Are you the kind of person who loves to talk and share ideas, or does the idea of public speaking make you feel nervous? Do you want to improve your public speaking skills so you can actually feel confident when speaking to others? 

In this ongoing course, beginners will improve their public speaking skills through short speeches, friendly debates, practice opportunities, fun games, and more! Beginners will learn all about the acronym PVLEGS (poise, voice, life, eye contact, gestures, speed). Each week we will focus on one of these aspects of public speaking through a mini-lesson and practice through various exercises.  Beginners will be given their topics and time to create/present their short speeches or debates. After each speech/debate, we will reflect by giving glows (something we liked) and grows (something that can be improved). Both teacher and learners will provide feedback for students. 

CLASS STRUCTURE: 
1. Greetings and Icebreaker
2. Focused public speaking skill (see below) 
3. Public speaking practice through various activities 
4. Reflections 

PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS LEARNED IN CLASS:
🎤Poise (how to appear calm and confident, avoiding distracting behaviors)
🎤Voice (speaking clearly, using the right volume)
🎤Life (expressing passion and emotion with your voice)
🎤Eye Contact (maintaining good eye contact, looking at each audience member) 
🎤Gestures (how to use hand motions, moving your body, having an expressive face)
🎤Speed (talking with an appropriate speed, using pauses when necessary)

PUBLIC SPEAKING ACTIVITIES WE MAY DO IN CLASS:
🎤Fishbowl Speeches
🎤Socratic Seminar 
🎤Philosophical Chairs 
🎤Debate Games
🎤Finish the story
🎤Would you rather
🎤And more! 

This class runs in 6-week cycles. It is not necessary for students to attend these classes in order. I encourage learners to take this class more than one time to gain more experience and confidence! 

Here is an example of how we may approach each week: 
Week of 1/10 Focus: Poise
                      Activity: Fishbowl Speeches  
Week of 1/17 Focus: Voice / 
                      Activity: Connect the Dots 
Week of 1/24 Focus: Life 
                      Activity: Socratic Seminar 
Week of 1/31 Focus: Eye Contact 
                      Activity: Finish the story 
-----------------------------------------
Week of 2/7 Focus: Gestures 
                    Activity: Fishbowl Speeches  
Week of 2/14 Focus: Speed 
                    Activity: Tell us the history of... 
Week of 2/21 Focus: Poise
                   Activity: Socratic Seminar   
Week of 2/28 Focus: Voice 
                   Activity:  Would You Rather 

REMINDERS:  
🎤Please note that no prior experience or knowledge is required for this class. This is not a speech writing class. The goal of our class is for learners to practice their public speaking skills in a fun and engaging way.