performance in general. I am quite confident that I will write a quality one if I am given a 2-weeks notice. It is the speech performance that I cannot really prepare for.

Someone in my year in Extension 1 had a similar task got 20/20 and he was the only one who got that. His transcript of a speech would have been absolutely terrific but above all, his performance was breathtakingly amazing. He apparently had a music on. Would it be a good idea to do so? I am going to ask him how he did his speech but I would like to know whether it would be wise to do so or not.

I am also thinking of memorising a speech because palms are not apparently now allowed. (only thing allowed is a A4 page).

Any tips?

 

[eliseliselise]

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT

make them laugh, make them respond [i paid a male friend of mine in roll-ups and le snacks to laugh hysterically throughout {my most recent speech} and say "i dunno, elise!!" after i asked what would normally be seen as a rhetorical question--"soooo! what IS satire?!"]

oohh! and DOWN VERBOSITY!! teachers HATE big words in speeches!! i learnt that lesson the hard way! :'(

i'm not sure about music; some teachers hate technology, and don't like the attention to be diverted from the actual speech itself. but if used effectively- can be mindblowingly good.

some people use handouts and stuff, but i prefer someone with an ENTHUSIASTIC and LIVELY TONE OF VOICE who has a PASSION [or appears so lol] for what they're saying!!

random anecdotes go down well, and if ur explaining something or whatever.. obscure analogies go down a treat.

look at the great speakers of our time.. dr karl kruszelnickicantbebotheredlearninghowtospellhisname, kochy [from the sunrise show] et al- they are all WELL PACED and passionate about what they're saying!!

the pilgrims are coming.

 

[Aerath]

Wait, Kochie is a good speaker?
He bores me to death.

But essentially, a good speaker embodies what Elise just mentioned above.

And in addition to what she said, I wouldn't recommend memorising your speeches. Otherwise-you-will-try-to-recall-and-you-will-end-up-speaking-so-fast-that-the-audience-will-not-hear-what-you're-saying-and-you-will-lose-marks-cause-the-teacher-won't-either.

 

[jellybelly59]

what no palm cards? AS IF !!! LOL how long do u have to speak for? as for music im kind of iffy on that... won't it take away on ur speech

well the most simple but most important things to think about are : variation in tone, use of hand gestures, facial expression, interaction with audience and control of voice

 

[Muz4PM]

Yeah, use gestures, espeically if you wish to make a passionate speech. Move around a little, don't stand bolted to the floor, but don't go do laps of the room, a few paces around should suffice. Outside of that, as others have said, use a differing tone in voice, engage the audience and use eye contact, especially if you want to prove a point.

 

[eliseliselise]

Wait, Kochie is a good speaker?
He bores me to death.

But essentially, a good speaker embodies what Elise just mentioned above.

And in addition to what she said, I wouldn't recommend memorising your speeches. Otherwise-you-will-try-to-recall-and-you-will-end-up-speaking-so-fast-that-the-audience-will-not-hear-what-you're-saying-and-you-will-lose-marks-cause-the-teacher-won't-either.

kak!! yes! also dont make the speech too long... coz you know what happens then. it will be a horrendous situation where the continuous bell is ring-a-ling-ringing, you still have 3 palm cards [or paragraphs if ur using an A4 sheet] and your last sentence is absolutely genius. you accept defeat, are completely embarrassed/irritated because u didnt get to finish and can never sleep again. but most people have learnt this by now... -looks in mirror- from past traumatic experiences [nowhere near as demoralising as the one aforementioned, i can still sleep... sometimes]

depending on how long the speech is....... i dont think its that hard to remember 3 minutes or so, just have a few prompters on ur A4 sheet and improvise if worse comes to worse!

my violin teacher always used to tell me that performances/speeches are just a chance to show off and to flaunt the skills etc that you obviously have lyounamu!!

 

[lyounamu]

Wait, Kochie is a good speaker?
He bores me to death.

But essentially, a good speaker embodies what Elise just mentioned above.

And in addition to what she said, I wouldn't recommend memorising your speeches. Otherwise-you-will-try-to-recall-and-you-will-end-up-speaking-so-fast-that-the-audience-will-not-hear-what-you're-saying-and-you-will-lose-marks-cause-the-teacher-won't-either.

Thanks. What I am going to do is to memorise the speech and I am also going to get my transcript in just to be on a safety side. Mine is 5 minutes and I reckon I can memorise about 500-800 quite easily.

One guy who got 18 was a guy who did his speech just before a guy who got 20. He referred his speech to the guy who got 20 by saying something like "That's right Alex!....."

 

[beve]

What are the tips that you know in regards to speech task?

I have heard that I am going to get a speech task soon but I don't really know the topic yet. But that's not the point that matters at the moment.

I am talking about the performance in general. I am quite confident that I will write a quality one if I am given a 2-weeks notice. It is the speech performance that I cannot really prepare for.

Someone in my year in Extension 1 had a similar task got 20/20 and he was the only one who got that. His transcript of a speech would have been absolutely terrific but above all, his performance was breathtakingly amazing. He apparently had a music on. Would it be a good idea to do so? I am going to ask him how he did his speech but I would like to know whether it would be wise to do so or not.

I am also thinking of memorising a speech because palms are not apparently now allowed. (only thing allowed is a A4 page).

Any tips?

Okies. I debate, public speak and do EX1; so I should know what I'm on about here.. =)

Big words are not necessarily bad; but if you're going to use them, explain them. And when working to this time, don't make it so that you're speaking a hundred miles per hour; or you'll sound like somebody's pressed your fast forward button. Doesn't translate to good marks.

Don't write too much; and time yourself extensively. This was my downfall in my first Extension 1 assessment; a 30 minute speech. I wrote far too much for it and paniced because I didn't have enough time to fully talk about all that I had written.

Practice! Speak to a mirror, your parents, or if they will tolerate it; your friends. The more time you spend on practice, the more comfortable you will be when it comes to speaking it to an audience. Learn it to a point where you only have to glance at your palm cards to go on to your next point.

Edit: no palm cards? That's bullshit. Don't use your sheet too much. Look to the audience, lots. If that makes you feel uneasy, look over thier heads.

Hope that helps. Also; timing is everything - you'll be given a time-frame to work towards so work to it. If it's 7 minutes; as my last english speech was, work to about 6:30 - 7 minutes. Nothing more, nothing less.


Have fun!

Because English is soo much more fun than Math...

 

[kaz1]

Thanks for the tips people. I have a speech coming up as well.

 

[Muz4PM]

Thanks for the tips people. I have a speech coming up as well.

Yep, so do I.

 

[lyounamu]

I don't see why palm cards aren't allowed, but an A4 page is??

Eye contact, audience response, change in tone of voice, projected voice, relative gestures, passionate enthusiasm, well researched subject matter, personal opinions, etc are what teachers are looking for.

No hands in pockets, no shuffling, no twitching, no staring at the floor.

You'll do fine.

edit: also be careful not to be over/under time. You're losing easy marks.

They didn't want us to read off the palm cards, assuming that it won't be an effective way to deliver a speech. Reading an A4 page is a more of a challenge than reading off the palm cards, making the task more difficult.

By the way, thanks for the tips.

How should I start my speech anyway if the speech is based on a book? Should I start with a brief note on the anecdote or should I make an allusion to the text?

 

[eliseliselise]

...
Don't write too much; and time yourself extensively. This was my downfall in my first Extension 1 assessment; a 30 minute speech. I wrote far too much for it and panicked because I didn't have enough time to fully talk about all that I had written.

:jaw: extrapolate!! what the hell was that on!? a text from the past that has been appropriated to meet the needs of a modern day audience?? we had to take on the persona of dracula for our ee1 speaking, coz hes silenced in the book and everything... and it went for FOUR MINUTES. 30 minutes... wow... thats like an al gore length speech... you should have had some fancy powerpoint presentation and retarded leverage system thing to elevate you to the max point on the graph.... nvm..

Because English is soo much more fun than Math...

sometimes its about the same really. english+math=the most fun you can have sitting down, or standing up if you're presenting a speech...

 

[beve]

:jaw: extrapolate!! what the hell was that on!? a text from the past that has been appropriated to meet the needs of a modern day audience?? we had to take on the persona of dracula for our ee1 speaking, coz hes silenced in the book and everything... and it went for FOUR MINUTES. 30 minutes... wow... thats like an al gore length speech... you should have had some fancy powerpoint presentation and retarded leverage system thing to elevate you to the max point on the graph.... nvm..

[/font]

sometimes its about the same really. english+math=the most fun you can have sitting down, or standing up if you're presenting a speech...

Appropriations of Le Morte d'Arthur; the epitome of the "quest text" It included video (5-10 minutes, talk about as it rolls); but it sucked.

Oh well, at least we aren't writing Fidel Castro's speeches >_>

Oh and I know what you're talking about; An Inconvenient Truth. I can think of way more interesting applications for a powerpoint-lift thing.. But It kinda coincides with the kind of ads you see on SBS after 10pm on Friday nights...

"do you REALLY want to take off...?"

>_>
<_<

 

[jazzbaby]

its good to have a prop, but dont choose something that will divert your audience's attention away from you.
for a speech to be good you have to ENGAGE the audience
and wtf no palm cards? at our school you HAVE to have palm cards, no a4 page allowed or we lose marks.

 

[kezzaonline]

Personally I avoid public speaking as much as I can...

But as you all know it is inevitable that it at least has to occur once a year for English...

So i write out my english speech, have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about (this happens a lot...when I read over my stuff is just like .... but since have improved...i think) and nerves are wracking up...

Sound REALLY confident you know what your talking about, practice appropriate facial expressions and record yourself and listen to how you speak...

Do you need to slow down?
Do you need to express this a bit harder?

Personally I think it's a lot easier if I volunteer, and go on the first day speeches start, because that way, my confidence doesn't drop when I hear some other breath-taking speeches....

Many people have said I've improved by heaps in speeches...
My tip? Just sound absolutely 110% confident in what you're saying...sound like an expert *nods*

 

[-tal-]

Hmm more than anything, KNOW THE CONTENT. Know it backwards, forwards, upside down, downside up... yeah you got the point, but try not to be a robot. Know it, not memorise it. Formulate the ideas in colloquial language, then do very minor word swapping to make it slightly formal.

Speak slowly, with medium level language difficulty, eg shows instead of implies

Use high modality, be sure of what you're talking about, nobody likes listening to a half-baked argument/speaker/opinion.

Don't cram in too much content, get 3-4 really good main points in and have a relatively short speech (ie about 15s over time), rather than 6 incredibly detailed ones (and be 45s over time)

Drink coke before the speech; or anything with lots of sugar/caffeine

Stand with your back up, no slouching. Or maybe lean forward very, very slightly. I've found that the more sucessful speakers have very good body language, they show strength in the way they present themselves. And people tend to gravitate to the speakers who seem strong and sure of themselves. Oh, and definitely no leaning to one side, putting feet together, shifting your weight to one leg. It shows that you're unsure and need "support" or security in what you're doing; the last thing you'd want to do when you're trying to grab attention. On a similar note, do NOT have the paper in front of you too much.

Don't practice the hand gestures. Let them come naturally whilst you're expanding on a main point.

And if you're nervous? Get yourself to a mirror, and start swearing/telling yourself off for a being a crappy ball-less piece of ****. Works every time...

 

[jmp08077]

hmmm, memorising the speech always comes in handy =)
well, you have no choice here atm lol.

we did a similar thing in term4. no palm cards. forgot my lines in the middle. but i knew what i was talking about, so i just blabbed on. lol. still got full marks~ (yet to lose a mark in a speech! woot!)

but i have feeling that 3unit speech will let me down...

and how did i managed to get full marks for all of my speeches with my bad korean accent and lack of english skills? There's this thing called, element of SURPRISE!
surprise the audience at all cost.
i dont mean randomly shout at them.
i mean having something, different. Something that'll make the teacher go 'oh! he really thought about this didnt he?'

like for my journey's speech. I drilled a hole in the visual rep, and had a road going through it, and on the other side was the destination. the hole represented the 'dip' one experiences during a physical, when one wants to give up and go back and blah blah and the other side shows that how if you overcome these obstacles, you will achieve your goal =)

or you can just become a brilliant speaker. XD with passion, execution and whatever's necessary.

Im not really like that. beside the passion part. so ill stick to my method XD

 

[brisee]

try sitting through 15 8 minute speeches where everyone speaks on "life is what you make it" and they all have monotones...

Oh, funny. I won a speaking competition with one of them. Terrible, terrible speech. Other than that, all good advice, I guess. I tanked on a massive Ancient presentation last term. Warning: don't get cocky and not actually write a speech.

Ooh, and for in-class presentations, don't get too caught up in trying to arouse the audience. In other words, don't place all your confidence in a sleepy, bored and uninterested bunch of teenagers because they're never going to give you the response or the reactions you want on a Friday afternoon. Be engaging enough so that the teacher can actually listen to your material easily and tick all the boxes. That's all that really matters.

Julz.

 

[grundo]

I have a question - if you go over time (say by less than 10 seconds) how many marks would you expect to lose? (considering its a 20 mark task).

I did an Advanced speech last term and they stopped me while i was halfway through my last line (at exactly 5 mins because it was a 4-5 min speech) . I think it was pretty obvious I was almost done, but how many marks do you think I'd lose because of that alone?

 

[bored of sc]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Step 3: Delivering Your Speech[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]3.1 Scripts, Notes or Memory?[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
It's now time to prepare to deliver your speech. If you are nervous or inexperienced, you will probably want to choose to read your speech from a script or from notes. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]3.1.1 Reading From a Script[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Reading your entire speech from a script may give you confidence and ensure that nothing is forgotten or omitted, however it is the least desirable option for delivering your speech. You will find it more difficult to see your audience, and make it harder for them to get involved to you. When reading from a script it is extremely difficult to deliver your speech to your audience, rather than just read it aloud. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]3.1.2 Using Notes[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
If you are not confident enough to recited your speech from memory, then the use of notes is a much more desirable option than using a complete script. Your notes should consist of the keywords or points of your speech - a skeleton of thoughts or words around which you can build your speech. You may refer to your notes occasionally to maintain the thread of your speech, while for the most part of you will be able to speak directly to the audience. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]3.1.3 Reciting From Memory[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
You may prefer to recite from memory. However you should only do this if you are comfortable speaking publicly, and not prone to loss of concentration (or memory!). As with reading from a script, you should be careful not to lapse into a monotonous recitation of your speech. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]3.2 Speech Delivery Tips[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
- Make sure that your appearance is well presented
- Speak clearly, and adjust your voice so that everyone can hear you. Don't shout for the sake of being loud
- It is common to speak rapidly when nervous, try to take your time speaking
- Effectively used, a pause in your speech can be used to emphasise a point, or to allow the audience to react to a fact, anecdote or joke
- Make eye contact with your audience. This helps to build trust and a relationship between the speaker and the listeners
- Do not fidget or make other nervous gestures with your hands. - Do not keep your hands in your pockets. Do use hand gestures effectively
- Be yourself, allow your own personality to come across in your speech[/FONT]


http://www.speechtips.com/delivering.html#3.2