Speaking Camp Kangaroos

We’ve all been forced to listen to stories that go nowhere – but what if it didn’t have to be that way?

Over the April holidays, our Kangaroos will be looking at Explaining Events, and how to make even the most boring of our day-to-day tasks engaging. Looking at things like the Four Ws, applying cause & effect and considering different perspectives, students are taught to think about why an event was significant, and to draw their audiences attention to the point they’re trying to make.

Students are also given a range of practice speeches and activities to solidify what they learn, creating a holistic understanding of descriptive speeches that they will carry with them for life!

Our Speaking Camp Kangaroos workshop is a mixed-experience program.

There are three groups of students who would benefit from undertaking the Speaking Camp Kangaroos program:

1. those who have previous formal coaching in public speaking – this may be from one of our programs (including our Speaking Camp Koalas holiday program, or our Wombats or Wallabies weekly term programs), from another provider or potentially through their school;
2. anyone who is trying out public speaking for the first time, is already reasonably confident and is unable to attend the Speaking Camp Koalas workshop; or
3. students who have previously completed the Kangaroos workshop who are interested in developing their speaking skills even further – given the program changes from holiday to holiday, students are more than welcome (and even encouraged) to try it again and again.

If you’re not sure whether your child fits into any of these categories, please get in touch and we can chat about your circumstances!

Alternatively, please check out our video below to see how our holiday workshops function!

After completing the Explaining Events workshop, students should:

• understand the importance of considering all elements of an event, and drawing attention to the most interesting elements to engage their audience;
• be able to consider things like cause & effect and different perspectives to develop interest in their descriptions; and
• have plenty of opportunities to practice and receive individualised feedback on their event descriptions!

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.

Looking at Descriptive Speeches

After covering the fundamentals, the subsequent sessions focus on important elements students should cover when describing events.

The aim is for students to consider things like cause & effect and alternative perspectives determine what is important and what is not – this is the key to ensuring that they limit their descriptions to the significant elements of an event.

Additionally, students will engage in various activities to apply and hone these newly acquired skills.

Developing Informative Presentations

Throughout the workshop, students will have a wide range of opportunities to put their skills into practice and present in front of their peers. Given that students in this age group learn best by doing, there are plenty of practice speeches and speaking activities built into the program!

Our classes vary in size every holiday depending on how many bookings we receive – however, the maximum size of our Speaking Camp Kangaroos class is 9 students per coach, with a maximum class size of 16 (with two coaches).

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 Speaking Camp Kangaroos workshop, students will have:

• an emailed feedback sheet prepared by their coach, which outlines 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 Speaking Camp Kangaroos workshop;
• a workbook containing the key concepts that students covered during the workshop; and
• a more refined understanding of how they can apply their speaking skills in day-to-day life!

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

However, if you’re looking for something more regular, you may want to give one of our term programs a try, such as Public Speaking Wombats or Debating Wallabies, which will build on the skills learned during our holiday workshops.

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