Speech and Debate 101 - Becoming a Master Communicator, Part 1
What's included
8 live meetings
10 in-class hoursClass Experience
"Communications" primarily involves four skills: writing, reading, speaking, and listening. Students get lots of training in school with reading and writing. And they should - they are critical communications skills. And yet, kids often get very little training in speaking or listening. Despite the fact that studies show that up to 75% of all our communications in our life will be speaking and listening. This class is limited to six maximum students in order to give a lot of attention to each student. The class is intended to begin and/or enhance the students’ speech and debate skills so that they can later have a better chance for success in life. Sessions 1 & 2: Students will learn how to become a better public speaker and “debater” – and the importance of preparing .. listening .. thinking .. speaking. After getting feedback from the students about what they think public speaking and debate is and what makes a good speaker/debater, they will learn the key concepts of what it takes to become a great speaker. Students will learn how to decide what to say, how to say it, the importance of listening, and they will know they need to develop discipline to be consistent. We will then go through each key concept and have them practice to get better at that concept. The practice sessions will be both fun and engaging, while also seriously helping them better understand what speech and debate is all about. Sessions 3: Students will learn the key elements required in developing a speech for public speaking. Students will be given exercises to apply what they learn in class and then each student will be asked to quickly organize a speech on an index card and then give a short impromptu speech, based on the instruction they learned in this session. Students will then learn what it takes to write an excellent introduction to a speech. Session 4: Students will each deliver a short speech and receive constructive feedback. We will highlight the key elements and determine how well they applied them - individually and as a group. Students will then learn what it takes to have a very strong body substance of a speech that can be followed easily by the listener and have a major impact on their thinking based on the student's message. Session 5: Students will each deliver a speech and receive constructive feedback. We will highlight the key elements and determine how well they applied them - individually and as a group. We will watch an example of a student giving a speech with all the elements we have discussed. We will then have a discussion session to ensure the students feel confident they know how to best structure a speech in the future (structuring the speech in their mind or on paper). Session 6: We will discuss debate, with the focus on all of the major differences between debate and giving an informative or persuasive speech. Students will engage in a simple debate with very little preparation - taking one side of an issue. Session 7: Today's discussion will engage in one final debate and focus on the importance of listening and how to listen effectively. Students will engage in a debate, with the preparation they made since the prior Session 6 (when they were assigned the debate topic). Session 8: Students will present one final speech. Then we will wrap up the eight-week session discussing each of the specific learning goals, plus each student will assess if they have improved their speaking skills and if they have a passion to continue speech and debate training (for example, my future class: Speech and Debate 202 - Becoming a Master Communicator, Part 2). Note to parents: this class is primarily designed for students with little or no experience in speaking or formalized debate. It includes material in my 1-day and 3-day Outschool classes: “Introduction to Speech and Debate, Speaking Clearly, Speech 101, and Debate 101.“ During the eight weeks, students receive six weeks of speech training and two weeks of debate speech training.
Learning Goals
Overall Learning Goal: Improve Speaking Skills, Have Fun and Develop Passion!
Specific learning goals are:
- Understand What It Takes to Give A Great Speech
- Understand How to Put Together A Great Speech
- Understand How to Structure an Effective Introduction and Content to Make a Great Speech
- Practice Construction and Delivery of Speeches - with constructive feedback on what to do to give an even better speech
- How to effectively prepare for an argument/debate.
- How to speak effectively during an argument/debate.
- How to listen and take notes effectively during an argument/debate.
- Practice Debates - with constructive feedback
Other Details
Supply List
Students should bring paper and a pen/pencil. Also, 3x5 or 4x6 index cards! They should also bring index cards to all classes if possible, starting with the first session. They are welcome to have a separate tablet or computer with their research, but it is not required. In-between sessions, they will want to utilize a computer to research information for their upcoming speech or debate.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Teacher expertise and credentials
Hi, my name is David (aka Coach David Anthony). I am a Certified Teacher with a Masters Degree from Stanford University and an Honors Bachelors Degree from the University of Southern California.
I am excited to join your Outschooler on a journey to understand and work towards excellence in speaking, debating, and/or business life skills for success. I love to share my knowledge, experience, and passion here at Outschool by teaching 15-20 speech and debate classes every week. For a few students looking to improve so much that they can successfully compete in speech or debate tournaments, I also tutor them one-on-one.
My goal for Outschool student learners is to first inform them so that they become aware of the key subject matter, then do activities and exercises to boost their excitement and potential and help them understand what it takes to achieve their class goals. Along the way, I give direction and encouragement so that they can understand, perform, and develop passion about their abilities to excel in the subjects that I teach.
What can you expect in my classes? My classes are designed to bring out the best in student learners – to help them understand the key concepts and then engage with them so that they can improve their skills with confidence. We will have fun and yet learn how to excel at the same time! I have lived my life trying to be the best that I can be and I love helping students become the best that they can be!
I have significant education and experience in the subjects that I teach here at Outschool. In addition to teaching here at Outschool, I am an online Teacher for students learning Speech, Debate, English, and Reading. I also Tutor students one-on-one online in these subjects. I was the lead advisor for the Corona High School Speech & Debate Club in Southern California. I have a Masters degree from Stanford University (MBA Business) and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California (BA, Economics and International Political Science with a specialization of China and East Asia). I graduated with Honors in the top 2% of my college class in scholarship, leadership and service. I was a member of the U.S.C. Debate Squad; our speech team was ranked #1 in the nation out of all colleges in the country. I was in a total of 15 musicals/plays during school, winning my school's "Benny Award" for the overall Best Actor. I was a Coach member of The National Speech and Debate Association, the organization that provides the infrastructure and resources for speech and debate competitions around the world.
I had a very successful business career, have spoke publicly to groups of 10-100+ people hundreds of times, have visited 32 different countries (lived in four countries), have over 12 years experience teaching kids in High School and Middle School, and enjoy my life here in southern California with my wife and daughter (she is now in high school). Now I am helping learners here at Outschool achieve their potential with passion and perseverance (the two qualities so critical for life success).
Please join me and let's begin a new adventure together!
Reviews
Live Group Class
$148
for 8 classes1x per week, 8 weeks
75 min
Completed by 138 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 10-14
5-6 learners per class
This class is no longer offered
Financial Assistance
Tutoring
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