Public Speaking Polar Bears

Over the April holiday period, we will be providing an in-person, two-day program that focuses on how to prepare speeches that analyse English texts.

Under the current English syllabus in NSW, the development of strong public speaking and presentation skills are key objectives for every stage. However, as students grow up, the nature of those presentations change – starting with storytelling, continuing onto persuasive speeches (which are the focus of our Foundations of Public Speaking course), and finally towards textual analysis speeches, which involve the interpretation and analysis of various types of text in English classes.

This program provides an introduction to how to go about preparing and presenting textual analysis speeches, starting with simple texts and then moving on to more complex ones. As with all our workshops, students will also get a wide range of opportunities to practice and receive feedback to help them develop into more confident public speakers!

Our Public Speaking Polar Bears workshop is a mixed-experienced program.

It is designed primarily for students in High School who have been exposed to public speaking at school, but want to dive deeper into how it works. It is perfect for beginners and experience students alike (including students who have completed the program before), with coaches ready and able to extend students who need an extra push.

If you’re not sure whether your child would be better suited for our Public Speaking Polar Bears, Public Speaking Honeyeaters, Debating Hummingbirds, Debating Hawks or Practice Debates programs, please get in touch, and we would be more than happy to discuss it with you!

Check out our video on what to expect at our in-person holiday workshops below!

After completing the Textual Analysis workshop, students should:

• understand what techniques are, and how they are used by authors to create meaning;
• have had the opportunity to discern their own opinion about several different texts they are presented as part of the course; and
• have been given various chances to present to the group and receive individualised feedback, including a major prepared speech on the final day.

Fundamental Concepts

The program starts with a succinct (but necessary) revision of the essential concepts covered in our introductory-level programs, including audience engagement and speech structure. This helps set students up for the rest of the program and ensures that everyone starts on a similar level, even if they’ve not undertaken an SSA program before.

Textual Analysis Fundamentals

We then move onto the fundamental concepts underpinning textual analysis, focussing particularly on finding meaning in different techniques authors commonly use. This includes a range of different impromptu speeches that are aimed at helping students better understand how texts are formed and tell a story.

Developing Presentations

Students then apply the theory they’ve learned to practical examples, helping students craft their ideas into a thesis and, ultimately, a complete prepared speech (which they present to their peers).

Students also have many further opportunities to participate in speaking activities to help them work on their manner and deepen their understanding of the workshop content over the course of the workshop.

Our classes vary in size every holiday depending on how many bookings we receive – however, the maximum size of our Public Speaking Polar Bears class is 9 students with one coach.

If there aren’t any spots left, it’s usually because we’ve hit capacity – please get in touch with us and we’ll see what we can do about either opening an extra class, fitting your child into the existing class, or putting you on a waitlist in case any students pull out!

After each program, students will go home with:

• a feedback sheet prepared by their coach (which will be emailed through), outlining what they’ve improved on during the course, and what they could continue to work on in the future;
• a certificate recognising that they have completed the Public Speaking Polar Bears workshop;
• a completed coursebook that contains all of the theory they’ve covered, as well as any notes that they’ve taken; and
• a much better understanding of a specific skill associated with public speaking!

If you’re interested in doing another holiday workshop, we would recommend that students move on to either:

• our Public Speaking Polar Bears workshop again – the program changes every holiday, so students will learn something new every time they complete it; or
• if your child is looking for something different, either our Debating Hummingbirds (for beginner debaters), Debating Hawks (for intermediate debaters) or Practice Debates (for more advanced debaters) would provide a new challenge!

Alternatively, if you’re looking for a weekly term program, we offer:

• Public Speaking Penguins, which takes Year 5 – 7 students through various different public speaking skills each term;
• Debating Parrots, a mixed experience class that introduces students in Years 5 – 7 to various different elements of debating;
• Debating Pandas, an intermediate-level group that takes students in Years 6 – 8 through a range of more advanced debating concepts;
• Debating Club, a more advanced class for Year 7 – 10 students to practice their skills each and every week.

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