Public speaking in primary schools

The Arts Unit of the NSW Department of Education coordinates a number of public speaking competitions and events.

This website is a resource for teachers who are teaching or coordinating public speaking in a NSW public school setting. Resources have been created with the intention of supporting teachers. All content should be considered as general advice only.

This resource is divided into 4 sections:

• Learn about public speaking

• Coordinating public speaking

• Teaching public speaking

• Frequently asked questions

This resource can be used in sequence or you can select the buttons or hyperlinks to go to the sections of interest to you.

You can give feedback about this resource on the Feedback page.

With any skill, the key to success is practice. It is important to allow your students plenty of opportunities to practise both prepared and impromptu speaking in class, prior to beginning a public speaking competition.

It is crucial to teach students how to prepare, write and present, both impromptu and prepared speeches. It is also important that students reflect on their own goals and successes throughout their public speaking journey. We recommend students have a small notebook they can use to write notes in and refer back to.

Hint: You can use the activities on this website as a guide for helping students learn strategies and develop their skills. The Arts Unit have developed a series of lessons that you can use to support student learning. These can be completed in order, or as needed, based on the needs of your students.