This workshop-style course will teach many different types of public speaking. What the learners might not realize, in the beginning, is that public speaking is a leadership role. As public speaking skills are being mastered, leadership skills are also being developed. In this workshop style course, there will be new learners joining in at various points in time. The more senior members of the workshop will be encouraged, with teacher guidance, to mentor the newer members of the program. Speaking and leadership go hand-in-hand. 

The learners in this workshop will be exposed to different formats of public speaking including persuasive, informative and entertaining speeches, PowerPoint presentations, interview questions, impromptu speaking, making introductions, conducting business (such as ordering at a restaurant, making a purchase, or speaking to a help desk person), making conversation, telling stories, and telling effective jokes. They will even learn how to argue respectfully.

They will learn specific speaking techniques such as vocal variety, body language, gestures, eye contact, pacing, and format.

They will learn structural elements of a speech including the three-act structure, story arc, character development, conflict, dialogue, logic, and word choice.

They will learn how to engage with the audience to make themselves liked, how to work with the audience to get the reaction that they want, and how to handle inevitable public speaking disasters with grace. Grace under pressure is the key to mastering the art of public speaking.

This class is taught workshop style. Everyone in each workshop session will have plenty of opportunity to speak, to offer positive and supportive feedback to each other, and to do it again and again and again. My role as the teacher is to provide instruction and direction and then get out of the way so the learners can practice their speaking. Of course, I will intervene when necessary, and at the end of every workshop I will offer my own positive and supportive feedback so that everyone can be well prepared for the next workshop session.

There is no required level of experience for this workshop. All experience levels can and should participate together. The more advanced speakers will develop leadership skills as they serve as mentors to the newer members of the workshop.  These new members will, in time, become mentors themselves to newer members. Public speaking is not a skill that you learn once, it’s a skill that you practice over and over and over. If you stop practicing, you will grow rusty. Even experienced, professional public speakers attend regular workshop sessions to practice their skills. Experienced learners need to practice speaking just as much as beginners do.

New enrollees to the workshop will be mentored with positive and supportive encouragement. Seasoned speakers remember how nerve-wracking those first public speaking experiences were. The experienced learners will be taught how to mentor and guide the new learners to public speaking excellence.

This course is designed to accommodate learners who are bringing in prepared presentations. Since there is no guarantee, week to week, that there will be any prepared speakers in attendance, I am always equipped with a large variety of public speaking exercises to engage the class. We might work on impromptu speaking, vocal variety, or comedy techniques. We might work on speech writing so that the next scheduled class will have some presentations scheduled. We might watch some videos of famous speeches and analyze the elements of those presentations. Whether or not we have any prepared speakers in attendance, the learners will always be engaged in public speaking activities.

The first few sessions of the workshop will look like this:

1. Week of Dec 11: INTRODUCTIONS.  The learners will discover the importance of effective introductions and the key elements that make up a compelling introduction.  We will  practice creating and delivering engaging introductions in class. This class session may be the learner’s first foray into public speaking. Congratulations – the hardest part of public speaking is the first time you speak. Now you know you can do it!

2. Week of Dec 18: HUMOR. The learners will discover how to incorporate humor into their public speaking. We will study some basic comedic techniques,  and we will learn the best practices for being funny. There’s an art to telling a great joke – we’ll practice it here! 

3. Week of Dec 25: STORYTELLING. The learners will discover the three key elements to any good story as well as the essential storytelling techniques needed to captivate an audience. We will apply these strategies to creating and sharing our own stories.

4. Week of Jan 1: PERSUASION. The learners will discover the key elements of persuasive speech, understand effective persuasion techniques, and practice delivering persuasive speeches on a topic of their choice.

Learners are encouraged to attend as many sessions in any given week as they would like.

I have taught this course many times, and I am always amazed at the fantastic level of public speaking, the impressive leadership skills, and the inspiring self confidence that my learners develop through their participation in this public speaking workshop.