Your teacher may call them oral reports, but by any name, a speech is still a speech. Although it's common to be nervous or scared when talking in front of a group, it is not necessary. Learn how to improve your speaking skills, and you will benefit not only in school, but for the rest of your life.
Allen & Bacon publishes several college textbooks on public speaking, along with this companion website that weaves online resources into a five module mini-course. From Assessing your Situation, to Delivering Your Presentation, this is an excellent resource. Other worthwhile features are Ask the Speech Doctor ("Would you like some individual help with your speech?") and the downloadable PowerPoint presentations for teachers of public speaking classes
The Art of Public Speaking is another college textbook site, this one supplements the McGraw-Hill book by Stephen Lucas. Under the Resources heading, you'll find links to sites that supplement and relate to the textbook itself. Some of these are useful for those of us without the textbook (such as the history of public speaking, and career explorations) while others are not. The best clicks are the Guides to Public Speaking in the right-hand column, which include How to Give Your First Speech and Presentation Graphics.
PBS has created a timeline of ninety twentieth-century American speeches, set among relevant historical events. To view the full text of each speech in a pop-up window, click on the Speech tag. Some entries also include audio or video clips. The archive begins with Booker T. Washington's 1895 speech at The Cotton State Exposition in Atlanta, GA, and concludes with Elie Wiesel's 1999 speech at a White House symposium that marked the forty-fourth anniversary of the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp. Any of these great speeches is sure to inspire you, and provide ideas on how to develop your own speech.
"Feeling some nervousness before giving a speech is natural and healthy. It shows you care about doing well. But, too much nervousness can be detrimental. Here's how you can control your nervousness and make effective, memorable presentations." Everyone loves lists of ten, and these Toastmaster tips do not disappoint. The site also includes a searchable directory of Toastmasters clubs worldwide, with a guide to starting a new club at school, work or in your community.
This brief tutorial from the University of Kansas is excellent, but lacks sequential navigation. To get from one section to the next, use your browser's back button to return to the table of contents. Best bets include Supporting Your Points, where you'll learn about using statistics, humor, facts and narrative to defend your claim; and you can examine famous speeches that include good support, such as Lincoln's Gettysburg address, and King's I Have a Dream speech.
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or try a FREE trial of the Printables ClubThe following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
Effective PresentationsPresentation Tips for Public Speaking: Research Guide for Students | Public Speaking TipsSucceed in Public Speaking |
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