Stand Up!!!
Topic: Speaker Stance
Objective: The students will be able to analyze a speaker’s stance and be able to choose the appropriate stance for their upcoming speeches.
Materials: Pictures of people standing. Serious and funny poses are encouraged.
Steps:
1. Choose 5-7 students (depending on how many stances you have chosen. Give each student a picture of a stance. Have them demonstrate the stance for the whole class.
2. After each the student demonstrates their stance, have the entire class practice it as well.
3. Ask the students what each particular stance projects. Is the tone or mood enhanced? Would you use it to highlight a point in your speech? What attitude does the stance portray?
4. Discuss with the class which stances would work best for an Informative, Persuasive, Entertainment, and other Special occasion speeches.
Note: Some stances will work for more than one speech. Some will work for none. Some students might point out that you can use more than one stance in a specific speech. This is very true.
Results: Pair students up with a partner and have them work on what stance would work best for their specific speeches.
Note: The students should have their speeches written already so as partners they should go through their entire speech and write down how they will stand at various points in their speech.
Carey Teters
Everybody Stand Up
TOPIC: Physical Stance
OBJECTIVE: Students will list the appropriate speech physical stance as well as practice it.
Materials: None
Steps: 1. Begin by making two columns on the chalk/marker board or large sheet of paper; one labeled DO and the other labeled DON’T.
2. Ask students to come up with the things one should and should not do regarding your physical stance during a speech.
3. DO = stand up straight, face audience, move during transitions
DON’T = sway back and forth, lean on things, play with hair or clothing
4. Have students stand back to back with a partner and recite the speeches they are working on or read from a book. This will force them to stand up straight and concentrate on voice cues and gestures.
Result: Keep the list students came up with visible for a couple days so they can refer back to it.