Speak Up Early: Why learning public-speaking gives kids an edge

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In the fifth grade, I won the class spelling bee, but I didn’t want to represent my grade in the school spelling bee. Why? Because the thought of speaking in front of an audience made me want to hide under the bed. Fast forward to high school, where I slowly and painfully made it through a speech on astrology (we had to choose a topic on the supernatural). Although I always aced the writing assignments, I knew that my speaking skills needed a lot of work. So, it was a surprise when, later in life I ended up becoming a corporate trainer, speaking in front of hundreds of people in a variety of companies.

However, the path wasn’t easy, and looking back, I really wish I’d learned public speaking earlier.

And I know I’m not the only one. I’ve heard many people say the same thing. Public-speaking is one of the most important skills, but many people grow up without much practice. Just like learning a new language is easier when you’re a kid, learning presentation skills early instead of waiting until adulthood can make a huge difference.

Why should kids learn speaking skills?  

1)     Build confidence: Helps you stand up for yourself

2)     Get People to Listen: Explain an idea in a way that grabs people’s attention.  

3)     Win arguments: Create smart and well-crafted explanations for your views.

4)     Build Empathy: Understand what your audience finds interesting so that you can better connect with them.

5)     Be Creative: Come up with new, fun ways to get your point across and engage the audience.

6)     Develop Research Skills: Practice digging into the facts and details of a topic to get your point across.

7)     Connect with People. In the age of technology and social media, it helps you get more comfortable communicating face-to-face.

8)     Future Work: Be prepared for interviews or to sell your ideas if you start your own business.

Sure, more schools are requiring kids to learn how to give presentations earlier, but it’s rare that a kid will want to work on public-speaking skills for fun. I know that I didn’t! I always preferred a good story over a dry textbook.

That’s why I came up with an entertaining story to teach kids the basic principles of being a successful speaker using the 5 P’s of Presentations.

1) Point

2) Prepare

3) Practice

4) Play

5) Present

About Super Speaker – Coming Soon!

Gia Dorsey is an outspoken, funny, and clumsy sixth-grader, otherwise known as Super She, a TV show superhero alias she gave herself to feel more confident – confidence she needs to save kids from bullies, give a speech, and do the scariest thing of all – start middle school.

It’s not me, it’s Super She, Gia thinks to herself after doing outlandish things such as speaking at a school assembly, pulling a prank in History class, and doing an impromptu cheer at a soccer game. After all, she’s willing to do anything to stop perfectly perfect Cora Dressler from stealing her best friend, Lance Garrett.

But Lance thinks that Cora can do no wrong and is even sure she’ll win the Speech Masters Contest. When Gia’s new friend, Annabelle Hale, enters this public-speaking contest, Gia is determined to help her win. She volunteers to coach Annabelle on the 5 P’s of Presentations and also starts a “little rumor” about Cora.

However, when the rumor spreads like wildfire and risks burning her friendships, Gia can’t rely on Super She’s superpowers. Instead, plain old Gia Dorsey must use her own powers.

This story captures middle school angst in a humorous way and shows that a superhero lives inside each person, but can only be discovered if she’s able to overcome fears and be her true self.

Public-speaking helps kids stand up to bullies

Photo by Mikhail Nilov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-group-of-children-laughing-at-a-boy-in-a-library-7929423/

Advantages of public-speaking for children include articulating their ideas more effectively, communicating with different audiences, and standing up for themselves.

How can public-speaking skills help a child deal with bullies. What’s the child supposed to do? Give a speech to the bully on why he or she should stop picking on others?

The biggest reason that developing public-speaking skills can help in this area actually doesn’t have to do with giving a speech.

Public-speaking is consistently ranked as the top fear for most people. Learning these skills at a young age before the fear has had a chance to become deeply ingrained is not only going to help the child perform better in the academic environment but is also going to help with social interaction. As children practice and improve their public-speaking skills, their confidence is also going to grow. They are going to find it easier to use their voices.

In this article, Can learning public-speaking help kids avoid ending up at the back of the line? — SHEILA NAZARI), I wrote that instead of first developing the confidence to learn public speaking, public-speaking should be viewed as a tool to help children develop confidence as they grow. School is basically a group setting, so an introvert, may view themselves as always doing some form of “public-speaking.” I wrote about how learning public-speaking skills at a young age would have made it easier for me to speak up to my peers in school settings where I wanted to say something but was afraid to use my voice.  

Public-speaking can help children develop confidence in themselves and their communication skills so that they can use their voice when needed.

When I was in the third grade, there was a girl who would ask to borrow my markers and then she would keep one for herself. This continued until I was down to half of the markers I had started with. I didn’t want to make a scene and tell her to give them back to me because I didn’t have the confidence to confront her and I was afraid of being overheard by others in the class. If I had developed my public-speaking skills by that age, I would’ve been more likely to speak up. I also wish that I had been able to use my voice to defend others who were being picked on.

For this reason, I felt called upon to write the book, Super Speaker, which teaches public-speaking via an entertaining fiction story through the eyes of Gia, a girl struggling to deal with the changes that come with starting middle school. In addition to the themes of public-speaking and friendship, there is also an anti-bullying theme. Gia, the main character, develops her speaking skills and uses her voice to stand up for kids who are being bullied. She is a multi-faceted character who turns into a bit of a bully herself in order to fit in and has to learn how to become herself and use her voice to help others. Practical public-speaking tips are intertwined into the story using my exclusive 5 P’s of Presentation model.

Read and review for free for a limited time: https://booksirens.com/book/RWUFPGK/MC2KOKF

Print version will be available soon!

Amazon.com: Super Speaker eBook : Nazari, Sheila, DKC, Adrian: Kindle Store

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AI causes public-speaking skills to be more valuable than ever.

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There is a lot of fear and excitement around the progress of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. There is also speculation around what jobs are going to be available in the future. With change happening so quickly, it’s difficult to predict what the nature of jobs will be in the next five years, much less in the next decade. Parents and teachers are just as confused as anyone about what the future will hold and what skills children should be learning to be successful.

However, AI cannot replace people when it comes to true human authentic expression and connection.

With these changes in technology, it is more important than ever for children to start learning communication skills, including public-speaking, as early as possible. Public-speaking is one of the most important skills that people can learn to express themselves effectively.

I have worked with countless individuals who have told me that they never learned public-speaking until high school or college. As an introvert, I struggled to speak up in class and didn’t know how to plan and deliver an effective speech. As I started interviewing for jobs, I scrambled to learn how to effectively communicate my knowledge and experience, but it wasn’t until I was breaking into the world  of corporate training, that I fully immersed myself in learning public-speaking. There were a lot of bad habits and fears that I had to overcome.

I wondered why this information hadn’t been taught earlier, especially since children are more likely to communicate authentically. Waiting to learn public-speaking just gives the fear a chance to grow.

If I had been a great public-speaker from the time I was young, I wouldn’t have turned into such an advocate for children learning public-speaking. Finding my voice and being able to express myself confidently has helped me in employment and in my personal life more than any other skill.

After years of experience, I came up with a simple five-step method for public-speaking, and I noticed that there were few resources aimed at children to learn public speaking, so I adapted the method to fit their needs.

Many times, public-speaking is taught to kids by adults in a format that was designed for adults.

Telling children that they should learn something because it’s important from an adult perspective isn’t the most effective teaching method. Over thousands of years, stories have proven to be an effective teaching method, especially for children.

In the book, Super Speaker, the protagonist is a sixth-grader who takes on the identify of her favorite superhero to navigate middle school and learn public-speaking. Since the story is told from the perspective of an eleven-year old, it demonstrates why it is important to learn this skill from the perspective of her age group versus from the perspective of an adult. The five-step method is incorporated into the storyline and adds to the plot of a sixth-grader who struggles with the normal aspects of starting middle school including friendships, fitting in, and adjusting to changes. Other themes include friendship, kindness, self-worth, and standing up for yourself and others.

Pre-order Super Speaker on Amazon now! https://rb.gy/eo5fm

Can learning public-speaking help kids avoid ending up at the back of the line?

What is back-of-the-line syndrome?

I know about this syndrome very well as I was afflicted by it. The earliest I remember experiencing it was when I was around seven years old. At school, we had to line up whenever we were leaving the classroom as a group to go to the cafeteria, the library, recess, on a field trip, or to the auditorium. We would also line up during snack time or to pick art supplies or to choose the book we wanted to use for our country report.

At that time, other kids would ask for “frontsies,” which meant that you agreed to allow them to cut in front of you in line or “backsies,” which were a little more controversial as they allowed you to go behind them in line, therefore cutting in front of the person behind you. I never asked for either one, but I was always asked, because kids knew that I wouldn’t say no. So that is how I always ended up in the back of the line.

The interesting part was that, outside of school, I was a somewhat confident kid who didn’t have a problem standing up for herself at home. I was the oldest of three and didn’t have a problem telling my brother or sister what to do. School was a different story. I was an introvert and didn’t like to use my voice in group scenarios to stand up for myself, even if meant just telling someone “no” in regards to going in front of me in line.

Why should kids learn public speaking?

As an introvert, I could be myself with those who were close to me in one-on-one or small group settings, but I was incredibly closed-off and quiet in large groups. Basically, going to school was like constantly being in one large group setting.

We would have to speak in front of the class occasionally to discuss our book reports or to present an art project or read from a text book. However, we never learned any tactics or strategies for speaking in front of the class, so I would try to rush through the experience to get it over with as quickly as possible. These brief speaking experiences did nothing to help me mitigate my fears over time or help me become a better speaker. We didn’t discuss tactics or the process or tips for speaking in front of the class. And I didn’t show any improvement.

I didn’t formally learn public-speaking until I was in high school and it was much more difficult to break my bad habits or overcome my fear at that time.

Instead of first developing the confidence to learn public speaking, public-speaking should be viewed as a tool to help children develop confidence as they grow. It’s best to begin early, before it becomes viewed as a big, scary thing. Plus, the earlier that children learn public-speaking, the earlier they can start standing up for themselves in group settings, and hopefully avoid becoming afflicted with back-of-the-line syndrome. If the syndrome has already developed, learning public-speaking can be a cure.

How will the book Super Speaker help kids with public speaking?

I wrote Super Speaker because I wished that I had been exposed to public-speaking at a younger age, because developing my presentation skills helped me gain confidence and become a better communicator in many different arenas of life.

Instead of having the kids listen to an adult lecturing them about why they better learn public-speaking, they are treated to a story that elicits emotions and hopefully makes them want to continue reading. As they learn the steps, they are also exposed to the importance of public-speaking, but not as a skill that they’ll use someday somehow as an adult. Instead, they can see how they could use it in their current world along with practical steps that they can use.

Sure, I could’ve just written my framework for effective public speaking – the  5 P’s of Presentations and the descriptions - and have been done with it. However, that method would’ve been less likely to engage the reader at their level.

Stories elicit emotions and have been found to be instrumental in teaching. Children will be more likely to stay interested in learning information when it is presented in an entertaining manner. The book’s main characters are sixth-graders starting middle school and going through changes that are relevant to the audience.

Storytelling - overrated or overlooked teaching tool?

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

Storytelling has played a key role for humans for thousands of years. It doesn’t take money or resources to tell stories, yet it has helped build connections and relationships throughout history. Storytelling isn’t only a form of timeless entertainment but also an important and effective teaching tool that is often overlooked.

Many textbooks and lessons for children are written in a dry, formulaic manner. Children are curious and eager to learn. Although they are not born to think that school will be boring, the way that concepts and information are presented to them can cause them to lose interest and believe that the entire topic is boring.

Why is storytelling effective?

Stories don’t just engage the mind, but also aim to elicit emotions, and are helpful in teaching lessons.

In the book, How to Tell Stories to Children, authors Joseph Sarosy and Silke Rose West, illustrate why stories should be used as a vital part of teaching.

According to Rose West and Sarosy, one reason is that people are more likely to remember material from a story (2021). “Memory has as much to do with how information is taken in as how it is recalled. Attention plays a key role, telling the brain where and when to lay down tracks for the incoming information. As we all know, however, attention is a limited resource. Storytelling, along with its central characters, emotional gravity, unusual plot developments, and descriptive language, is one of the most powerful tools we have for gaining and retaining attention” (Rose West & Sarosy, 2021, p. 108).

Have you ever read the same line over and over again without paying attention and then not been able to recall what you just read a few minutes later?

We’ll remember information differently based on how we gain that information. The package that is used to deliver that information plays a key part in how much of it the learner engages with and retains.

Information presented in a dull way doesn’t have the same effect as information presented in an interesting way even though it’s the same information. Start with the end result or goal in mind – the student learns the information. Now, work backwards from there. How do I present this topic in a way that causes the audience to listen? Who is my audience? What is their knowledge level? What do they find interesting?

This method may seem time-consuming and it certainly takes more time than just regurgitating facts and statistics from a text book, but put it into the context of your goal. Your goal shouldn’t be to present the information. If that was your only goal, then obviously, reading the facts would be the fastest way to reach the goal.

Keep in mind that the goal is that the child learns the information. In that case, it is more efficient to use a story or an anecdote to present the information in an interesting way, because the extra time it takes upfront to come up with a creative package for the information will help shorten the time it takes for the learning to occur.

Fiction vs. Nonfiction  

“We did not choose books solely for their instructional value. I would even say we chose them mainly on the basis of the enthusiasm they were likely to arouse in the children – as opposed to in us, or in the school-district officials,” wrote Céline Alvarez, a bestselling researching and educator, in her book The Natural Laws of Children: Why Children Thrive When We Understand How Their Brains Are Wired (Alvarez, 2019, p. 186). She observed that the children were much more engaged when they were interested in the story.

Common Core standards required students to have nonfiction be a certain percentage of their reading instead of primarily reading fiction. Natalie Wexler, education journalist, points out in The Knowledge Gap that the argument in favor of this change toward nonfiction was that students would gain useful knowledge versus reading fiction, which didn’t teach anything. However, a challenge they ran into was that. without having relevant knowledge, the students struggled to examine or even understand the nonfiction texts. They were better able to understand fiction since it was based on familiar human behavior (Wexler, 2019).

Certainly, there are merits to reading fiction and nonfiction. Why not have both in the same text? An entertaining story that elicits enthusiasm and has educational value.

Using storytelling to teach public-speaking

I wrote Super Speaker because I wished that I had been exposed to public-speaking at a younger age, because developing my presentation skills helped me gain confidence and become a better communicator in many different arenas of life.

Sure, I could’ve just written my framework for effective public speaking – the  5 P’s of Presentations and the descriptions - and have been done with it. It would’ve taken me much less time and effort and it would take the reader much less time and effort as well. But there wouldn’t be any emotions involved. That method wouldn’t have portrayed public-speaking as interesting and would’ve been less likely to engage the reader at their level. The book’s main characters are sixth-graders starting middle school and going through changes that are relevant to the audience.

Instead of having the kids listen to an adult lecturing them about why they better learn public-speaking, they are treated to a story that elicits emotions and hopefully makes them want to continue reading. As they learn the steps, they are also exposed to the importance of public-speaking, but not as a skill that they’ll use someday somehow as an adult. Instead, they can see how they could use it in their current world along with practical steps that they can use.

Learning should be fun

Yes, seriously! By making learning interesting, the student is much more likely to engage with the content.

How do you make learning fun?

1. Stop taking yourself so seriously and don’t be afraid to try something new with the content. Take risks to determine what works.

2. Tell stories that tie into the lesson.

3. Make the lesson visually engaging.

4. Connect two seemingly disconnected ideas.

5. Draw ideas from engaging entertainment. Understand the entertainment that the age group consumes and tie that knowledge into your teaching.

Education + Design + Storytelling = Engaged Learner

Image by saralcassidy from Pixabay 

Coming Soon: Super Speaker

Super Speaker is a fictional story that teaches public-speaking to kids in a fun, engaging format.

Gia isn’t ready for all of the changes that come with starting middle school, but she feels more confident when she acts like Super SHE, a TV show superhero.

 It’s not me, it’s Super SHE, Gia thinks after speaking in front of her entire grade, pulling a prank on a teacher, and doing an impromptu cheer at a soccer game. After all, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to stop perfectly perfect Cora from stealing her best friend, Lance.

Lance is spending more time with Cora and is sure that she will win the Speech Masters contest. When Gia’s new friend, Annabelle, is forced to enter the contest, Gia knows that she must help her win, so she volunteers to coach Annabelle on her speech. Plus, she starts a “little” rumor about Cora.

But when the rumor spreads like wildfire and risks burning her friendships and hurting people, Gia can’t rely on Super SHE. Instead, she must discover how to become her own superhero.  

BONUS: Learn how to become a Super Speaker. The 5 P’s of Presentations (real life tips to help you give a great speech) are incorporated into the story and summarized at the end.

The Language of Self-Belief: Calling Yourself a Writer

Photo by Mohammad Metri on Unsplash

What messages are you listening to? And are they helping you or hurting you when it comes to your perception of yourself as a writer?  

You may be holding yourself back from reaching your potential, not because you don’t have the skill or talent, but because you don’t have the self-belief.  

What you tell yourself, even subconsciously, can affect how you view yourself and how much work you’re willing to put in. Be aware of your language. Are you calling yourself a writer? Or are you saying you’re not a real writer? If your language constantly tells you that you don’t believe that you’re going to succeed, you’re not likely to take the necessary steps to get started. 

Do you believe that writing is a silly dream? Or is that the message you’ve heard from others so often that you’ve internalized it? 

It’s not uncommon for the people around us to view success in the arts as a pipedream that takes luck and connections. And if we hear this message enough, we may begin to believe it. It would be nice if the people we cared about were supportive of our dreams, but we don’t live in a perfect world, which is why we need to become our own biggest supporters.  

You don’t have control over what others say but you do have control over what you choose to listen to. Some people might feel as if they’re helping you avoid disappointment. Others might be jealous because they’ve put their own dreams on hold. Whatever the reason for their negative comments, you have the power to decide whether or not they’ll lead to self-doubt. Instead of taking those words to heart, use them to fuel your motivation to prove to yourself and others that you can accomplish your goal.  

If this is difficult for you, repeat these affirmations in the morning. Put emotion into your words. Be aware of your body language. Say each statement confidently. Repeat multiple times until you mean what you’re saying.  

I am a writer.  

I possess the skills and talent to accomplish my goals.  

I start and finish my writing projects with ease. 

Now that you believe you have what it takes, it’s time to get to work. Writing is not always fun and you won’t always be in the mood to put in the work but that book isn’t going to write itself. 

The truth is you won’t know what you’re capable of if you don’t try. Even if you believe that you were born with writing talent, it isn’t going to mean much if all you have is a blank screen. Being a writer means putting in the work. There’s no better time than the present to begin.  Waiting for the right time when all the stars are in alignment and you’re perfectly ready puts you in a consistent holding pattern and being in a “holding back” pattern is only going to hamper your chances of success. For tips on overcoming procrastination, check out this article.  

As you take action toward your goal, you’ll gain more confidence and have more evidence to challenge your self-limiting beliefs.  

So stop holding back and start proving to yourself that you’re capable of achieving your dreams. Because you are a real writer.