How EFL/ESL Teachers Can Help Students Make a Successful Speech

Mark Mallinder and Hsiang-Ni Lee, Taiwan

Mark Mallinder is an English instructor at National Changhua University of Education. He has been teaching a variety of college-level courses to Taiwanese EFL learners. His research interests include reading instruction and using multimedia in language classrooms. E-mail: markc@cc.ncue.edu.tw

Hsiang-Ni Lee is a professor at National Taitung University. She is interested in children’s literature, family literacy, literature-based reading instruction and material development. In the future, she also wishes to explore the multiple possibilities of utilizing technology in language education. E-mail: hnl@nttu.edu.tw

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Introduction
Identifying the type of speech
More tips for making a speech
Practise, practise and practise
References

Introduction

While giving a public speech is not the most difficult thing in the world to do, for many people it is far from easy. This is especially true for many EFL/ESL students. Since they must try to convey their thoughts to others while speaking English, the task can be daunting, and even terrifying. However, as experienced language teachers, we know that despite the obstacles EFL students often face prior to and while giving a speech in English, they will be greatly helped if they are given some instruction about speech making. Thus, we humbly offer the following advice in this article to any and all EFL/ESL teachers in the hopes that they may share this information with their students.

Identifying the type of speech

Prior to giving your speech, you need to know that there are different types of speeches, and in order to give a successful speech, you should be aware of what you are trying to accomplish. For instance, the informative speech is done to tell the audience about something, whereas the persuasive speech is used to try and convince an audience about something. There are also speeches which are given to entertain listeners, and frequently speeches will overlap and contain elements of different types of speeches within the same speech. While the type of speech you give will likely be decided by a teacher, you must be certain that you know which type of speech you are being ask to give before you present it to an audience.

More tips for making a speech

What follows are some more tips to help ensure that you will give a speech which will be satisfying to both you and your audience.

1. Greet your audience. Saying your name or even saying “good afternoon” or “hello” is better than saying nothing and just starting to talk.
2. Speak in a clear voice so that what you are saying will be easily understood.
3. Make eye-contact with the audience.
4. Don’t just walk away at end of your speech. Also, don’t say something like “Ok, I am done.” (You can thank the audience for listening to you; or you can simply say “Thank you.” Anything is better than simply walking away).
5. If you have gotten information from someone, tell the audience where the information comes from. (You don’t have to be an expert in any field to make a good speech).
6. Know your audience and their limitations. Are you speaking to others who may not be very proficient in English? Are you presenting information about a topic others may not be very familiar with? You must be always willing to adapt your speech to be better understood by most, or all, of anyone listening to you.
7. Use formal language when you are speaking. Avoid using slang terminology or idiomatic expressions, unless you are certain that the listeners will understand what you saying. Otherwise, the audience may not know the meaning of the idioms/slang you are using.
8. Have cards with you or have an outline of your speech handy just to remind you of what you want to say in case you forget.
9. Don’t try to be perfect. (Nobody is perfect). It is best if you just try to do your best.
10. Be aware of your body language. Before you give your speech, ask a friend to watch you and give you feedback as to what you are doing with your head, hands, etc. while you are speaking. If you have no person available to help you, you may choose to practice in front of a mirror.
11. Don’t ask people in middle of your speech if they understand you. It is best if you wait until the end and ask if anyone has any questions or comments they want to share with you.
12. Be aware of time limitations. If you are given 5 minutes to speak, the audience will probably know this as well. You can ruin an otherwise good speech if you go over the time limit. You should have worked out any time issues you face prior to giving your speech.
13. Repeat any main ideas you want to make.
14. It may be useful to use handouts and other visual aids. Just keep in mind that these things can help make a good speech better, but they cannot be used to make a bad speech better.
15. If you make a mistake, relax. Don’t panic. The best, most experienced, speech makers can and do make errors while speaking.
16. Don’t speak too softly. In order to give a successful speech, your voice must be easily heard by the audience. Nobody will understand you if they can’t hear you. Thus, you should try to use a microphone if one is available to you. However, technology may not always work, so you need to raise your voice to be heard by everyone. Remember that on the stage even a whisper can’t really be a whisper.
17. Do not speak too loudly.
18. Don’t speak too rapidly. The audience must have a moment to consider what you are saying. Remember you are trying to convey a message, not win a race.
19. Don’t speak too slowly. Very slow speech sounds strange and makes the listener wonder why the person is speaking that way.
20. Practice pronunciation as much as possible, especially certain words which are not commonly used by you. Also, if the word is plural, or past tense, try your best to make the listener hear that. Likewise, don’t skip syllables at all. For instance, don’t say something like “plain” when you mean ex-plain. The “ex” is very important for the listener to hear. It cannot or should not be ignored. Also, ask a native speaker if you don’t know how to say certain words, or find a person who is good at speaking the language to help you say a word correctly. Also, change the words you use if any of them are too difficult for you to say. Remember, you are not married to any one word, so you can feel free to choose another word at anytime.
21. Try to put some emotion in your voices so you don’t sound “flat” or like you are simply “reading” the words. Please remember that you really want the audience to believe you are the character, which they will more likely do if you don’t sound like you are simply reading words on a page. (This is where practice really becomes so important).
22. Don’t over exaggerate every word you use. Try to sound as normal as possible. Again, this is where practice really helps a lot.
23. Do your best but try to have fun. Don’t focus on your nervousness. Being nervous is natural. Focus on what you should be saying and doing and do your best.

Practise, practise and practise

Finally, the best advice we can share with you is that unless you are making a spontaneous speech, you should practise, practise, practise, and then practise some more. It is impossible for you to practice too much. Practice as often as you can, with others and by yourself. While we don’t believe that “practice will (always or often) make you perfect,” there is simply no substitute for spending as much time as you can find to practice what you plan to say.

References

Jason T. (2011). Lesson Plan Booster: What Makes a Great Speech? Retrieved April 10, 2016 from
www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/student_engagers/what_makes_a_great_speech.shtml

Please check the Methodology & Language for Secondary course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Teaching Advanced Students course at Pilgrims website.