Course Overview

Bookings are closed for Term #4 – register your interest to join in 2025 here!

Key Features

Runs over 1-hour and 1.5-hour weekly sessions, depending on venue
Designed for mixed-experience Year 3 & 4 students
Covers a different focus each term that maps onto the relevant NAPLAN focuses
Emphasises practice every session, rather than spending too much time on theory
Similar structure each week – students begin with an activity, run through a new piece of theory and consolidate with a practical speaking task
Prioritises a supportive and nurturing learning environment for all students
Utilises small class sizes to ensure everyone can practice each session and receive plenty of individualised feedback

Term Focuses

Every term, we ensure that our Public Speaking Wombats program helps students understand the fundamental concepts involved with public speaking.

Emphasis is placed on the following each term in 2024:

Term #1: Structuring Speeches
Term #2: Crafting Stories
Term #3: Confident Communicators
Term #4: Showcasing Role Models

While it’s recommended that students try each of these focuses, and the emphases change each year, there is no particular need to start with any of them, meaning students are welcome to join at any time!

More Information

Discover how our in-person and online programs differ on our FAQs
Learn more about the SSA Credits & Refund policy
Find out more about the type of things students cover in our blog

Throughout life, we are destined to meet a range of interesting people with a fascinating life story to share with us. However, expressing our admiration for others can at times be a difficult task – especially when we’re looking for the right words!

In the Showcasing Role Models program, our Wombats students will look at people – from family members to fictional characters to role models – and how we can introduce them to an audience in an engaging and informative manner.

This program goes beyond simply writing biographies – by combining what they cover in class with plenty of practice speeches, individualised feedback and self-reflection, students will learn to prepare and present engaging profiles about people from all areas of their lives!

After completing the Showcasing Role Models program, students should:

understand the fundamentals of informative speeches;
have the opportunity to prepare profiles of a range of different people and learn how to present them in an engaging manner; and
have been given multiple opportunities to present to their class every session.

Our Public Speaking Wombats program is a mixed-level class for students in Years 3 & 4 designed for students starting out in the world of public speaking as well as those with some speaking experience.

Public Speaking Wombats caters for:

Students who have little or no public speaking experience (students are more than welcome to join the program any term of the year);
Students who have already completed one or more terms of our Presentation Skills Leopards or Presentation Skills Lions programs when they were in Years 1 or 2;
Students who have already completed one or more terms of Wombats (the focus changes every term, so there’s no repetition of content for students);
Students who have given our holiday workshops (such as Speaking Camp Koalas or Speaking Camp Kangaroos) a go, and are looking to continue their public speaking journey!

We usually recommend that students continue with Public Speaking Wombats throughout Years 3 & 4 – 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 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.

Informative Speeches – Role Models

For the Showcasing Role Models focus for our Wombats program, students will generally cover:

Topic #1 – Introductions, icebreakers & different purposes of speeches
Topic #2 – The essential elements of informative speeches
Topic #3 – Finding role models in our lives
Topic #4 – How to structure biographical speeches in an informative way
Topic #5 – Techniques to ensure the role model presentation is as engaging as possible
Topic #6 – Pulling each concept together and forming an engaging end-of-term presentation

Practice Speeches & Activities

The remainder of the program introduces them to various concepts and activities that will help enhance their presentation skills, which are, in turn, reinforced through regular practice speeches and 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 Wombats 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 Wallabies 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 Speaking Camp Kangaroos, which builds on the skills learned during the term.

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