Public Speaking Penguins

No matter the context of a speech, you are almost always trying to tell a story – and engaging the audience within that story is critical to ensure it is both persuasive and interesting.

Given this, our Penguins students will be covering Compelling Narratives in Term #2, with a particular focus on engaging the audience through the ‘Hero’s Journey’, a well-established narrative structure used across modern storytelling to great effect.

Coupling this with solid structure, interesting characters and engaging storytelling manner, students not only look at how to construct effective narratives, but also how to draw the audience into their world. This helps students convey their message in an impactful way – an essential element of any good presentation!

After completing the Compelling Narratives program, students should:

• understand why stories are an essential part of giving effective speeches;
• Consider the ‘Hero’s Journey’ in-depth as a potential structure that can be used when telling stories; and
• have been given multiple opportunities to present to their class in each and every session.

Our Public Speaking Penguins program is a mixed-level class for students in Years 5 – 7 designed for students starting out in the world of public speaking as well as those with some speaking experience.

Public Speaking Penguins caters for:

• Students who have no (or negligible) public speaking experience (all students have to start somewhere, and there is no better place to do so than here – students are welcome to join any time throughout the year);
• Students who have already completed one or more terms of Penguins or Debating Parrots (the focus changes every term, so there’s no repetition of content for students);
• Students who have given our Year 3 & 4 term programs (such as Public Speaking Wombats or Debating Wallabies) or holiday workshops (such as Public Speaking Honeyeaters, Debating Hummingbirds or Speaking Camp Kangaroos) a try, and want to continue developing their speaking skills!

We usually recommend that students continue with Public Speaking Penguins for as long as feels comfortable before looking at our Debating Parrots program. There is a different focus every term, so there’s always something new for students to learn!

Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss what’s best for your child!

Revision of Fundamental Concepts

The program starts with a succinct (but critical) revision of essential public speaking concepts, including audience engagement and speech structure.

This helps prepare students for the rest of the program and ensures that everyone starts on a similar level, especially students who have not been exposed to public speaking before.

Developing Compelling Narratives

For the Compelling Narratives focus of our Penguins program, students will generally cover:

• Topic #1 – Introductions & icebreakers
• Topic #2 – The important elements of a good story
• Topic #3 – Developing engaging hero’s journeys that enrapture the audience
• Topic #4 – Presenting a range of interesting stories as part of the class

Manner Essentials and Practice Speeches  

The rest of the programme leads students through various concepts and engaging activities crafted to push their boundaries and enhance their presentation capabilities.

These abilities range from physical manner (such as body language and stance) to verbal manner (such as tone and pacing), and are regularly covered using practice speeches and constructive feedback!

End of Term Presentation

Each term ends with a presentation, either to peers or parents (depending on the venue). This is an excellent opportunity for students to showcase what they’ve learned over the course of the term and continue their confidence-building journey.

Students generally spend the last couple of sessions preparing and practising their speeches for the presentation.

Coaches will also provide an update to parents on what was covered during the term, as well as what comes next for the students’ public speaking journeys.

As a mixed-experience program, our Public Speaking Penguins program is designed to be completed multiple times – with a different focus every term, there’s always something new for students to take away from the program!

Alternatively, if your child would like to try debating, our Debating Parrots program teaches students all the essential skills they need to become great debaters!

However, if you’re looking for something during a school break, you may want to try one of our holiday workshops, such as Public Speaking Honeyeaters or Debating Hummingbirds, which build on the skills learned during the term.

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions, or get in touch using our contact form to learn more!