1-on-1 Public Speaking/Presenting for Competitions and Presentations

Is your learner looking to enter a Public Speaking competition/festival or has a presentation to prepare for?  Do they need help to present their poem, story, prose extract, or speech better?

As an experienced actress, director, teacher, presenter, and storyteller I can coach your learner to improve their delivery and presentation AND develop their confidence ready for a school, local, national, or even international competition or presentation.

Each learner will require different levels of support but a typical class plan could be:

Class 1- We will read through their poem/story/prose extract or speech (or if they have not selected one yet, we will try out a few I can offer or help create) checking for understanding, and pronunciation, and giving support in the explanation of vocabulary, themes, and concepts.
Homework: Your learner will need to read through their text a few times after class to strongly familiarise themselves with it.

Class 2- We will work on what the feel/emotion is of the piece and start to work on HOW to inspire that feeling in our 'audience', by using pace and pitch changes. A copy of the poem/story/prose/speech will be annotated with these changes in this session, to assist learners in their out of class rehearsals.
Homework: Learners will be encouraged to memorise the first section (Even if they are allowed to have their text with them it is important that they don't present it with their head buried in their paper as they read).

Class 3- We will add in the most effective use of pauses, and look at where to be louder or softer to create thinking moments, points of tension/suspense, cliffhangers, and to create atmosphere.
Homework: Learners will be encouraged to memorise their next section.

Class 4- We will add in moments of emphasis and stress on certain words to 'bring the text to life' and create more interest in delivery.
Homework: Learners will be encouraged to memorise the next section/or the final section (depending on its length and time constraints).

Class 5- Learners will start to work on their physical presentation next, such as facial expressions, body language, eye contact, and gestures.
Homework: Rehearse the whole piece.

Class 6- Mrs. T will now polish their performance looking at breathing tips to prepare, posture, stillness when needed etc.
*As this is a 1-on-1 class Mrs. T will adapt the schedule as needed to allow for time constraints, extra support areas, or to accommodate learners who are doing particularly well and need to move on quicker. In each class learners will develop and improve.

If you are particularly short on time or would like a more intensive session, 1-on-1 coaching is also available as a 40 minute or one hour version where we can essentially combine 2 class areas in one session.