S3 English

Good Morning S3!  In today’s lesson, we will...  Learn good speaking skills.  Start to plan our individual talk.

Standard Grade Talk  1/3 of your total mark for the course comes from your talk grade.  There is no external exam – you are graded by your teacher.  At credit level you are expected to give a talk of ‘considerable length’ which is made up of ideas of ‘quality, relevance and distinction’.

Standard Grade Talk  The topic for your talk will be your own choice.  Some suggestions..  My favourite pastime.  An interesting memory.  The best holiday I’ve been on

Talk  Good Openings  Look at the two examples below – which is more effective?  “Doctors, nurses, patients... As you’ve probably guessed I spent my work experience week in a hospital.”  “I’m going to talk about my week’s work experience. I spent my time at a hospital.”

Talk  Humour and anecdote  One of the easiest ways to win over your audience is to give them something to laugh at.  An anecdote is an amusing story, often one we tell about, or against, ourselves.  For example...

Which is more effective?  “I’m going to talk to you today about the first time I went away without my parents. I was just ten when I went away to Cub camp.”  “I’ve never forgotten my first Cub camp. It started pretty badly. I had just managed to prise my weeping mother off me at the Scout hut door. I was on my way to join my Irn Bru crazed wee pals when she appeared again. To my horror she was waving the teddy bear I had had since birth and yelling at full pitch, ‘Darling you forgot Mr Snuggly and I know you never go to bed without him!’”

Talk  Exaggeration  If you tell a good anecdote more than once, you tend to exaggerate details to entertain your audience.  For example..  “He absolutely reeked of cheap lager. Once or twice he even waved the can at me. He kept talking to me. I was glad to get off the bus.”

Talk  “He totally stank. The lager fumes were coming off him in waves. Then it got worse, he waved the can at me and said, ‘Come on hen, you’ll take a wee drink.’”  “The smell coming off him was phenomenal. I promise you, I could see the lager fumes hanging in the air between us. I practically had to flatten myself against the window to get away from him, but he still wouldn’t leave me alone. Then he actually held the can up to my lips and slurred out, ‘Come on darlin’ have a drink on me.’ I couldn’t help it – I had to take a sip!”

Talk  Rhetorical Questions  A rhetorical question is one where the speaker does not expect anyone to answer, but the audience understands this.  This makes the audience feel involved – they’re not just listening to your talk, they are involved in it.  For example...  “I’m sure some of you would feel sick if you had to watch an operation.” becomes....  “How would you feel if you had to watch a surgeon doing an operation?”

Talk  Emotive Language  Emotive words are strong ones that rouse the listeners’ emotions.  Some emotive language aims to cause negative emotions, such as anger or disgust; disgusting, appalling, vile, shocking, dreadful.  Some emotive language aims to cause more positive emotions; fantastic, amazing, fabulous, marvellous, wonderful.

Talk  Good Endings  The very final words of your talk should make it clear you are finished. You can use phrases like;  “Thank you for listening”  “Does anyone have any questions?”  “I hope you enjoyed hearing about...”

Talk  Using notes  You should ‘make appropriate use of eye contact...good use of facial expression and gesture.’  Look at everyone in the audience – don’t focus on one person.  Try not to fidget!  You must not read your talk.  Use notes to support yourself – but keep them short!

Talk  Using props  Holding a prop gives you something to do with your hands – this is a good way of disguising your nerves.  Props are interesting to the audience and makes your talk more engaging.  Props may remind you of key things you want to say.

Talk  Powerpoint  If you wish, you may use a powerpoint presentation to accompany your talk.  They are ideal for showing pictures or images to illustrate your talk.  The less words on screen the better – you should NOT simply read from the screen.  Only use this if completely confident!

Talk – some final tips..  Engage your audience!  Show them something/pass round a prop.  Ask them questions – rhetorical ones and ones you want an answer to.  Get them to raise their hands or vote on something you’re describing, eg. ‘Hands up who had a pet when they were young?’  Give them the opportunity to ask you questions at the end.  Get them to laugh.  Use language that includes them, eg. ‘I’m sure WE all have at some stage in OUR lives had to face something WE were really frightened of.’

Talk  Practice, Practice, Practice!  If you are well prepared and have practiced your talk, you have nothing to be nervous about.  Good luck!