Tips for High School Students to Give a Great Speech in Class

Sooner or later, everyone will have to deliver a speech. For some people, the setting may be formal, such as a wedding, fundraising event, or political rally. For others, the occasion will be smaller and more casual, like a family reunion, a sports banquet or a club meeting. Whether the presentation is short and amusing or long and inspiring, the speaker should know how to engage the audience. By following time-honored tips for giving a speech in class, high school students can build their communication skills and gain confidence when they stand before an audience.

This article will describe five important tips that help high school students conquer their nerves so they can speak with passion and poise:

• Know the Audience
• Stick to the Topic
• Honor Time Limits
• Rely on Natural Strengths
• Ask for Feedback

Why Do High School Students Need to Practice Giving a Speech in Class?

Teachers frequently assign oral presentations, either individually or as part of a group project. Accordingly, the goal is twofold: to disseminate information clearly and to engage the audience.

Learning to communicate well takes time and effort, so high school students should take advantage of opportunities to speak in public. Indeed, students can draw from many helpful tips for giving a speech in class.

Additionally, giving a speech in class can help high school students develop essential interpersonal skills, or “soft skills.” Young people need these skills as they enter adulthood, especially when they enter the workplace. Increasingly, employers expect their workers to be competent communicators; in other words, all professionals should practice active listening, critical thinking, problem-solving, and time management.

Although giving a speech in class may seem like a relatively minor task, it enhances the students’ soft skills, especially active listening, critical thinking, problem-solving, and time management. 

Whenever high school students craft a speech, they must plan every part of the presentation. They will evaluate their topic critically and organize their thoughts logically. They should anticipate objections, and they must respect time limits. 

Additionally, students must consider whether they will incorporate visual aids, when and how they will gesture or move, and when to modulate their voice. Consequently, giving a speech in class encompasses far more than a single assignment; it becomes a path to personal growth and responsibility.

As an independent, single-sex school, Marlborough encourages high school students to give speeches in various subjects. For instance, students in our History and Social Sciences classes have recurring opportunities to present their views in culturally-relevant courses, such as Honors Humanities Seminar: Theories & Politics of Race, Contemporary Asian Studies, and Presidential Elections.

Tips for Giving a Speech in Class

As often as possible, high school students should embrace challenges, and public speaking is an excellent way to do just that. Giving a speech in class forces students out of their comfort zone, especially if they must take a stand on a social issue. 

With practice, students learn to face their insecurities, quell their anxiety, and respond articulately to opposition; as a result, they develop resilience, conviction, and eloquence.

Thus, the following tips for giving a speech in class can empower and embolden high school students.

1.    Know the Audience

Before diving into piles of research materials, high school students should consider the audience and the occasion for the speech. Prudent students should ask a few questions:

• Am I speaking to peers, adults, or both?
• How big is the audience?
• What is the context for my speech?

One of the most important tips for giving a speech regards the size of the audience. An intimate setting may lend itself to a relaxed, conversational tone; by contrast, an auditorium generally requires more structure, increased volume, and deliberate, visible movement so that people in the back of the room can follow the presentation easily.

At Marlborough, high school students give a series of speeches in advanced classes, such the Honors Capstone Program in Entrepreneurship. These students research and launch products or services to target markets after developing a business plan; then, they pitch their idea to a panel of investors during Marlborough’s SPARC Tank.

2.    Stick to the Topic

Young orators will not have time to cover every aspect of the topic; instead, students should narrow their focus and compose an articulate thesis statement that serves as a roadmap for the entire presentation.

Then, the speakers should identify two or three central points they can explain within their allotted time. High school students must remember that every part of the speech must support their thesis, which means that the presenters must stay on topic. While it may be tempting to include interesting backstories or humorous anecdotes, students must discern whether those details advance the argument.

Although tips for giving a speech in class vary, the Dale Carnegie adage works for many presentations: “Tell the audience what you’re going to say, say it; then tell them what you’ve said.” The idea behind this maxim is that the audience has a short period of time to hear and process what the speaker is saying. The speaker should follow a logical outline, repeat crucial points, and direct the audience towards a clear objective; that way, the audience can track the argument and form an opinion about the topic.

At Marlborough, high school students present speeches in classes that prepare them for life in the 21st century, including The Honors English Seminar: Gender & Sexuality, Social Psychology, Computer Science Projects, and Computer Science Projects Honors.

3. Honor Time Limits

In 2006, TED Talks took the world of public speaking by storm, and their prototype altered the way people make presentations. TED organizers limited speeches to 18 minutes, the ideal time that audiences can process information without feeling overwhelmed; today, many TED Talks come in under six minutes.

According to an analysis of the TED Talk model, high school students can easily streamline presentations and still connect to the audience. Here are four essential tips for giving a speech in class:

• Tell three stories that stir the imagination and rouse the heart.
• Practice relentlessly. One TED speaker rehearsed her speech 200 times before presenting it.
• Introduce something new, whether it be an unusual fact, a new application, or a fresh perspective.
• Let photographs, art, animations, and graphics help tell the story; avoid copy-heavy slides that no one will read.

At Marlborough, we encourage our students to give speeches and presentations in classes and at school-sponsored activities, including Modern World History Honors, AP Art History, Improvisational Techniques. In addition, students can join our award-winning Debate Club, where they learn the art of negotiation and persuasion.

4.    Rely on Natural Strengths

In researching the TED Talk phenomenon, Forbes contributor, Carmine Gallo, concluded that efficacious speakers rely on their humanity to win over an audience. Here are three more tips for giving a speech in class:

• Be willing to elicit a range of emotions, including joy, fear, shock, or surprise.
• Understand that respectful humor surpasses the common joke; anecdotes and personal experiences often ease tension and create a powerful bond with the audience.
• Embrace mistakes; vulnerability and imperfection help the audience relate to a speaker.

When high school students lower their guard and speak from the heart, they allow their audience to join them on a journey of discovery.

During a speech, the audience might laugh, stand, applaud, even cry. If that happens, speakers should pause briefly. If necessary, students can thank the audience or gesture that they are ready to continue the presentation.

At Marlborough, students have opportunities to develop their public speaking skills in extracurricular activities, such as Class Council, All-School Council, the Student Equity & Inclusion Council, the Arts Council, and the Community Outreach Council.

5.    Ask for Feedback

Perhaps one of the most important tips for giving a speech in class involves feedback. High school students should rehearse the presentation in its entirety before an audience of one or two people.

If possible, students should practice in the venue where they will be speaking; that way, they get a feel for the size and acoustics of the room.

The listeners should sit at the back of the room to gauge whether they can hear the speaker clearly. They should not interrupt the speaker; instead, they can use hand signals to indicate when the student needs to speak louder or slow the pacing.

When high school students fidget, pace, or sway back and forth, their listeners can indicate that they need to modify the behavior. Normally, rocking, tugging on sleeves, playing with hair, jingling keys, or thrusting hands in pockets are signs of nerves, and ample practice can train the student to notice — and correct — distracting habits.

Furthermore, listeners can cue the speakers regarding eye contact and gestures. High school students should avoid gazing above the heads of audience members. Eye contact holds the audience accountable for listening and gives a speaker the chance to check if the audience is tracking the argument properly.

High school students should mentally divide the audience into thirds, scanning each section as they speak. The movement should feel deliberate. During the rehearsal, listeners can prompt the speaker to look at each part of the room.

Lastly, listeners should also help high school students avoid “filler words,” such as “uh, um, like, or you know.” These phrases and other, vague references to “stuff” and “things” can hurt credibility. Since teenagers frequently default to “fillers” when they speak, they must train themselves to filter their speech in a formal presentation. Listeners can raise a hand each time the student uses a distracting word or phrase, helping the speaker become more self-aware.

At Marlborough, our students understand that public speaking skills prepare them for adulthood. Thus, they give motivating speeches in class; one exciting example is the Honors Capstone Program in Justice, where high school students urge peers and adults to advocate for positive and lasting change.

Why Choose Marlborough?

Marlborough serves girls in grades 7 through 12. We are a private, college-preparatory secondary school, conveniently located in the heart of Los Angeles, California.  

Our goal is to ignite intellectual inquiry and to build the problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, and communication skills that our students will need to innovate, invent, and lead in college and beyond.

Next Steps

If you want your daughter to become a curious, agile thinker, consider Marlborough. Our innovative program can help your daughter build confidence and poise. By offering tips that promote public speaking skills in high school, she can feel prepared for college and beyond.

Want to know more about the Marlborough experience?

Contact us today