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Public Speaking & Debate Club - Beginners (Ages 13-16)

This weekly club builds confidence and critical thinking in public speaking and debate. Learners will practice constructive arguments, forming rebuttals, and using logic to defend their side. They will also do impromptu speaking each week!
Green Communications: My Speech & Debate Coach
Average rating:
4.6
Number of reviews:
(1,381)
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What's included

1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hours per week

Class Experience

US Grade 7 - 10
Beginner Level
Get $5 off your first class! Use code: GREENFRST5

Did you know that public speaking is the number one fear for most people? Yet it's a necessary skill in nearly every profession and a crucial part of life in general. 

In this class, learners will overcome that fear by consistently practicing their public speaking and debate skills. The class will start by giving the students a topic or prompt. They will then have 5 minutes to curate a speech (no research needed) and deliver it during the class. This is an impromptu speech. The more often they do this, the better they will get at being able to think on their feet and turn those thoughts into effective and compelling conversations and speeches. 

The second half of the class will be spent practicing beginner debate skills. Learners will be given the topic a week in advance so they can do some research and gather facts to support their opinion. 

Examples of debate topics:
🎙 Should be ban plastic bottled water?
🎙 Are zoos ethical?
🎙 Is homework beneficial?
 
This class is to introduce learners to speech writing and debate and is an open debate style.  Learners will all be given a chance to present their opening argument. Then we will go to the rebuttal round where they are encouraged to counter the opposition's arguments. A debate can't be won just by speaking, it's just as important to listen. We will encourage them to listen to the other side and think of ways to weaken their points.


Upcoming Topics:
Week starting 9/22/24: All kids should be required to do some type of extracurricular activity.
Week starting 9/29/24: School uniforms should be required.
Week starting 10/6/24: Billionaires should have to pay enough in taxes that they remain millionaires, not Billionaires.
Week starting 10/13/24: All students should be required to fulfill 150 community service hours per school year.
Week starting 10/20/24: How to run a business should be a required class in school.
Week starting 10/27/24: Halloween should be permanently moved to the last Saturday in October.
Week starting 11/3/24: Election days should be holidays where everyone gets time off of work.
Week starting 11/10/24: Coverage of men's and women's sports should be equally promoted and available.
Week starting 11/17/24: Violent video games make kids violent.
Week starting 11/24/24: We should replace teachers with computers.
Week starting 12/1/24: Bottled water should be banned.

Please note this is an ongoing class. Learners can start or stop anytime. We always give a brief overview at the start of class for new learners and send an intro video after enrollment so they know what to expect.  This is a subscription-based class, so you will be charged every Sunday to save your seat for the following week. You can stop the subscription at any time. 

All of our teachers have collegiate-level debate and coaching experience. Please see specific class time options for teacher info. 

Transfers can be accommodated with 24 hours notice. 

This class is backed by Outschool's Happiness Guarantee. If you aren't 100% satisfied, contact support@outschool.com for a full refund.
Learning Goals
public speaking
debate
learning goal

Other Details

External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
4.6
1381reviews
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Teacher expertise and credentials
Florida Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
Hilary Garcia, BA Elem. Ed, ESL Certified
Bachelor's Degree in History from University of Alberta
Ken Tieu
Bachelor's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Illinois State University
Garrett Young BA in Theater, TEFL
Bachelor's Degree in English from Drury University
Cassy Cochrun - BA, Professional Writing & Design
Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy from Purdue University
Ben Carson
Bachelor's Degree in English from Agnes Scott College
Anna Dodds
Bachelor's Degree from Western Kentucky Universityh
Bill Thompson BA Speech Communication
Bachelor's Degree in Education from Grand Canyon University.
Melissa Peterson B.ed. TEFL
Bachelor's Degree in History from Yale University
Marco Muñoz
Bachelor's Degree in International Relations from Yale University
Marco Muñoz
Bachelor's Degree from University of Edinburgh
Tia Speece
Bachelor's Degree from Marshall University
Elizabeth Green, BA, Broadcast Journalism
Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Government from University of Virginia
Arya Royal
Associate's Degree in Education from Eastern Wyoming College
Melissa Peterson B.ed. TEFL
Want to learn more about our teachers? You can check out their bios by copy-pasting this link into the URL or search bar of your web browser: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGKlIevCnY/7md-jtaS2k2CwW3sUL3oaA/view?utm_content=DAGKlIevCnY&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor

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Live Group Class
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$23

weekly
1x per week
55 min

Completed by 437 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-16
4-8 learners per class

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