How to Teach Public Speaking

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Make sure your students are as comfortable and relaxed as possible.

   You don't want them to start too far outside their comfort zone.
   
   Not too comfortable
   - we don't want anyone nodding off to sleep now! , For example, ask, "Why do you think you're afraid to speak in public?" or "What aspect of public speaking are you most nervous about?" Try to find out if their past experiences with speaking/performing in front of an audience have been generally positive or negative, and use their comments to target your teaching., Ask students to speak without preparation on a random given topic for at least one minute.
   
   This makes them think quickly on their feet and helps them get comfortable speaking without excessive preparation., Give them plenty of opportunity to practice and work on the specific areas you target for improvement., After a student gives a speech on an assigned topic, give an example of the same speech, making sure to use pauses, eye contact, gestures, and repetition appropriately.
   
   This helps students understand and reinforce good habits., If they get too comfortable with you and your class, expand the audience to make the speeches feel more authentically public.
2. 2

   Step 2: Ask some 'searching' questions to understand their fears.

3. 3

   Step 3: Give your students exercises that emphasize manner of speaking over content.

4. 4

   Step 4: Evaluate your students' performances

5. 5

   Step 5: offering tips and constructive criticism.

6. 6

   Step 6: Give positive examples to show good public speaking practices.

7. 7

   Step 7: Invite strangers to listen to your students speak.

Detailed Guide

About the Author