In this six-week class students,13-18, will meet weekly to actively engage in public speaking while getting quick and easy tips on practicing tone and proper eye contact. I will give critiques in the classroom so students can get a proper understanding of what they should be doing to improve their communication. Students will also learn about incorporating body language while speaking. I will share a short PowerPoint on how to get your points across while speaking to an audience. I will model as well as demonstrate examples of effective communication, how to recover from a mistake to prevent "freezing up," and ways to keep the audience engaged. 

I will encourage each student to also interact in the classroom by posting weekly and to practice, practice, practice outside of class. Students will have the option to leave classroom videos. There will be weekly in-class discussions between students and the teacher through games, stories and a PowerPoint presented by the instructor. I will use modeling as well as a lecture format. This class is very interactive. This class is for all levels, and no prior experience is needed.

Week 1: Introductions. Class is going to begin with a short introduction to public speaking skills. This lecture will include suggestions on how to practice tone and body language. Students will be asked to introduce themselves and tell the class about any previous public speaking experiences and how they felt during them. I will have various exercises such as what to do if you make a mistake. We will practice recovery methods for speaking mistakes. 

Week 2: Speaking Games I. Students will play interactive speaking games. In one game, each student will be instructed to tell two truths and one lie. Their classmates will have to respond to answer which are the truths and which is a lie. The other games will be surprises. All materials will be provided by the teacher. 

Week 3: Speech. Students will prepare a short written passage in class to share with the class. Each student will get feedback from me on what they did well and what they may need to improve on. 

Week 4: Speaking Games 2. Students will play interactive games aimed at improving communication skills. No supplies needed. The teacher will provide material.

Week 5: Teambuilding. Students will be asked to participate in a group discussion with peers on the lessons that have been discussed the previous weeks. Students will practice tone and team up to make up a story together. The teacher will provide material.

Week 6: Endgame. We will have an end of session game party. The teacher will provide material. At the end of this session each student has the option of completing a video post and sending it to me so I can offer feedback.