The ManicaPost
Freedom Mutanda Education Correspondent
One of the skills which any student of English must acquire is speaking and for Zimbabwean students there is no reason for them to do their best in that area as they can get an “A” on the subject without fluency in the verbal aspect of the language.
Is public speaking one of your fears as a student? Maybe you are a nervous wreck in front of a crowd and your knees literally turn to jelly when you are asked to talk to a group of people.
For long, teachers have concentrated on teaching students to write compositions and respond to comprehensions and attack the appropriate register section in Paper 2, which was replaced in 2018 by supporting language structures.
Speaking was relegated to the backburner. However, it is clear from the new syllabus that speaking skills should also take centre stage just like the other skills, namely reading, writing and listening.
As a teacher, take a deep breath and ask yourself: Do I take deliberate efforts to teach public speaking skills to my students and make them confident enough to compete with other schools in preparation for their future engagements as members of the wider society?
Manicaland has public speaking contests from primary to secondary school levels but in some districts it is anathema to talk about debates, public speaking competitions, quiz shows as the heads concentrate on athletics and ball games.
Not everyone is a talented ball game player; thus, public speaking contests should be more visible in NAPH (National Association of Primary Heads) and NASH (National Association of Secondary Heads) calendars and the media has to publicise those events for the good of the society.
Of course, lawyers have to be articulate but do they have to learn the art of delivering a message via public presentation when they are at law school? It should start at primary school and with the intervening years the student hones his/her skills until s/he becomes an accomplished speaker.
Some students say they are naturally nervous and they are introverts who find it hard to interact with others but let us look at the seven elements of public speaking which may help those among us who are desirous to be competent public speakers.
Firstly, the speaker has to be identified and this is the person who strides forward and introduces him/herself to the audience and presents a speech.
Is he/she presentably dressed? Shabby dressing takes away the gloss on the speaker as the audience will doubt their sincerity and that affects the listeners’ appetite to hear what he/she has to say.
It is the speaker who has to thoroughly prepare for him/her to present the material without a dry throat forcing him/her to withdraw from the contest with a feeble ‘“I am sorry’’ before quickly sitting down.
Secondly, the speaker goes to the stage with a clear message; he/she knows what he/she wants to say.
Preparations make the presentation of the message easy.
That may include using Internet research tools and asking individuals whom you feel have the requisite information to make your presentation much closer to reality than the next person who has just left the blankets and gone on to present his/her piece.
Obviously, the voice comes in as a very important element of public speaking; those speakers who are prone to whispering as they speak will find it very difficult to be good public speakers.
The moment the audience strains its ears to hear what you are saying, then, adjudicators cannot be comfortable giving you a lot of marks.
Public speaking is performance and the moment one has a shaky voice, he/she cannot reap rich rewards.
Ensure that your voice does not appear to be noise and at the same time everyone in the room must hear your speech in a voice that attracts and not repel.
For you to reach that satisfactory level with your voice, you need to rehearse until you become an accomplished speaker.
Some public speakers have recorded themselves and chisel their voice until they felt they are near to perfection as much as possible.
My father once said at the time he was doing his Standard 6 at Mount Selinda, he would go into the forest before a public speaking contest or debate and speak to the trees as his audience; when he went back to school, he would present a good piece.
As one expert said, “practice makes perfect’’, a budding public speaker must always practise and that involves practising gestures from the facial expressions to body movements as he/she performs.
Never take your listener for granted.
Look at the audience and engage them. A public speaking professional once said there is no harm in planting your friends or relatives among the audience, who will encourage you the moment your eyes meet.
Interestingly, your eyes may never meet but the fact that you know among the listeners there are people who support you is a good enough reason not to be nervous.
Listeners love eye contact and loathe speakers who fidget and play around with their buttons as that is a clear show of lack of confidence.
Confidence is the key to successful interaction with the audience.
Feedback is instantaneous after your speech. An ovation may follow soon after your speech or the audience may not be enthusiastic in their applause.
Take that in your stride and move on towards perfection in another public speaking contest.
Feedback from the adjudicator and listeners helps you as a public speaker and never take offence if the feedback goes against your expectations.
Start with a smile and the rest will follow. While a smile gives you confidence, it also endears you to the audience.
Situations dictate the way you speak.
It may be at a funeral and you have been asked to present a speech.
There are malcontents within the audience who may act as interference by their constant talking even as you talk.
Be prepared to look the other way as it were in order for you to finish the business of the day.
There could be noise before you present the speech. What should you do? You wait until the din settles down and you begin your speech.
Schools should have public speaking contests.
Last week, St Michael’s and Chipangayi Secondary Schools in Chipinge engaged in a debate.
Next week I will comment on what transpired there.
