Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. —John Wooden

Important Things To Know  If a student is ABSENT from any class on the morning he/she is scheduled to present, he/she will not be allowed to present on that day.  The student will need to present and pass at Make-Up Boards on May 29th in order to meet requirements.  The student should arrive by 12:45 pm and must be present as an audience member for the entire afternoon from 1 p.m. until all scheduled presentations are finished.  Parents and Mentors are invited to attend presentations and will be ushered into the rooms between presentations.  Refreshments will be served in the cafeteria immediately following Boards.

Important Things To Know Cont.  Score has to average 27 points  Questions will be asked after your presentations  Questions do not count towards your 8-12 minutes  Dress must be professional  Reading your speech is an automatic fail  Presentations will be May 23 and 24

The Importance of Audience  Who will be at your presentation?  Judges and other audience members  How many people will be at your presentation?  Minimum of judges, timekeeper, student helper, and other seniors presenting in same room  What kinds of things will your audience be expecting to see / hear from you?  All things on the speech rubric  Emphasis on preparedness, learning stretch, and time

Preparing for Your Speech  Clarify your purpose  State in one sentence your topic and what you want to accomplish  Create a thesis statement  Restate your “I want” sentence into more developed form specific for audience  Information  Make sure your information is appropriate and up-to-date

Time Guidelines  Introduction (10% of your speech)  1-2 minutes  Body (80% of your speech)  6-9 minutes  2-3 minutes per main point (if you only have three)  Conclusion (including your “thank you’s”) (10% of your speech)  1-2 minutes

Writing Your Speech  Outline  Introduction  Body  Closing   Now, you try!  Add Sparkle  Supporting Materials  Definitions, Narration, Examples, Illustrations, Comparison and Contrast, Factual Data, Explanation, Description, Questions, Testimony  Visual Aids  Photographs, Models, Video Clips, Handouts, etc.  Plan these AFTER you make your speech

Organizing Your Speech  You MUST have an organizational pattern  Spatial  Topical  Chronological  Cause-Effect  Problem-Solution  You MUST provide transitions  First, Second, Third; In the first place, In the second place; For instance, For example, To illustrate; In addition to, Next, Likewise; In the same way, Just like this; In other words, To restate; etc.

Introductions  The minute you open your mouth, you’ve started  Opening designed to introduce thesis, but you must also “bait and hook” to grab your listeners’ attention  Focus on audience interest  Choose a quotation, brief story, or unusual statement  Must answer the question “Why should we listen to YOU?”  Involve the listener right away  Say “you” and speak specifically to them  Establish your credibility by sharing a bit of yourself  Tell why the subject is important to you, how you got interested, or why you think the topic relates to your listeners  Sounds, visuals, or cleverly focused words will pique your audience’s curiosity and involve them in subject  Now, you try!

Body  Figure out your main points  PROVE you actually did your project!!!  The history and terminology of golf doesn’t prove you actually learned how to play or improved your game  Your last main point should emphasize your self- discovery, explain the “learning stretch,” and reflect on project in terms of life skills and applicability

Body Outline Example  Main Point 1  Necessary background info., definitions, etc.  Main Point 2  Explanation of what you did  Be specific  Proof that you did it  Main Point 3  The self-discovery / learning stretch / reflection part  Make sure to include transitions between each  Now, you try!

Conclusions  Ending is the culmination of your speech  Your job is to tie your ideas together and focus on your purpose  Conclusion should do two major things  Summarize your thesis and main points  Focus on your purpose  Use a well-prepared closing to cement your purpose in your listeners’ minds  Now, you try!

Additional Resources to Help  Introductions   speech.html speech.html   Body of Speech    (Have to scroll down a bit to get to the good info. Starts at “Bottomline: you, the public speaker, tries to communicate ideas in a powerful way!”)  Conclusions   