Task 1: warm up · EPLORERS public speaking - 2 Task 3: feedback Now you have started learning about standing up in front of someone else and giving eye contact. The next step is

public speaking

public speaking - 1EXPLORERS

The crowd gets quiet. Slowly, you walk across the stage and head to the microphone. You have the opportunity to share your knowledge with an audience. It may be a small crowd or a full auditorium, but no matter the size of audience, you need to be ready to speak in front of others. In this emblem, you will work through the process of writing and presenting a basic speech so, if in the future you are called to speak in front of others, you can be prepared!

To earn the Public Speaking emblem, you must complete ALL of the tasks.

Task 1: warm up

There are lots of steps to giving a good speech. We are going to start at the very beginning. Break up into groups of two or three. Take turns giving a one-minute talk to your audience. It can be about any topic that you know. You will time each other. Example topics could be what you had for breakfast, your dog, your bike, your favorite subject, why leaves turn red, the life cycle of an insect, or things that are blue.

1. Set the timer.

2. First person stands up in front of the others.

3. Begin the timer.

4. Start talking until the timer stops.

5. Trade places.

6. Repeat until everyone has had a turn.

Task 2: eye contact

When you are giving a speech, a skilled person will look up from their notes and make eye contact with the audience. For this task, play a game to practice eye contact.

Mirror, Mirror1. Choose a partner.

2. Stand in front of your partner.

3. Make direct eye contact by looking directly into each other’s eyes.


Task 3: feedback

Now you have started learning about standing up in front of someone else and giving eye contact. The next step is learning to practice in front of others and receive feedback so that you can improve. Feedback is not a negative thing. It is a tool used so that you are able to become a better speaker in front of others.

Begin by practicing the good speech giving skills below:

• Make good eye contact

• Stay on topic

• Avoid pause words

• Stand tall with good posture

• Do not use distracting movements or motions

• Speak at a comfortable speed

• Use different tones of your voice when speaking

• Keep your audience’s attention

Now get into groups of two or three. Give a one-minute speech on one of the following topics. Once your are finished, have your audience answer the feedback questions and give you tips of how to better give a speech the next time! Then, the next person takes a turn. Continue until everyone has had a turn to speak and receive feedback.

Topics• Applesauce is better than apples

• Everyone should drive a silver car

4. Choose who will be the leader first.

5. The leader will begin moving and the other person will try to follow every movement without losing eye contact.

6. Change leaders.

7. Repeat the game with the new leader.


• There should be a road named after me

• School should start at 10 am

• Dogs are better than cats

• Boys should learn to sing

• America is the best country

Feedback Questions:• Did he make good eye contact with his audience?

• Did he stay on topic?

• Was he able to share his thoughts without getting stuck on words like umm, like, and uh?

• How was he standing during his speech?

• Did he do anything distracting during the speech such as wave his arms around a lot or move too much?

• Did he speak slow enough for you to understand?

• Did he use interesting tones in his voice while talking?

• How did he keep your attention?

Task 4: game time

For this task, you will play a game with a small group of around four or five people. Choose two of the games below to play in your small groups. Remember what you have learned about public speaking so far.

My Best FriendMake up a best friend. Use your imagination to come up with their name and what they look like. Tell the group about what your friend likes to do. Talk about activities that the two of you have done together. Talk for two minutes.

Shout OutOne person stands up front. The person standing up front yells out “Shout Out” when he is ready to begin. The other people in the group will shout out a topic. Quickly, the speaker up front


chooses one of the topics and begins speaking about it. Once the speaker has talked for two minutes, he trades places with another person in the group, and another “Shout Out” session starts.

The Never-Ending StoryEveryone sits in a circle. One person stands up and begins telling a story about anything. After speaking for a little while and without finishing the story, he sits down, and the next person in the circle stands up and continues with the story. He speaks for a little while and before the story ends, he sit down and the next person stands up to continue the story. Play goes on until everyone has had at least one turn.

Random PickFor this game, one person agrees to begin. He stands up in front of the group. He looks around the room and picks one item in the room. He introduces that item by telling what it is and then gives a one-minute speech all about that item. If you don’t know anything about the item, that’s okay — use your imagination, and make up its history and background.

Farm Yard FunThis game can really make you giggle. Each person chooses a story about himself. Then everyone takes turns going up to be the speaker. When you go up, the next person picks a farmyard noise such as oink, moo, neigh, or cock a doodle doo. Through your story time, instead of saying the word “I,” you must say the farm noise instead. It can be very tricky.


Task 5: research

It is time to plan to give a speech for your group. In order to share information in a formal speech, you want to be well informed. Choose a topic that interests you. Be specific so that you can research details to share in your speech. For example, instead of researching ocean animals, choose a specific creature such as the dolphin or jellyfish.

Fill in the information sheet below so that you can have plenty of information to share about your topic. Some fields will not apply to all topics.

Topic: ____________________________________________________________________

Why did you choose this topic? ___________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Physical description: ____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Four details about your topic (Examples: its history, how it is made, where it came from, etc.)

1. ___________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________


Some people like to memorize their speech. Others like to have a note system with topic words to help keep the flow of their speech. Use index cards, and fill in the information listed below on the cards. You may find that you like to hold note cards to keep you on track. Always number your cards to keep them in order.

Card 1: INTRODUCTIONWrite down single words that remind of you of basic information and clearly say what your topic is going to be.

Card 2: CHOICEGive information about why you choose this topic.

Task 6: notes


Card 3: DESCRIPTIONGive information about how it looks if applicable to your topic.

Card 4: DETAILSHere is where you have to narrow down your topic. You don’t want your speech to run too long, so choose three or four details to share about your topic. Put words to remind you of those details on your card. This may take more than one card but just keep numbering them in order.

Card 5: CONCLUSIONHere you want to tell again your topic and why you chose it. Thank your audience for listening.


Task 7: speech

It is time to present your speech to your troop. Remember to:


• Stay on topic

• Avoid pause words such as umm, like, and uh






Give a speech on your research topic that lasts three to five minutes. If you have any pictures, put them in your Explorer notebook.

Date I gave my speech: ______________________________________

bible time

Leader’s or Resource Person’s Signature

Date Completed

Emblem Completion


ON TARGET!The next time you feel God calling you to do something, don’t worry. He will make a way. It may be that He wants you to talk to a friend about Jesus and about going to church with you. Relax, and let God take control. He will tell you what to say.

Exodus 4:10 NIV

“Moses said to the LORD, ‘Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’”

reach for the stars


Date Completed

Leader’s or Resource Person’s Signature

Star Completion

To complete the Reach for the Stars project, finish one of the choices below.

Lead a Bible Story time during a Sunday school opening, children’s church, or Sunday school class. Practice telling the story beforehand so that you can give proper eye contact and interact with your audience.

– OR –

Watch or listen to one of these famous speeches below. What makes it a great speech? Check and see if the speaker uses good public speaking skills.

“I Have A Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You” by John F. Kennedy

“A Time for Choosing” by Ronald Reagan

“Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat” by Winston Churchill

leader resourcepublic speaking


Task 1: warm up

The tasks in this emblem will help the boys learn public speaking skills in fun and new ways. Give them time to start out in small groups, and work up to giving the speech in front of the whole group.

To earn the Public Speaking emblem, Explorers must complete ALL of the tasks.

For this task, the boys will need a way to keep time. They should keep time for each other so they get a feel for how long one minute is. Give a practice speech before the groups split up. This will help them to get an idea of how to arrange their thoughts and stand. This activity is not for them to work on perfection, but just to get a feel for standing up and speaking in front of others.

1. Set the timer.

2. First person stands up in front of the others.

3. Begin the timer.

4. Start talking until the timer stops.

5. Trade places.

6. Repeat until everyone has had a turn.

This is a quick fun game that helps work on the skill of eye contact. Give the boys time to play through a couple of times. They will get better once they get the feel for following the other person while keeping eye contact.

Mirror, Mirror

Task 2: eye contact

1. Choose a partner.

2. Stand in front of your partner.

3. Look directly into each other’s eyes.

4. Choose who will be the leader first.

5. The leader will begin moving and the other person will try to follow every movement without losing eye contact.

6. Change leaders.

7. Repeat the game with the new leader.


This task gives the boys a few more skills to work on as they speak in front of others. Again, keep the groups small. Encourage the boys to give positive feedback as well as critiques. They should make sure that they say what their partner did really well too, not just what they did wrong.

Discuss the following skills with the boys before breaking up into small groups:


• Stay on topic

• Avoid pause words (um, uh, like)






The topics listed in the Explorer Handbook are suggestions of things the boys may speak about, but feel free to add other topics for presenting.

Feedback Questions• Did he make good eye contact with his audience?

• Did he stay on topic?

• Was he able to share his thoughts without getting stuck on words like umm, like, and uh?

• How was he standing during his speech?

• Did he do anything distracting during the speech such as wave his arms around a lot or move too much?

• Did he speak slow enough for you to understand?

• Did he use interesting tones in his voice while talking?

• How did he keep your attention?

Task 3: feedback


Continue to work on skills through these crazy games. The boys may not realize that they are actually developing real, useful skills as they play each game. Select at least two games to try.

My Best FriendMake up a best friend. Use your imagination to come up with their name and what they look like. Tell the group about what your friend likes to do. Talk about activities that the two of you have done together. Talk for two minutes.

Shout OutOne person stands up front. The person standing up front yells out “Shout Out” when he is ready to begin. The other people in the group will shout out a topic. Quickly, the speaker up front chooses one of the topics and begins speaking about it. Once the speaker has talked for two minutes, he trades places with another person in the group, and another “Shout Out” session starts.

The Never-Ending StoryEveryone sits in a circle. One person stands up and begins telling a story about anything. After speaking for a little while and without finishing the story, he sits down, and the next person in the circle stands up and continues with the story. He speaks for a little while and before the story ends, he sit down and the next person stands up to continue the story. Play goes on until everyone has had at least one turn.

Random PickFor this game, one person agrees to begin. He stands up in front of the group. He looks around the room and picks one item in the room. He introduces that item by telling what it is and then gives a one-minute speech all about that item. If you don’t know anything about the item, that’s okay — use your imagination, and make up its history and background.

Farm Yard FunThis game can really make you giggle. Each person chooses a story about himself. Then everyone takes turns going up to be the speaker. When you go up, the next person picks a farmyard noise such as oink, moo, neigh, or cock a doodle doo. Through your story time, instead of saying the word “I,” you must say the farm noise instead. It can be very tricky.

Task 4: game time


Task 5: research

In order for the boys to fill in their research questions, they will need information available to them. You will need to either send the questions home with them to complete on their own, take a trip to your local library, or have Internet access so the boys are able to look up the info needed. Help them to narrow down their topic so they can pull concrete details to share in their speech.

Topic: ____________________________________________________________________

Why did you choose this topic? __________________________________________

Physical description: ____________________________________________________

Four details about your topic (Examples: its history, how it is made, where it came from, etc.)

1. ______________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________

Task 6: notes

Have note cards or index cards available for the boys to take notes on after they have researched. Encourage them to write just a few words to remind them of the information they will share. Don’t let them forget to give an introduction and conclusion.

Task 7: speech

This is the step that you have been working toward. It is time for the boys to give their speech. If possible, it is great practice for the boys to give their speech in front of the full group. However, if you have a child who absolutely cannot do this, video tape them giving their speech, and then share it with the group. It will still give them great practice in public speaking.


Public Speaking Skills• Make good eye contact

• Stay on topic

• Avoid pause words such as umm, like, and uh






bible time


Leader Resource: public speaking - Bible Study

Exodus 4:10 NIV“Moses said to the LORD, ‘Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never

been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’”

Supplies: Second place ribbon or a picture of a second place ribbon

Introduction: I found this ribbon the other day. Second place. I’m not sure when this ribbon is from, but it made me think of things in my life that I was okay at, but never really super at. Things like (insert a few: the spelling bee, marathons, drawing, science fairs, singing, debate, soccer...) It seems like when I was growing up, I never could be the best at those things. Never a first place ribbon. I usually couldn’t even earn a second place ribbon. Although I knew that was okay, that I didn’t have to be great at everything, I still sometimes felt a little down about it. Do you ever feel like that? Are there things in your life that you wish you were better at doing, but you just never quite get as good as you want to be? The interesting thing is, even those things that we aren’t the best at, God may ask us to use them for His glory. You heard me right. God doesn’t just ask us to do things we are good at — sometimes, He asks us to do things that we feel like we aren’t the best at.

Scripture: It’s true. We can see how God did this to Moses. In Exodus, God called Moses to speak for Him to the Pharaoh. Moses was beside himself. He felt like he couldn’t do it. Moses said to the Lord in Exodus 4:10, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” You see, Moses had some kind of speech trouble, but that did not stop God from calling Moses to be His spokesperson. God will find a way. He gave Moses the help he needed to do what needed to be done. Just like with Moses, God will help us to do what He needs us to do.

ON TARGET!

The next time you feel God calling you to do something, don’t worry. He will make a way. It may be that He wants you to talk to a friend about Jesus and about going to church with you. Relax and let God take control. He will tell you what to say.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, Nothing is impossible with You. You gave Moses what he needed to convince the Pharaoh to let Your people go. You equipped Moses in all circumstances. I want to believe that You will do that for me. Help me to be faithful. Thank you for Your blessings. Amen.

Documents

Task 1: warm up · EPLORERS public speaking - 2 Task 3: feedback Now you have started learning about standing up in front of someone else and giving eye contact. The next step is