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

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/girl-holding-black-dynamic-microphone-while-looking-above-236149/

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.

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.