Some people love to talk and some people can't think of anything worse than public speaking! Even though it can sometimes be scary, public speaking is a great opportunity because it gives you a chance to communicate your ideas, knowledge or opinions to a large group of people.

Discuss: why do you think it's important to learn how to speak in public?
Public speaking can help you develop lots of important skills! Can you guess what some of them are? Write down as many as you can think of.

A prepared speech

A prepared speech – as the name suggests – is a speech that you've had time to prepare for. This means that adjudicators (the judges) expect you to have strong, well thought-out ideas. They will also expect that your prepared speech will be better rehearsed as you've had time to practise.

When we discuss a speech (and when adjudicators judge a speech!) we look at something called the 3 Ms.

Let's dive more into this below!

The 3 Ms: matter, manner, method

What are the 3 Ms?

The 3 Ms are the 3 things we focus on when we judge or discuss a speech. They are:

Matter is what you say
Manner is how you say it
Method is the structure of a speech.

In public speaking, the most important element is matter. Matter matters most! However, it is also important to have good manner and matter if you want your speech to be really effective.

Let's take a closer look at each of the 3 Ms below.

Task

Watch each of the videos about matter, manner and method. Make sure to take notes as you watch.
Discuss and answer these questions after watching the videos:
- Which is the most important of the 3 Ms? Why?
- List 2-3 things you should do, and 2-3 things you shouldn't do in regards to manner.
- How should a speech be structured?
- How does the content (matter) of your speech influence your manner and method?
- List 2-3 points from the videos that you found interesting.

Matter

Duration: 01:17

Video full screen – Prepared speeches – Matter
Video transcript – Prepared speeches – Matter

Manner

Duration: 01:26

View video full screen – Prepared speeches – Manner
Video transcript – Prepared speeches – Manner

Method

Duration: 01:46

Video full screen – Prepared speeches – Method
Video transcript – Prepared speeches – Method

The impact of a speech

The general purpose of any speech is to communicate with the audience but there are a number of more specific purposes that make it an important skill to learn. Speakers may be trying to:

inform their audience about an important issue or event
persuade their audience to think differently about an issue, situation or person
inspire or motivate their audience during a difficult time
celebrate or honour another individual
show thanks for an award they have received
arouse sympathy for an issue they feel passionate about
sell an idea, principle or way of life.

1. Watch the following speeches.

As you watch, note down:

What is the context of the speech (where and what is happening)?
What is the specific purpose of the speech (why is the person giving this speech)?
What do you notice about the speaker’s delivery (their manner)?
How effective do you think the speech is in communicating the specific purpose to the audience?

Apology to Indigenous Australians 2008 – Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

Duration: 04:14

UN Climate Action Summit 2019 – Greta Thunberg’s address to world leaders

Duration: 05:19

Adam Goodes – Australian of the Year 2014 acceptance speech

Duration: 04:47

March for our lives Anti Gun Rally 2018 – Emma Gonzalez address

Duration: 07:03

Princess Diana’s Funeral 1997 – Earl Spencer’s eulogy

Duration: 08:38

2. Analyse the impact of the speeches.

All of the above speeches are quite different and the speakers themselves have their own distinct personalities. These speakers have all had a noticeable impact on their surrounding society.

Choose one speech from the above that had the most impact on you, personally. Respond to that speech by answering the following questions:

Did you find the topic interesting, or rather, was it the way the speaker made the topic interesting (i.e. the way they approached it)?
Did you feel you were challenged by the ideas of the speech?
Would you consider thinking differently about the issue presented?
How did the speaker respond to their audience?
How did the audience respond to the speaker?
Were there particular moments of interaction or engagement that you noticed?
Were there any common characteristics that you noticed among the speakers?

Reflecting on your strengths and goals

1. Watch and reflect on an example

Watch an example of a speech – Justin Lai speaking in the 2018 Plain English Speaking Awards state final. In this video, Justin watches his performance from 2018 then gives his past self feedback.
Discuss: What did you think was good in Justin's speech? What elements of his feedback did you find most interesting?

Justin Lai – Stop adjudicating yourself

Duration: 19:12

https://vimeo.com/424691529/44a773c038
Video transcript - Justin Lai - Stop Adjudicating yourself

2. Reflect on your own strengths and goals

Remember a time when you had to give a speech to an audience.

Write down:

The occasion at which you were asked to speak
The reason you had to give the speech
What the audience was doing during your speech.

Consider your own experience of delivering a speech.

What are your strengths; what do you do well or feel confident doing?
What would you like to improve upon?

2. Record and analyse yourself as a speaker

Prepare a speech on a topic of your choice. Record yourself presenting the speech (or ask someone else to record you), either at home or at school. Aim for a speech that's roughly 5-6 minutes long.

Next, watch the recording back and observe. Make sure you consider each of the 3 Ms:

Manner: how was your stance, voice projection, expression and gestures?
Matter: was it interesting, did it have an impact, was it engaging?
Method: was it easy to understand, did the speech flow and make sense?

Write down 3 things you think you did particularly well and 3 thing you'd like to focus on improving.

Congratulations!

You have completed this Digital @ The Arts Unit Creative Class

You are on your way to becoming a great public speaker!

To investigate public speaking in more detail and explore a range of skills building activities you might like to complete these creative classes:

Starting with prepared speeches