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The benefits of public speaking
The benefits of public speaking
Public speaking and other speaking competitions can have many benefits.
Public speaking can:
help students develop and enhance their literacy skills
encourage research and organisational skills
improve critical thinking and encourage creativity
help students learn new skills and gain confidence speaking in front of others
develop language and vocabulary
provide students with opportunities for success
... and more!
Watch the video to discover more.
Benefits of speaking competitions
Duration: 03:39Types of speeches
Types of speeches
There are 2 types of speeches: prepared and impromptu. Let's examine each of these in more detail.
- Prepared speeches
Timing: Prepared speeches are generally expected to be longer (approximately 3 to 5 minutes for primary students).
Topics: Students may be given a central theme to base their speech around (for example: multiculturalism) or they may be encouraged to write a speech on a topic of their choosing.
Expectations: Teachers and adjudicators should expect prepared speeches to be more 'polished' and better rehearsed as students have had much more time to prepare. In competitions, adjudicators will consider the 3 Ms – matter, manner and method. We break down each of the 3 Ms below.
How to teach: Discover lessons and resources available on the Teaching public speaking page.
2. Impromptu speeches
2. Impromptu speeches
Timing: Impromptu speeches are expected to be much shorter (approximately 1 to 2 minutes).
Topics: For impromptu speeches, students are given a broad topic (for example: stronger together) to base their speech on.
It is important that students do not try to prepare a speech and make it 'fit' the topic. The rule of thumb is that if someone were listening to your speech, they would think the topic would be the perfect title for it.
Expectations: Adjudicators understand that these speeches won't be as 'polished'.
How to teach: Discover lessons and resources available on the Teaching public speaking page.
Prepared speeches
Prepared speeches
The 3 M's
The 3 Ms are a simple way of referring to the 3 elements we focus on when adjudicating a speech. They are:
Manner - what you say
Matter - how you say it
Method - the structure of a speech.
In public speaking, the most important element is matter. Matter matters most! This said, it is also important that students have good manner and method for their speech to be most effective. Let's take a closer look at each of the 3 Ms.
Manner
Manner
Manner is what you look and sound like when giving your speech. In other words, your mannerisms.
Manner refers to your:
voice (volume, clarity and tone),
body (stance, movement and gestures), and
face (expressions and eye contact).
Watch the video below to learn more about strong and poor manner.
Manner
Duration: 01:26Explore activities for teaching manner on the Teaching public speaking page.
Matter
Matter
Matter is what you say. In other words, it is the content of speech.
Matter matters the most! You can have fantastic manner and method, but if a speech is on a boring or nonsensical topic, it will not be a great speech.
Public speaking should always have a purpose, whether that be to entertain, persuade or inform. When you have a platform to speak uninterrupted in front of others, it should be valued and used wisely. Public speaking is a chance for students to express something they are passionate about – this is why matter matters most!
Learn more about what constitutes 'good' matter by watching this video.
Matter
Duration: 01:17Explore activities for teaching matter on the Teaching public speaking page.
Method
Method
Method refers to the structure or organisation of a speech. It is not dissimilar to the structure of a written text.
Depending on the purpose of the speech (to inform, persuade or entertain), the method will vary slightly. This said, all speeches should have a clear introduction, middle and conclusion.
In primary speeches, we'd expect students to have roughly 2-3 ideas in the middle section of their speech.
What the video below to learn more about effective method in speeches.
Method
Duration: 01:46Explore activities for teaching method on the Teaching public speaking page.
Impromptu speeches
Impromptu speeches
Students will only get a few (normally 5) minutes to prepare for an impromptu speech.
Impromptu speaking requires quick thinking and takes lots of practice. Whilst they are expected to be shorter than a prepared speech, they should still have an introduction, middle and conclusion.
Generally, all students will receive the same broad topic for their impromptu speech (for example: friends, changes, rewards).
What the video below to learn more.
Impromptu speeches
Duration: 01:49Explore activities for teaching impromptu speeches (including building confidence) on the Teaching public speaking page.
Examples of public speaking – finalists
Examples of public speaking – finalists
How should a primary speech look and sound? You may like to watch the following videos to get an idea!
2019 Years 3&4 Multicultural Perspectives Public Speaking Final
Duration: 1:08:322019 Years 5&6 Multicultural Perspectives Public Speaking Final
Duration: 1:36:39If you would like to see more speech examples, you can explore our full collection of speaking competition finals videos.
For more information on competitions, check out the Coordinating public speaking page of this resource.
Best practice for teaching public speaking
Best practice for teaching public speaking
Our 3 top tips for teaching public speaking:
A balanced focus
When teaching public speaking, it is important to spend equal time focusing on both prepared and impromptu speeches. In a public speaking competition, equal weighting is generally given to both the prepared and impromptu speeches so take time to learn and focus on each one.Explicit teaching and clear expectations
It is also important to explicitly teach students what constitutes a good speech and explain each of the 3 Ms. Students should have a clear understanding of what is expected of them, and what a good speech should look and sound like.Allow plenty of practice to build confidence
As with any skill, the key is practice. Public speaking can be a daunting activity for many students. There are strategies teachers can implement to scaffold the development of public speaking skills and foster a love of public speaking. Consider starting with small group work, encourage self-reflection and allow plenty of fun and low-stress opportunities for students to practise their speaking skills.
Teaching and learning activities
This resource includes plenty of fun and engaging public speaking activities for students! Take some time to explore these on the Teaching public speaking page.
Syllabus links
Syllabus links
Your public speaking program may meet some (or all) of the following English outcomes for Stages 2 and 3:
Stage 2
Stage 2
EN2-1A: Communicates in a range of informal and formal contexts by adopting a range of roles in group, classroom, school and community contexts.
EN2-2A: Plans, composes and reviews a range of texts that are more demanding in terms of topic, audience and language.
EN2-6B: Identifies the effect of purpose and audience on spoken texts, distinguishes between different forms of English and identifies organisational patterns and features.
EN2-10C: Thinks imaginatively, creatively and interpretively about information, ideas and texts when responding to and composing texts.
EN2-11D: Responds to and composes a range of texts that express viewpoints of the world similar to and different from their own.
EN2-12E: Recognises and uses an increasing range of strategies to reflect on their own and others’ learning.
Stage 3
Stage 3
EN3-1A: Communicates effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes using increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and language forms and features.
EN3-2A: Composes, edits and presents well-structured and coherent texts.
EN3-5B: Discusses how language is used to achieve a widening range of purposes for a widening range of audiences and contexts.
EN3-7C: Thinks imaginatively, creatively, interpretively and critically about information and ideas and identifies connections between texts when responding to and composing texts.
EN3-8D: Identifies and considers how different viewpoints of their world, including aspects of culture, are represented in texts.
EN3-9E: Recognises, reflects on and assesses their strengths as a learner.
Third-party content attributions
Third-party content attributions
English K-10 Syllabus, © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2016, copied under s113P, accessed 10 June 2021.
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